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Phys.org / Study reports the first detection of a sugar in interstellar space

Sugars are key biomolecules in living organisms, as they form the backbone of DNA and RNA and play a fundamental role in metabolic processes. In theories of the origin of life, sugars are also essential for the synthesis ...

Jul 13, 2026
Dialog / Dark energy flips its sign, but the Hubble tension refuses to budge

For nearly a century, astronomers have known that the universe is expanding. In the late 1990s, two independent teams, the Supernova Cosmology Project, led by Saul Perlmutter, and the High-Z Supernova Search Team, led by ...

Jul 10, 2026
Phys.org / Capturing the cosmic 'drift' before a star is born

Stars like our sun are formed from the collapse of stellar objects called prestellar cores, cold and dense concentrations of gas and dust held together by gravity. While many questions remain about the exact mechanisms of ...

Jul 10, 2026
Phys.org / Firefly brightness holds a cautionary tale about accepting older measurements

For over a century, the accepted value for a firefly's brightness has mostly stood, tracing its origins to experiments carried out in 1912. Through rigorous new analysis published in the American Journal of Physics, David ...

Jul 13, 2026
Phys.org / Gravitational waves reveal hidden populations within black hole mergers

Since gravitational waves were first detected in 2015, instruments including LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA have picked up a steady stream of signals from colliding black holes, building a catalog that now numbers in the hundreds. ...

Jul 12, 2026
Phys.org / 3,400-year-old gold diadems and mouth-pieces from Cyprus blend the art of Egypt, Greece and the Near East

Buried in the rubble outside an ancient city, archaeologists have discovered golden diadems and mouthpieces stamped with sun-crowned bulls and running ibexes. Their designs borrow from nearly every corner of the ancient Mediterranean, ...

Jul 13, 2026
Phys.org / JWST's 'overmassive' early black holes may not be so massive after all

Astronomers studying a population of unusually X-ray-silent and overmassive black holes discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope have found that they may not be as massive as they appear. The new paper, outlining a plausible ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / AI identifies new particle models that may explain neutrinos' tiny mass

Physicists at the University of California, Irvine, have developed an artificial intelligence system that can autonomously design theoretical physics models, a task traditionally carried out by human theorists. The approach ...

Jul 9, 2026
Phys.org / The US just approved a giant space mirror to test 'sunlight on demand.' Low Earth orbit is getting weird

A giant mirror to create "sunlight on demand" was just approved by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), despite opposition from astronomers and the public, and real safety concerns.

Jul 13, 2026
Phys.org / Image: Curiosity rover sees Martian sulfur up close

This close-up view shows fragments of sulfur crystals, the first ever seen on the Red Planet.

Jul 9, 2026
Phys.org / Could permanent magnets protect astronauts from solar storms?

Shielding astronauts from the deadly radiation they face is a central challenge for any designer of a deep-space crewed mission. Even relatively low levels of exposure over long periods can lead to everything from central ...

Jul 11, 2026
Science X / Could tomatoes protect brain cells? Scientists uncover an unexpected clue in a familiar kitchen staple

Envision a world where an ordinary part of your daily diet acts as a robust protector against one of humanity's most devastating neurological diseases. The search for effective treatments for conditions including Parkinson's ...

Jul 13, 2026