https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A pair of historians at the University of Tübingen have found evidence that an ancient baton, thought to be a work of art created by early humans thousands of years ago, is actually a device to assist with making rope. In their study, published in the journal Science Advances, Nicholas Conard and Veerle Rots created a replica of the baton and found that it could easily be used to make rope. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-ancient-holed-ivory-baton-rope.html Archaeology Thu, 01 Feb 2024 09:37:40 EST news626002654 An international team of astronomers has conducted multiwavelength observations of AT 2023clx—the closest to Earth tidal disruption event (TDE). Results of the observational campaign, published Jan. 22 on the pre-print server arXiv, deliver important insights into the properties of this TDE. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-properties-nearest-tidal-disruption-event.html Astronomy Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:10:01 EST news625916041 An international team of archaeologists has found and identified a trackway made by multiple humans approximately 90,000 years ago in what is now Morocco. In their paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, the group describes how they tested for its origins of the tracks. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-year-human-footprints-moroccan-beach.html Archaeology Wed, 31 Jan 2024 11:07:32 EST news625921646 A trio of osteopathic researchers at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine has found that one species of parrot uses its beak in a novel way to traverse small perches. In their project, reported in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group conducted experiments with rosy-faced lovebirds to learn more about how they use their heads to move around on limbs. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-parrots-beakiation-traverse-small-perches.html Plants & Animals Wed, 31 Jan 2024 09:32:59 EST news625915968 Using XMM-Newton, Chandra and NuSTAR space telescopes, an international team of astronomers has explored the nature of a recently-detected very-high-energy source designated 2FHL J1745.1–3035. Results of the study, published Jan. 24 on the pre-print server arXiv, suggested that the source may be a pulsar wind nebula. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-nature-high-energy-source.html Astronomy Wed, 31 Jan 2024 09:21:18 EST news625915265 Reliably guiding and capturing optical waves is central to the functioning of various contemporary technologies, including communication and information processing systems. The most conventional approach to guide light waves leverages the total internal reflection of optical fibers and other similar structures, yet recently physicists have been exploring the potential of techniques based on other physical mechanisms. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-trojan-approach-lagrange.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 30 Jan 2024 12:10:01 EST news625835020 Scientists studying sunspots have found important clues about magnetic features in their decay that will help understand the evolution and real origin of these mysterious magnetic phenomena. The findings are published in The Astrophysical Journal. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-decay-sunspot-pair-elucidates-properties.html Astronomy Tue, 30 Jan 2024 12:00:01 EST news625835077 An international team of microbiologists and immunologists has found that commensal gut bacteria develop resistance to antibacterial therapies for infections. In their study, reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group monitored and tested the gut biomes of patients undergoing long-term antibacterial treatment for tuberculosis. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-commensal-gut-bacteria-resistance-response.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 30 Jan 2024 11:30:01 EST news625835064 A small team of paleontologists at Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC has discovered a new species of ancient feline based on study of a jawbone fossil. In their paper published in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, the group describes a jawbone fossil uncovered near what is now Madrid, some of its features and where it fits in on the family tree of felines. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-species-ancient-feline-spain.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 30 Jan 2024 11:10:01 EST news625835033 A team of anthropologists at Université Bordeaux has found evidence of nine distinct cultures living in what is now Europe during the Gravettian period. In their study, reported in the journal Nature Human Behavior, the group analyzed personal adornments worn by people living in the region between 24,000 and 34,000 years ago. Reuven Yeshurun, with the University of Haifa, has published a News & Views piece in the same journal issue, outlining the work done by the team. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-ancient-adornments-distinct-cultures-europe.html Archaeology Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:53:07 EST news625830782 Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new ultra-short-period exoplanet. The newfound alien world, designated Wolf 327 b, is slightly larger and about 2.5 times more massive than the Earth. The finding was reported in a paper published January 22 on the pre-print server arXiv. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-wolf-astronomers-ultra-short-period.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:46:36 EST news625830392 Engineers and material scientists have been trying to develop increasingly advanced devices, to meet the growing needs of the electronics industry. These devices include electrostatic capacitors, devices that can store electrical energy in a dielectric between a pair of electrodes through the accumulation of electric charge on the dielectric surfaces. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-method-fabricate-subnanocomposite-dielectric-polymers.html Nanomaterials Tue, 30 Jan 2024 07:30:01 EST news625744942 Marine anoxia is characterized by the oceans being severely depleted in dissolved oxygen, making them toxic and thus having devastating impacts on the organisms inhabiting them. One such event, known as Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2), occurred ~93.5 million years ago across the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary of the Upper Cretaceous and lasted for up to 700,000 years. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-global-widespread-ocean-anoxia-million.html Earth Sciences Environment Tue, 30 Jan 2024 06:50:01 EST news625744922 Terrestrial hermit crabs are soft-bodied crustaceans that live near water in the world's tropical areas. Without any natural protection of their own, these crabs normally find shelter in discarded mollusk shells. But a number of terrestrial hermit crab species are beginning to opt for artificial shells frequently consisting of plastic objects found in beach trash. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-tropical-coasts-hermit-crabs-homes.html Plants & Animals Ecology Mon, 29 Jan 2024 10:40:01 EST news625744906 Through experimental research, a team of physicists affiliated with multiple institutions in China has observed a material in a supersolid phase of matter for the first time. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes the experiments they conducted to accomplish this feat and its implications. Nature has published a Research Briefing in the same journal issue outlining the work done by the team on this effort. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-material-supersolid-phase.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Mon, 29 Jan 2024 10:30:02 EST news625744875 Pollen can help scientists track changes in vegetation through time, as they respond to moderations of the climate, be that glaciation or deglaciation with transitions into and out of ice ages. Furthermore, it can help elucidate the interplay between climate and the impact early human settlement exploitation of the natural world had on forests. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-pollen-diaries-polar-ice-climate.html Earth Sciences Environment Mon, 29 Jan 2024 10:20:01 EST news625744885 A team of geoscientists, Earth scientists and environmental scientists affiliated with several institutions in Germany, the U.S. and the Netherlands has found a link between cold snaps and pandemics during the Roman Empire. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-link-cold-snaps-roman-empire.html Earth Sciences Environment Mon, 29 Jan 2024 10:10:01 EST news625744843 A team of Russian astronomers from the Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory (PRAO) and elsewhere, reports the detection of 39 new pulsars as part of the Pushchino Multibeams Pulsar Search (PUMPS) project. The finding was detailed in a research paper published January 9 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-russian-astronomers-dozens-pulsars.html Astronomy Mon, 29 Jan 2024 09:58:38 EST news625744712 An international team of chemical and environmental engineers has found that oil sands operations in Canada are emitting significantly more pollutants into the air than previously thought. In their study, reported in the journal Science, the group collected air samples using airplanes and tested them in their lab. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-pollution-leaking-atmosphere-oil-sands.html Earth Sciences Environment Fri, 26 Jan 2024 09:33:52 EST news625484029 The nearby lenticular galaxy NGC 5252 hosts extremely extended cones of ionized material. Recent observations conducted by an international team of astronomers have inspected these remarkable structures, providing important insights into their properties. Results of the observational campaign were published January 17 on the pre-print server arXiv. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-explores-spectacular-ionization-cones-galaxy.html Astronomy Thu, 25 Jan 2024 10:10:01 EST news625399067 Particle physicists have detected a novel decay of the Higgs boson for the first time, revealing a slight discrepancy in the predictions of the Standard Model and perhaps pointing to new physics beyond it. The findings are published in the journal Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-rare-decay-higgs-boson-physics.html General Physics Thu, 25 Jan 2024 10:00:01 EST news625399010 A team of geographers, climatologists and tree ring specialists affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S. has found the number and degree of hot droughts in the western U.S. is unprecedented in the modern era. In their project, reported in the journal Science Advances, the group studied tree ring and historical drought data over the years 1553 to 2020. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-hot-droughts-western-common-centuries.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 25 Jan 2024 09:56:41 EST news625398998 A small team of biologists and animal scientists from Lund University in Sweden, working with a colleague from the University of the Witwatersrand, in South Africa, has discovered that pairs of opposite-gender dung beetles work together to carry dung balls up and over objects in their path. The study is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B,. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-dung-beetles-balls-path.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 24 Jan 2024 11:30:01 EST news625314018 In a new study, scientists have investigated the pervasive low-rank hypothesis in complex systems, demonstrating that despite high-dimensional nonlinear dynamics, many real networks exhibit rapidly decreasing singular values, supporting the feasibility of effective dimension reduction for understanding and modeling complex system behaviors. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-validating-hypothesis-complex.html General Physics Wed, 24 Jan 2024 10:30:01 EST news625314038 Using various ground-based facilities and space telescopes, astronomers have observed an accretion outburst that recently occurred on a young variable star known as V1741 Sgr. Results of the observations, published January 17 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed more light on the nature of this star. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-astronomers-accretion-outburst-young-variable.html Astronomy Wed, 24 Jan 2024 10:30:01 EST news625314030 A team of biochemists at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge has developed a new method to incorporate structurally unusual amino acids into proteins by using bacteria. The method is described in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-method-incorporating-unusual-amino-acids.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 24 Jan 2024 10:30:01 EST news625314011 A pair of marine scientists at Hokkaido University, in Japan, has found evidence of the deepest free-living flatworms ever observed. In their study, published in the journal Biology Letters, Keiichi Kakui and Aoi Tsuyuki, identified flatworm eggs found on the seafloor at a depth of more than 6,000 meters. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-dark-black-eggs-ocean-floor.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 24 Jan 2024 10:20:08 EST news625314002 An international team of marine scientists has observed multiple instances of bottlenose dolphins attacking manatee calves over many years. In their paper published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, the group describes the behavior they observed and suggest possible explanations for what they describe as antagonistic interactions between dolphins and young manatee. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-bottlenose-dolphins-manatee-calves.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 23 Jan 2024 10:15:19 EST news625227317 A trio of chemists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, working with a colleague from the University of Western Ontario, has tied the smallest knot ever, using just 54 atoms. In their study, published in the journal Nature Communications, Zhiwen Li, Jingjing Zhang, Gao Li and Richard Puddephatt accidentally tied the knot while trying to create metal acetylides in their lab. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-chemists-atoms.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 23 Jan 2024 09:51:32 EST news625225888 Using various ground-based telescopes, astronomers have performed photometric and spectroscopic observations of a nearby Type Ia supernova known as SN 2020nlb. Results of the observations campaign, presented January 16 on the pre-print server arXiv, deliver important insights regarding the evolution of this stellar explosion. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-astronomers-evolution-nearby-ia-supernova.html Astronomy Tue, 23 Jan 2024 09:49:04 EST news625225742