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. In a recent report, Xiaolei Peng and a team of scientists in materials science and engineering at the University of Texas, U.S., and the Tsinghua University, China, developed opto-thermoelectric microswimmers bioinspired by the motion behaviors of Escherichia coli (E. coli). They engineered the microswimmers using dielectric gold Janus particles driven by a self-sustained electric field arising from the optothermal response of the particles. When they illuminated the constructs with a laser beam, the Janus particles showed an optically generated temperature gradient along the particle surfaces, forming an opto-thermoelectrical field to propel themselves along. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-opto-thermoelectric-microswimmers.html General Physics Optics & Photonics Fri, 04 Sep 2020 13:10:01 EDT news518442238 An international team of researchers has learned more about the global silicon cycle by studying ancient soil samples in Australia. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their study of soil of different ages and what they learned about it. Joanna Carey with Babson College, has published a Perspective piece in the same journal issue outlining the connection between the carbon and silicon cycle and the work done by the team in this new effort. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-insights-global-silicon.html Earth Sciences Environment Fri, 04 Sep 2020 10:10:07 EDT news518430625 A team of researchers from Chile, Hungary, and Spain has created a model to show the factors that can result in heat death in multiple species of fruit flies. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes using established mathematical models to predict heat death under different scenarios and comparing it with heat tolerance data from prior research efforts. Raymond Huey and Michael Kearney with the University of Washington and the University of Melbourne, respectively, have published a Perspective piece in the same journal issue outlining the work by the team in this effort. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-death-fruit-flies-due-climate.html Ecology Fri, 04 Sep 2020 09:29:24 EDT news518430557 IBM has announced on its blog page the development of an AI/cloud-based chemistry lab named RoboRXN. Its purpose is to help chemists develop new materials in a faster and more efficient way than the current trial-and-error process. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-ibm-ai-based-chemistry-lab.html Biochemistry Materials Science Thu, 03 Sep 2020 10:24:48 EDT news518347479 Over the past few decades, scientists have become increasingly aware of the adverse effects that human activities are having on the environment and climate on Earth. These environmental and climatic changes have several consequences, impacting both the health of living organisms and more practical aspects of society. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-exploring-impact-climate-energy-global.html Environment Thu, 03 Sep 2020 09:20:01 EDT news518338439 A team of researchers from Institut Langevin and Sorbonne Université has shown that it is possible to float boats on both the top and underside of a suspended fluid. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes experiments they conducted with levitating fluids and what they learned from them. Vladislav Sorokin and Iliya Blekhman with the Russian Academy of Science have published a News & Views piece in the same journal issue outlining the work by the team in France. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-boat-underside-liquid.html General Physics Soft Matter Thu, 03 Sep 2020 09:05:23 EDT news518342708 Scalable nanoparticle-based computing architectures have several limitations that can severely compromise the use of nanoparticles to manipulate and process information through molecular computing schemes. The von Neumann architecture (VNA) underlies the operations of multiple arbitrary molecular logic operations in a single chip without rewiring the device. In a new report, Sungi Kim and a team of scientists at the Seoul National University in South Korea developed the nanoparticle-based VNA (NVNA) on a lipid chip. The nanoparticles on the lipid chip functioned as the hardware—featuring memories, processors and output units. The team used DNA strands as the software to provide molecular instructions to program the logic circuits. The nanoparticle-based von Neuman architecture (NVNA) allowed a group of nanoparticles to form a feed-forward neural network known as a perceptron (a type of artificial neural network). The system can implement functionally complete Boolean logical operations to provide a programmable, resettable and scalable computing architecture and circuit board to form nanoparticle neural networks and make logical decisions. The work is now published on Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-nanoparticle-based-architecture-nanoparticle-neural-networks.html Nanophysics Wed, 02 Sep 2020 10:20:01 EDT news518259993 A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China and one in France has found that microplastics making their way into soil can lead to a decrease in the number of worms and microarthropods that reside there. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group describes their study of the impact of microplastic introduction into soil, and what they learned about it. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-impact-microplastics-soil.html Ecology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 10:03:47 EDT news518259823 So far, the majority of studies investigating brain functions and intelligence have been carried out either on humans or animals that are known to be most similar to humans, such as monkeys, apes, and other mammals. Nonetheless, some avian species, including corvids and parrots, also have sophisticated and surprising cognitive skills, which are sometimes comparable to those of large-brained mammals. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-evolution-complex-cognition-birds.html Plants & Animals Evolution Wed, 02 Sep 2020 09:30:02 EDT news518251202 Using the Lijiang Observatory, astronomers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have inspected a gamma-ray blazar known as S5 0716+714. The observations provided important insights into the spectral behavior of this source, finding that it is brightness-dependent. The study was published August 26 on the arXiv.org preprint repository. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-chinese-astronomers-spectral-behavior-gamma-ray.html Astronomy Wed, 02 Sep 2020 09:10:01 EDT news518251072 A trio of researchers, two with the University of Salford, the third with English Heritage, has built a small-scale model of Stonehenge to test the acoustical properties of the ancient monument. In their paper published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Trevor Cox, Bruno Fazenda and Susan Greaney describe their efforts to recreate the acoustic properties of Stonehenge back when it was new, and what they learned. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-uncovering-acoustical-properties-stonehenge.html Archaeology & Fossils Wed, 02 Sep 2020 09:08:32 EDT news518256489 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) astronomers have detected 18 very metal-poor stars in the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy. They found that one of the stars from the sample has an extremely low metallicity, slightly below -3.0. The study was reported in a paper published August 22 on the arXiv preprint repository. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-astronomers-metal-poor-stars-sagittarius-dwarf.html Astronomy Tue, 01 Sep 2020 09:00:01 EDT news518163610 A pair of researchers, one with Instituto Argentino de Nivología, the other Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, has found fossil evidence of an ancient giant ground sloth living in proto-Amazonian swamps. The fossil has shinbone bite marks from a Miocene caiman Purussaurus, a large crocodilian species from the period. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, François Pujos and Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi describe the fossil and what they learned about it. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-ancient-sloth-bitten-crocodile.html Archaeology & Fossils Mon, 31 Aug 2020 09:30:01 EDT news518084673 Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers from Japan have probed a nearby starburst galaxy known as NGC 1482. They detected a molecular gas outflow that could be essential to improving the understanding of the galactic wind in NGC 1482. The finding is detailed in a paper published August 20 on arXiv.org. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-molecular-outflow-galaxy-ngc.html Astronomy Mon, 31 Aug 2020 09:00:01 EDT news518078266 It shouldn't be any secret that mitochondria can make their own fatty acids. The enzymes mitochondria use to do it were discovered decades ago. Unfortunately, only a few individuals among the biologically literate masses have come to appreciate this critical fact about mitochondrial behavior. Perhaps the bigger issue is why mitochondria would go to all the trouble when cells can already make all the fatty acids they need. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-mitochondria-cells-fatty-acid-synthesis.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 31 Aug 2020 07:37:23 EDT news518078235 Ammonia (NH3) is a colorless, gaseous and water-soluble compound used in several sectors, including agriculture, the energy sector, and a variety of industries. For over a century, the main way of producing large quantities of ammonia has been via the Haber-Bosch process, which entails the use of high pressure to produce a chemical reaction that enables the direct synthesis of ammonia from hydrogen and nitrogen. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-strategy-electrochemical-reduction-nitrate-ammonia.html Materials Science Mon, 31 Aug 2020 07:35:02 EDT news518078093 In materials science, conducting and semiconducting materials can be embedded in insulating polymeric substrates for useful biointerface applications. However, it is challenging to achieve the composite configuration directly using chemical processes. Laser-assisted synthesis is a fast and inexpensive technique used to prepare various materials but their applications in the construction of biophysical tools and biomedical materials remain to be explored. In a new report, Vishnu Nair and a research team in chemistry, molecular engineering, physics and atom probe tomography at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, U.S., used laser writing to convert portions of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) into nitrogen-doped cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC). They facilitated electrochemical and photoelectrochemical activity between the two surfaces by connecting the dense 3C-SiC surface layer to the PDMS matrix using a spongy graphite layer. They developed two-dimensional (2-D) silicon carbide patterns in PDMS and freestanding 3-D constructs. Nair et al. established the function of laser-produced composites by applying flexible electrodes for isolated heart pacing and photoelectrodes for local peroxide delivery to smooth muscle sheets. The work is now published on Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-laser-nitrogen-doped-silicon-carbide-biological.html Materials Science Fri, 28 Aug 2020 11:10:01 EDT news517831579 Brownian motion of particles in fluid is a common collective behavior in biological and physical systems. In a new report on Science Advances, Kai Leong Chong, and a team of researchers in physics, engineering, and aerospace engineering in China, conducted experiments and numerical simulations to show how the movement of vortices resembled inertial Brownian particles. During the experiments, the rotating turbulent convective vortical flow allowed the particles to move ballistically at first and diffusively after a critical time in a direct behavioral transition—without going through a hydrodynamic memory regime. The work implies that convective vortices have inertia-induced memory, so their short-term movement was well-defined in the framework of Brownian motion here for the first time. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-vortices-brownian-particles-turbulent.html General Physics Fri, 28 Aug 2020 09:30:01 EDT news517813052 A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.K. has discovered how cells are able to travel so accurately through the human body. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes a theory they developed to explain cell orienteering and how they tested it using mazes. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-cells-human-body.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 28 Aug 2020 09:08:29 EDT news517824503 A team of researchers with Google's AI Quantum team (working with unspecified collaborators) has conducted the largest chemical simulation on a quantum computer to date. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their work and why they believe it was a step forward in quantum computing. Xiao Yuan of Stanford University has written a Perspective piece outlining the potential benefits of quantum computer use to conduct chemical simulations and the work by the team at AI Quantum, published in the same journal issue. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-google-largest-chemical-simulation-quantum.html Quantum Physics Fri, 28 Aug 2020 09:00:01 EDT news517823478 Robin Ian MacDonald Dunbar, a psychologist at the University of Oxford, has conducted a review of the literature and concluded that the impact of the pandemic on friendships is likely to be fleeting. He has published a paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society A outlining his research and findings, and his theories regarding the impact of the pandemic on social networks. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-psychologist-negative-impact-pandemic-friendships.html Mathematics Social Sciences Thu, 27 Aug 2020 10:20:02 EDT news517741927 A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found a way to speed up photosynthesis in algae by applying a conjugated polymer. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes experiments with applying polymers to algae and what they learned from them. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-light-harvesting-polymers-photosynthesis-algae.html Biotechnology Thu, 27 Aug 2020 10:00:02 EDT news517740637 A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Italy has found a possible link between increases in CO2 emissions from groundwater and earthquake occurrences in Italy's Apennine Mountains. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their decade-long study of CO2 emissions in the area and what they learned about them. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-underground-co2-emissions-italy-tied.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 27 Aug 2020 09:51:18 EDT news517740673 A supernova, the explosion of a white-dwarf or massive star, can create as much light as billions of normal stars. This transient astronomical phenomenon can occur at any point after a star has reached its final evolutionary stages. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-supernovae-enable-discovery-muonic-physics.html General Physics Thu, 27 Aug 2020 09:50:03 EDT news517740446 Colliding droplets are ubiquitous in everyday technologies such as combustion engines and sprays, and in natural processes such as raindrops and in cloud formation. The collision outcomes depend on the velocity of impact, degree of alignment, intrinsic properties of surface tension and a low-wetting surface. In a new report on Science Advances, Olinka Ramírez-Soto and a team of scientists in polymer research, fluid dynamics, chemical and materials engineering in Germany, Netherlands and the U.S. investigated the dynamics of an oil drop impacting an identical sessile droplet on a superamphiphobic surface. A superamphiphobic surface is analogous to superhydrophobicity (water repellence), although it can repel both polar and nonpolar liquids. Using numerical simulations, the team recreated rebound scenarios to quantify the velocity profiles, energy transfer and viscous dissipation in the experimental setup. This work showed the influence of impact velocity on rebound dynamics for oil drop-on-drop collisions on superamphiphobic surfaces. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-sessile-superamphiphobic-surface-impacting-droplet.html Materials Science Wed, 26 Aug 2020 09:40:01 EDT news517652381 A pair of researchers with Universidade Federal de Santa Maria has pieced together fossilized bones of a species of dinosaur called Sacisaurus agudoensis, a creature that was not much bigger than a modern dog. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, Rodrigo Temp Müller and Maurício Silva Garcia discuss their work and why they believe what they learned can fill in a major part of the story of ornithischians. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-sacisaurus-hole-evolution-ornithischians.html Archaeology & Fossils Wed, 26 Aug 2020 09:22:50 EDT news517652536 Using the AstroSat spacecraft, Indian astronomers have identified thermonuclear X-ray bursts on the low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) Cygnus X-2. The finding, reported in a paper published August 17 on the arXiv preprint server, could shed more light on the nature of this source. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-astrosat-thermonuclear-x-ray-cygnus-x-.html Astronomy Wed, 26 Aug 2020 09:10:05 EDT news517648422 An international team of researchers has conducted one of the most intense studies of mustatils to date, and in so doing, have found them to be some of the oldest stone structures in the world. In their paper published in the journal The Holocene, the group describes their study of the unique structures and what they learned about them. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-survey-mustatils-oldest-stone-world.html Archaeology & Fossils Tue, 25 Aug 2020 09:40:02 EDT news517566917 "You have to work harder to get the job done faster," explains Gianmaria Falasco, a researcher at the University of Luxembourg as he sums up the results of his latest work with Massimiliano Esposito. This will come as no surprise to anyone with any experience of racing around trying to meet appointments and deadlines, but by defining specific parameters for the relation between work expended in terms of dissipation and the rate at which a system changes state, Falasco and Esposito provide a valuable tool for those developing ways of manipulating non-equilibrium systems, be that the behavior of living cells or an electronic circuit. Additionally, the "dissipation-time uncertainty relation" they developed to define this behavior is tantalizingly suggestive of other uncertainty relations in quantum physics. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-physicists-pin-entropy.html General Physics Tue, 25 Aug 2020 09:40:01 EDT news517564044 By analyzing the data from ESA's Gaia satellite, Chinese astronomers have discovered four new open clusters in the Cygnus Nebula Cloud. The newfound clusters, designated QC1 to QC 4, are located between 4,100 and 7,600 light-years away. The finding is reported in a paper published August 17 on arXiv.org. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-clusters-cygnus-cloud.html Astronomy Tue, 25 Aug 2020 09:00:01 EDT news517563967