All News

Phys.org / New insight into light-matter thermalization could advance neutral-atom quantum computing

Light and matter can remain at separate temperatures even while interacting with each other for long periods, according to new research that could help scale up an emerging quantum computing approach in which photons and ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Webb finds young sun-like star forging common crystals and flinging them into its outer disk

Astronomers have long sought evidence to explain why comets at the outskirts of our own solar system contain crystalline silicates, since crystals require intense heat to form and these "dirty snowballs" spend most of their ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Using magnetic frustration to probe new quantum possibilities

Research in the lab of UC Santa Barbara materials professor Stephen Wilson is focused on understanding the fundamental physics behind unusual states of matter and developing materials that can host the kinds of properties ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Bird retinas function without oxygen—solving a centuries-old biological mystery

Neural tissue normally dies quickly without oxygen. Yet bird retinas—among the most energy-demanding tissues in the animal kingdom—function permanently without it. This may be relevant in future treatment of stroke patients.

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / AI helps find trees in a forest: Researchers achieve 3D forest reconstruction from remote sensing data

Existing algorithms can partially reconstruct the shape of a single tree from a clean point-cloud dataset acquired by laser-scanning technologies. Doing the same with forest data has proven far more difficult. But now a team ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Tech Xplore / Unlocking vast lithium stores: Faster, cleaner method extracts critical mineral from low-grade brines

Demand for lithium is skyrocketing as factories across the world churn out electric vehicles and the massive batteries that make wind turbines and solar panels reliable sources of energy. Unfortunately, current methods for ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Engineering
Phys.org / Innovative optical atomic clock could combine single-ion accuracy with multi-ion stability

For many years, cesium atomic clocks have been reliably keeping time around the world. But the future belongs to even more accurate clocks: optical atomic clocks. In a few years' time, they could change the definition of ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Physics
Medical Xpress / IVF embryo transfer: Natural ovulation proves as effective as hormone treatment, with fewer maternal complications

Natural ovulation before frozen embryo transfer is as effective as hormone treatment for achieving a healthy baby by vitro fertilization (IVF), finds a clinical trial from China published by The BMJ.

Jan 21, 2026 in Obstetrics & gynaecology
Phys.org / SPHEREx imaging reveals increased sublimation activity on 3I/ATLAS

The interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, was first discovered in July 2025, and made its closest approach to the sun (perihelion) in late October. New observations of 3I/ATLAS were taken in December from the SPHEREx observatory—a ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Grains of sand prove people—not glaciers—transported Stonehenge rocks

Ask people how Stonehenge was built and you'll hear stories of sledges, ropes, boats and sheer human determination to haul stones from across Britain to Salisbury Plain, in south-west England. Others might mention giants, ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Optical technique reveals hidden magnetic states in antiferromagnets

Imagine computer hardware that is blazing fast and stores more data in less space. That's the promise of antiferromagnets, magnetic materials that do not interfere with each other and can switch states at high speed, opening ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Rye pollen's cancer-fighting structure revealed for first time

Nearly three decades ago, scientists found that a pair of molecules in rye pollen exhibited an unusual ability to slow tumor growth in animal models of cancer. But progress stalled for one seemingly simple reason: No one ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Chemistry