Unlocking the secrets of the first quasars: How they defy the laws of physics to grow
In an article published in the Astronomy & Astrophysics journal, new evidence suggests how supermassive black holes, with masses of several billion times that of our sun, formed so rapidly in less than a billion years after the Big Bang......»»
3D scans of giant hailstones reveal surprising discoveries that could help predict future storms
Hailstones are formed during thunderstorms, when raindrops are propelled into very cold parts of a cloud, where they freeze. Once the particles are heavy enough, gravity pulls them back towards Earth. As they plummet, they grow into hailstones, which.....»»
Scientists reveal superconductivity secrets of an iron-based material
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have uncovered the atomic-scale mechanics that enhance superconductivity in an iron-based material, a finding published recently in Nature......»»
The dual role of insects in parasitic plant reproduction solves a long-standing botanical mystery
In the dark and moist understories of the subtropical forests of Shimoshima Island in Japan grow parasitic plants that feed on the roots of other plants. They are called Balanophora, and for over a century, the mechanism of their seed dispersal has r.....»»
Stick to current climate change laws, US tells top UN court
The current United Nations framework for fighting climate change should be preserved, the United States told the International Court of Justice, which is working on drafting fresh global legal guidelines......»»
ESA workers face a maze of non-compete clauses and service contracts
Contracts limit mobility and career advancement, and ESA policy limits local laws. A system of non-competition clauses enforced by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) workforce su.....»»
Study finds soil microbes affect flowers" ability to attract bees
New research reveals that certain soil microbes can help plants grow bigger flowers, therefore attracting more bees. The findings, which are published in New Phytologist, suggest that studying roots' relationships with microbes can help scientists pr.....»»
AttackIQ Flex 3.0 empowers security teams to take control of their detection strategies
AttackIQ announced AttackIQ Flex 3.0, agentless security control validation that integrates natively with Splunk to deliver a fully seamless user experience. A growing need for efficient and accurate threat detection As cyber threats grow more sophis.....»»
Nanoscale bumps and grooves trigger big changes in cell behavior
The surfaces that cells come into contact with can influence how the cells grow, function, and communicate—shaping metabolism and even cellular health. Now, engineering researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a platform.....»»
Deep-sea marvels: How anglerfish defy evolutionary expectations
A Rice University study sheds light on the extraordinary evolution of anglerfish, a group of deep-sea dwellers whose bizarre adaptations have captivated scientists and the public alike. The research, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, uncovers.....»»
Hidden DNA in plants reveals secrets of photosynthesis
Scientists have uncovered genetic variation in the unexplored DNA of the photosynthetic and energy factories of Arabidopsis plants, which plays a crucial role in the efficiency of photosynthesis in plants. These insights—published Nov. 27 in the Pr.....»»
Physics experiment proves patterns in chaos in peculiar quantum realm
Patterns in chaos have been proven, in the incredibly tiny quantum realm, by an international team co-led by UC Santa Cruz physicist Jairo Velasco, Jr. In a new paper published on November 27 in Nature, the researchers detail an experiment that confi.....»»
Hexagons of hexagonal boron nitride join up to form 2D insulator for next-gen electronic devices
A method that can grow a useful insulating material into exceptionally high-quality films that are just one atom thick and are suitable for industrial-scale production has been developed by an international team led by Xixiang Zhang from KAUST......»»
Youth H5N1 diagnosis: Anti-whistleblower "ag-gag" laws help global pandemics grow and spread
A teen in British Columbia recently became critically ill after becoming infected with H5N1. H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu......»»
How a species of ground squirrel manages to go without food and water over the winter months
A team of molecular and physiology specialists at the Yale University School of Medicine has uncovered some of the hibernating secrets of thirteen-lined ground squirrels, and have partly explained how it manages to avoid thirst during its long winter.....»»
An unexpected delay in a standard quantum optical process generates pairs of photons
Since it was first demonstrated in the 1960s, spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) has been at the center of many quantum optics experiments that test the fundamental laws of physics in quantum mechanics, and in applications like quantum sim.....»»
Why did Louis de Broglie, Nobel laureate in physics, abandon his own pilot wave theory?
This week marks the centenary of the French physicist Louis de Broglie's doctoral thesis, which later earned him a Nobel prize for "his discovery of the wave nature of electrons." This discovery constitutes a central aspect of quantum mechanics, and.....»»
Making quantum physics easier to digest in schools: Experts encourage focus on two-state systems
A team of physics educators from Italy, Hungary, Slovenia and Germany is focusing on a new approach to teaching quantum physics in schools. Traditional classroom teaching has tended to focus on presenting the history of the origins of quantum physics.....»»
The Physics of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons
How do these giant balloons work? What makes them both easier and more complicated than a normal-size balloon?.....»»
Capturing complex atoms in optical tweezers
A team led by Francesca Ferlaino has set a new milestone in atomic physics by trapping individual erbium atoms in optical tweezers for the first time. Taking advantage of erbium's complex electronic structure, which opens up new degrees of freedom an.....»»
Same plant, different tactic: Habitat determines response to climate, thale cress study finds
Plants need light to grow, but too much light can induce damage to the photosynthetic complex known as photosystem II. It is known that plants adapted to growing under full sun repair this light-induced damage more. But this repair activity slows dow.....»»