The Best of Phys.org
20+ most popular Phys.org articles, as voted by our community.
Science news, Technology news. Physics, Space, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Math, Electronics, Nanotechnology, Materials, Computers, Health, Earth Science.
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New study explores human cultural learning and evolution
A George Washington University study offers new insights into why human cultures become more complex over time. The study finds that people combine and generalize socially acquired knowledge over…
'Devastating' melt of Greenland, Antarctic ice sheets found
The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are now losing more than three times as much ice a year as they were 30 years ago, according to a new comprehensive international study.
Phys.org on Gamification
How 'gamification' could revolutionize creative thinking in the workplace
Coming up with a good creative idea is hard. We do not fully understand how this process works, but there are certain techniques that have proved successful in fostering creativity, such as mind…
Phys.org on Genetics
Biological scientists identify pathways that extend lifespan by 500%
Scientists at the MDI Biological Laboratory, in collaboration with scientists from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, Calif., and Nanjing University in China, have identified…
Phys.org on Nature
Why some feces float and others sink
A team of researchers at the Mayo Clinic has solved the mystery of why some people find their bowel movements floating while others find theirs sinking to the bottom of the toilet bowl. In their paper…
Why rivers matter for the global carbon cycle
In a new journal article, EPFL professor Tom Battin reviews our current understanding of carbon fluxes in the world's river networks. He demonstrates their central role in the global carbon cycle and…
Phys.org on Physics
Complex quantum teleportation achieved for the first time
Austrian and Chinese scientists have succeeded in teleporting three-dimensional quantum states for the first time. High-dimensional teleportation could play an important role in future quantum…
Teasing strange matter from the ordinary
In a unique analysis of experimental data, nuclear physicists have made the first-ever observations of how lambda particles, so-called "strange matter," are produced by a specific process called semi…
Phys.org on Science
Plastic-eating enzyme could eliminate billions of tons of landfill waste
An enzyme variant created by engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin can break down environment-throttling plastics that typically take centuries to degrade in just a matter of…
One particle on two paths: Quantum physics is right
The double-slit experiment is the most famous and probably the most important experiment in quantum physics: individual particles are shot at a wall with two openings, behind which a detector measures…
Phys.org on Solar
Using solar farms to generate fresh desert soil crust
In the arid regions of the American Southwest, an unseen world lies beneath our feet. Biocrusts, or biological soil crusts, are communities of living organisms. These industrious microbes include…
Phys.org on Space
Physicists discover that gravity can create light
Researchers have discovered that in the exotic conditions of the early universe, waves of gravity may have shaken space-time so hard that they spontaneously created radiation.
The Earth has been spinning faster lately
Scientists around the world have noted that the Earth has been spinning on its axis faster lately—the fastest ever recorded. Several scientists have spoken to the press about the unusual phenomenon,…
Phys.org on Weather
Simulations show increased jet stream waviness due to asymmetric rise in global temperatures
A quartet of researchers, two with the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics and two with Pukyong National University, has created a group of simulations of changes to the jet stream under global…
Phys.org on Women
Study reveals average age at conception for men versus women over past 250,000 years
The length of a specific generation can tell us a lot about the biology and social organization of humans. Now, researchers at Indiana University can determine the average age that women and men had…
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Physicists use AI to find the most complex protein knots so far
The question of how the chemical composition of a protein—the amino acid sequence—determines its 3D structure has been one of the biggest challenges in biophysics for more than half a century. This…
Strange new phase of matter created in quantum computer acts like it has two time dimensions
By shining a laser pulse sequence inspired by the Fibonacci numbers at atoms inside a quantum computer, physicists have created a remarkable, never-before-seen phase of matter. The phase has the…
Roboticists discover alternative physics
Energy, mass, velocity. These three variables make up Einstein's iconic equation E=MC2. But how did Einstein know about these concepts in the first place? A precursor step to understanding physics is…
Long-hypothesized 'next generation wonder material' created for first time
For over a decade, scientists have attempted to synthesize a new form of carbon called graphyne with limited success. That endeavor is now at an end, though, thanks to new research from the University…
How the universe got its magnetic field
When we look out into space, all of the astrophysical objects that we see are embedded in magnetic fields. This is true not only in the neighborhood of stars and planets, but also in the deep space…
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