In ancient Greece, the city-states that waited until their own harvest was in before attacking and destroying a rival community's crops often experienced better long-term success.

Biology - Evolution

May 15, 2013 5 / 5 (3) 0 |

(Phys.org)—Individual freedom and social responsibility may sound like humanistic concepts, but an investigation of the genetic circuitry of bacteria suggests that even the simplest creatures can make difficult choices ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Apr 22, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 1 |

(Phys.org)—When physics graduate student Jesse Silverberg took his girlfriend to a heavy metal concert, he didn't dive into the mosh pit as usual. He hung back and observed that humans act like particles, ...

Other Sciences - Mathematics

Feb 27, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 1 |

(Phys.org)—Whether cellular calls, texting, instant messaging, there's more to communications than content: every exchange leaves behind an electronic trace that can be measured and studied. Recently, researchers ...

Other Sciences - Mathematics

Feb 21, 2013 4 / 5 (4) 3 |

(Phys.org)—In bulk, topological insulators (TIs) are good insulators, but on their surface they act as metals, with a twist: the spin and direction of electrons moving across the surface of a TI are locked ...

Nanotechnology - Nanomaterials

Feb 08, 2013 4.8 / 5 (4) 7 |

(Phys.org)—A video game designed for predatory fish might have unraveled some lingering evolutionary questions about group formation and movement in animals, according to new research that took a unique ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Aug 23, 2012 5 / 5 (1) 0 |

Some people like company. Others prefer to be alone. The same holds true for the particles that constitute the matter around us: Some, called bosons, like to act in unison with others. Others, called fermions, have a mind ...

Physics - General Physics

Mar 29, 2012 5 / 5 (7) 1 |

Even the tiniest microscopic organisms make waves when they swim. In fact, dealing with these waves is a fact of life for the ulcer-causing bacteria H. pylori.

Physics - General Physics

Jan 18, 2012 4.3 / 5 (3) 1 |

Much to humans' chagrin, bacteria have superior survival skills. Their decision-making processes and collective behaviors allow them to thrive and even spread efficiently in difficult environments.

Biology - Cell & Microbiology

Nov 17, 2011 5 / 5 (1) 0

Watching thousands of birds fly in a highly coordinated, yet leaderless, flock can be utterly baffling to humans. Now, new research is peeling back the layers of mystery to show how exactly they do it -- and ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Oct 26, 2011 3 / 5 (3) 8 |

A Rice University-led team of physicists this week offered up one of the first theoretical explanations of how two dissimilar types of high-temperature superconductors behave in similar ways.

Physics - Superconductivity

May 03, 2011 5 / 5 (3) 4 |

When water freezes or boils, its atomic structure undergoes a phase transition in response to temperature change. Phase transitions are common in nature, and have been exploited to make devices such as digital ...

Physics - Condensed Matter

Sep 06, 2010 5 / 5 (4) 0

For the casual observer it is fascinating to watch the orderly and seemingly choreographed motion of hundreds or even thousands of fish, birds or insects. However, the formation and the manifold motion patterns ...

Physics - General Physics

Sep 01, 2010 5 / 5 (4) 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- By analyzing data from experiments performed earlier this decade at the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator (ORELA), physicists have made observations that seem to conflict with the widely accepted theory ...

Physics - General Physics

Aug 26, 2010 4.9 / 5 (58) 65 |

Birds flock. Fish gather in schools. Bees swarm. Even amoebae clump together in mystifyingly clever constellations. Scientists have long wondered what is happening at the cellular and molecular level to bring about this amazing ...

Biology - Cell & Microbiology

May 20, 2010 4.1 / 5 (7) 2 |