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. Gravity data collected by NASA's Juno mission indicates Jupiter's atmospheric winds penetrate the planet in a cylindrical manner, parallel to its spin axis. A paper on the findings was recently published in the journal Nature Astronomy. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-juno-mission-jupiter-penetrate-cylindrical.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 09 Nov 2023 14:14:03 EST news618761641 Understanding the behavior of nuclear matter—including the quarks and gluons that make up the protons and neutrons of atomic nuclei—is extremely complicated. This is particularly true in our world, which is three dimensional. Mathematical techniques from condensed matter physics that consider interactions in just one spatial dimension (plus time) greatly simplify the challenge. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-simple-solution-nuclear-dimensions.html General Physics Mon, 05 Jun 2023 16:15:11 EDT news605200509 Quantum dots are semiconductor particles measuring just a few nanometers across, which are now widely studied for their intriguing electrical and optical properties. Through new research published in The European Physical Journal B, Kobra Hasanirokh at Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University in Iran, together with Luay Hashem Abbud at Al-Mustaqbal University College, Iraq, show how quantum dots containing spherical defects can significantly enhance their nonlinear optical properties. By fine-tuning these defects, researchers could tightly control the frequency and brightness of the light emitted by quantum dots. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-quantum-dots-finely-tuned-spherical-defects.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 13 Feb 2023 14:51:39 EST news595522293 Researchers have developed a mathematical technique that radically reduces the enormous computational costs of trying to model fluids that combine both liquid and gas phases, especially within rocket engines. The computational burdens of this sort of modeling have long challenged researchers to accurately describe how shockwaves in such multiphase fluids produce wear and tear in machinery. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-mathematical-technique-enables-multiphase-fluids.html General Physics Thu, 08 Dec 2022 14:27:04 EST news589732021 Wildfires, floods, pollution, and overfishing are among the many disruptions that can change the balance of ecosystems, sometimes endangering the future of entire species. But evaluating these ecosystems to determine which species are most at risk, in order to focus preservation actions and policies where they are most needed, is a challenging task. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-species-vulnerable.html Ecology Mon, 31 Oct 2022 09:27:38 EDT news586427254 The devastation of mitochondrial diseases is felt by millions of people around the world, and about 1 in every 4,300 people in the United States. https://phys.org/news/2022-08-clues-retain-healthy-genomes-mitochondrial.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 17 Aug 2022 08:43:18 EDT news579944594 After a long day of work, you might feel tired or exhilarated. Either way, you are affected by what happened to you in the past. https://phys.org/news/2022-06-magnets-history-machine-approach.html General Physics Wed, 15 Jun 2022 16:11:03 EDT news574528262 It may be true that seeing is believing, but sometimes hearing can be better. https://phys.org/news/2022-01-graphene-scientists.html Nanophysics Wed, 19 Jan 2022 16:37:42 EST news561832659 A multidisciplinary research team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a way to increase the sensitivity of the primary test used to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. Applying their findings to computerized test equipment could improve our ability to identify people who are infected but do not exhibit symptoms. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-covid-infections.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 05 Oct 2020 12:28:51 EDT news521119711 A newly published study reports a successful, first-ever open-field release of a self-limiting, genetically engineered diamondback moth, stating that it paves the way for an effective and sustainable approach to pest control. https://phys.org/news/2020-01-genetically-moth-herald-era-crop.html Plants & Animals Wed, 29 Jan 2020 03:32:34 EST news499491149 Mathematicians have used a statistical technique to interrogate some of the big "what if" questions in the Second World War battle for Britain's skies. https://phys.org/news/2020-01-mathematicians-famous-britain-scenarios.html Mathematics Thu, 09 Jan 2020 12:28:05 EST news497795282 Made up of 2-D sheets of carbon atoms arranged in honeycomb lattices, graphene has been intensively studied in recent years. As well as the material's diverse structural properties, physicists have paid particular attention to the intriguing dynamics of the charge carriers its many variants can contain. The mathematical techniques used to study these physical processes have proved useful so far, but they have had limited success in explaining graphene's 'critical temperature' of superconductivity, below which its electrical resistance drops to zero. In a new study published in The European Physical Journal B, Jacques Tempere and colleagues at the University of Antwerp in Belgium demonstrate that an existing technique is better suited for probing superconductivity in pure, single-layer graphene than previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2019-12-superconductivity-single-layer-graphene.html Nanophysics Fri, 13 Dec 2019 12:10:20 EST news495461418 Stellarators, twisty machines that house fusion reactions, rely on complex magnetic coils that are challenging to design and build. Now, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has developed a mathematical technique to help simplify the design of the coils, making stellarators a potentially more cost-effective facility for producing fusion energy. https://phys.org/news/2019-08-technique-intricate-fusion-device.html Plasma Physics Wed, 21 Aug 2019 17:18:51 EDT news485626717 A team of scientists has, for the first time, used a single, cohesive computer model to simulate the entire life cycle of a solar flare: from the buildup of energy thousands of kilometers below the solar surface, to the emergence of tangled magnetic field lines, to the explosive release of energy in a brilliant flash. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-comprehensive-captures-entire-life-solar.html Astronomy Tue, 15 Jan 2019 08:56:52 EST news466765006 (Phys.org)—A team of researchers with the University of California and Stanford University has found that applying "empirical dynamic modeling" techniques to heat and humidity readings over a period of several years revealed some of the factors that cause flu outbreaks to occur. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes the mathematical modeling techniques they used and what it revealed about the spread of the flu. https://phys.org/news/2016-11-mathematical-analysis-clues-flu-outbreaks.html Ecology Tue, 01 Nov 2016 08:30:01 EDT news397202172 The immense challenges in delivering a fair, transparent and objective performance appraisal process in large organisations can be made much easier with a new approach developed by University of Portsmouth Business School researchers. https://phys.org/news/2016-08-sophisticated-maths.html Economics & Business Mon, 29 Aug 2016 08:00:49 EDT news391676434 Fujitsu Laboratories today announced that it has developed deep learning technology that can analyze time-series data with a high degree of accuracy. Demonstrating promise for Internet-of-Things applications, time-series data can also be subject to severe volatility, making it difficult for people to discern patterns in the data. Deep learning technology, which is attracting attention as a breakthrough in the advance of artificial intelligence, has achieved extremely high recognition accuracy with images and speech, but the types of data to which it can be applied is still limited. In particular, it has been difficult to accurately and automatically classify volatile time-series data–such as that taken from IoT devices–of which people have difficulty discerning patterns. https://phys.org/news/2016-02-fujitsu-deep-technology-time-series-high.html Computer Sciences Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:04:04 EST news374832233 Considering that one cubic centimetre of matter already contains about 1019 to 1023 particles, it is hard to imagine that physicists nowadays can prepare ensembles comprising only some hundred, or even just a handful of atoms. https://phys.org/news/2015-02-quantum-many-body-equilibrium.html Quantum Physics Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:32:59 EST news343902749 (Phys.org) —XPRIZE chairman Peter Diamandis has announced the launch of a new competition—this time to disrupt education so that children living everywhere, including impoverished countries, can use technology to teach themselves basic reading, writing and mathematics skills. Those interested in competing will have a six month registration period, followed by an 18 month development phase. Five of the top entries will receive $1 million to further develop and test their idea (in cooperation with children in 100 African villages), with the eventual winner receiving $10 million. https://phys.org/news/2014-09-xprize-global-xprize15-million-competition.html Other Tue, 23 Sep 2014 09:30:04 EDT news330682651 According to researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Miami, some of the largest ocean eddies on Earth are mathematically equivalent to the mysterious black holes of space. These eddies are so tightly shielded by circular water paths that nothing caught up in them escapes. https://phys.org/news/2013-09-black-holes-ocean.html Soft Matter Mon, 23 Sep 2013 08:02:00 EDT news299142106 Researchers in Singapore have developed and tested mathematical tools, or algorithms, that are more accurate and robust than those currently used in analyzing high-throughput genetic sequencing data. The algorithms can determine the location and activity of specific nucleic acid sequences in a broad range of high-throughput techniques that detect gene–protein interactions. The research group, led by Shyam Prabhakar of the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore, also showed they could use the algorithms to generate meaningful results from degraded tissue and tissue constructed from several different cell types. https://phys.org/news/2013-09-formal-mathematics-underpins-approach-standardizes.html Biotechnology Wed, 11 Sep 2013 07:20:01 EDT news298100460 In the search for understanding how some magnetic materials can be transformed to carry electric current with no energy loss, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cornell University, and collaborators have made an important advance: Using an experimental technique they developed to measure the energy required for electrons to pair up and how that energy varies with direction, they've identified the factors needed for magnetically mediated superconductivity-as well as those that aren't. https://phys.org/news/2013-07-imaging-electron-pairing-simple-magnetic.html Superconductivity Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:00:09 EDT news293009429 (Phys.org) —Mathematician Yitang Zhang of the University of New Hampshire, appears to have taken a major step in solving the twin prime conjecture. He's come up with a mathematical proof that shows that the number of pairs of prime numbers that exist that are less than 70 million units apart is infinite. His proof is currently under review for publication in the journal Annals of Mathematics. https://phys.org/news/2013-05-mathematician-infinitely-pairs-prime-million.html Mathematics Wed, 15 May 2013 09:14:19 EDT news287828042 (Phys.org) —Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) in Japan have developed a rapid method for meeting a key challenge for fusion science. The challenge has been to simulate the diagnostic measurement of plasmas produced by twisting, or 3D, magnetic fields in fusion facilities. While such fields characterize facilities called stellarators, otherwise symmetric, or 2D, facilities such as tokamaks also can benefit from 3D fields. https://phys.org/news/2013-03-fast-method-hard-to-diagnose-d-plasmas.html Plasma Physics Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:30:02 EDT news282385164 (Phys.org)—One of climate scientists' key ambitions is to predict future climate change more accurately. They create incredibly detailed computer models, but even these cannot calculate all the infinite detail of the real climate. https://phys.org/news/2013-02-brain.html Earth Sciences Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:20:02 EST news279444525 Researchers have used mathematical techniques taken from the analysis of medical images to bring climate models into closer agreement. https://phys.org/news/2013-01-climate-benefit-medical-methods.html Earth Sciences Fri, 18 Jan 2013 07:02:41 EST news277714942 (Phys.org)—Do costly seawalls provide a false sense of security in efforts to control nature? Would it be better to focus on far less expensive warning systems and improved evacuation procedures that can save many lives? https://phys.org/news/2012-11-father-son-team-smart-strategies-natural.html Earth Sciences Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:19:59 EDT news271073990 Move over money, a new currency is helping make the world go round. As increasing volumes of data become accessible, transferable and, therefore, actionable, information is the treasure companies want to amass. To protect this wealth, organizations use cryptography, or coded messages, to secure information from "technology robbers." This group of hackers and malware creators increasingly is becoming more sophisticated at breaking encrypted information, leaving everyone and everything, including national security and global commerce, at risk. https://phys.org/news/2012-10-multi-photon-approach-quantum-cryptography.html Quantum Physics Thu, 04 Oct 2012 10:20:33 EDT news268564810 (Phys.org)—NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology researchers Gregg Gallatin and Andrew Berglund (now at Quantifind in Palo Alto, CA) have determined the optimum path in which to scan a laser beam in order to track a fluorescing nanoparticle as the particle moves inside a fluid or gas in two or three dimensions.  https://phys.org/news/2012-08-optimum-path-tracking-fluorescent-nanoparticles.html Nanophysics Thu, 30 Aug 2012 08:14:24 EDT news265533254 Known as the marine isotope stage 11 (MIS 11), the interglacial period centered around 400,000 years ago was the longest and possibly the warmest interglacial in the past 0.5 million years. Because the orbital configurations, atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, climate, and faunal characteristics during MIS 11 closely resemble those of the past 5,000 years, paleoclimatologists use MIS 11 as a geological analogue of the present and the near future. https://phys.org/news/2012-08-atmospheric-co2-drove-climate-longest.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:00:01 EDT news263666676