All News

Phys.org / South Pole Telescope detects energetic stellar flares near center of galaxy

Researchers from the South Pole Telescope project team looked deep into the center of the Milky Way, discovering powerful, surprising bursts of light from two accreting white dwarf systems.

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Physicists bridge worlds of quantum matter

A new unified theory connects two fundamental domains of modern quantum physics: It joins two opposite views of how a single exotic particle behaves in a many-body system, namely as a mobile or static impurity among a large ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / North Atlantic deep waters show slower renewal as ocean ventilation weakens

The ocean is continuously ventilated when surface waters sink and transport, for example, oxygen and carbon to greater depths. The efficiency of this process can be estimated using the so-called water age, which describes ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / How light suppresses virulence in an antibiotic-resistant pathogen

Light is a universal stimulus that influences all living things. Cycles of light and dark help set the biological clocks for organisms ranging from single-celled bacteria to human beings. Some bacteria use photosynthesis ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Anglo-Saxon center unearthed near Skipsea castle

Archaeologists working near Skipsea Castle in East Yorkshire say a series of rare discoveries is transforming understanding of life in the centuries before the Norman Conquest.

Jan 20, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Failed battery chemistry offers new way to destroy PFAS

Researchers in the lab of Asst. Prof. Chibueze Amanchukwu at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have spent three years looking for failure, scouring the academic literature for ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Chemistry
Tech Xplore / AI models tested on Dungeons & Dragons to assess long-term decision-making

Large Language Models, like ChatGPT, are learning to play Dungeons & Dragons. The reason? Simulating and playing the popular tabletop role-playing game provides a good testing ground for AI agents that need to function independently ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Computer Sciences
Phys.org / Pūkeko birds combine sound elements to create complex call sequences for communication, study reveals

Pūkeko use sound elements to create calls and combine them to create complex call sequences in order to expand the range of options for expressing themselves—these are the findings of an international team including Konstanz ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Get ready for smokier air: Record 2023 wildfire smoke marks long-term shift in North American air quality

A new analysis of air quality data from the past 70 years shows that Canada's record wildfire smoke in 2023 is part of a broader, continent-wide trend toward smokier skies across North America.

Jan 20, 2026 in Earth
Tech Xplore / MorphoChrome pairs software with handheld device to make everyday objects iridescent

Gemstones like precious opal are beautiful to look at and deceivingly complex. As you look at such gems from different angles, you'll see a variety of tints glisten, causing you to question what color the rock actually is. ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Software
Tech Xplore / Emerging solar cell material sets new efficiency record

UNSW engineers have made a major step forward in the development of a new type of solar cell that could help make future solar panels cheaper, more efficient and more durable.

Jan 20, 2026 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / Thermomagnetic generator harvests ocean temperature differences to power maritime sensors

The key to future technologies can sometimes be found in the past. What Ravi Kishore is working to perfect, for example, has its origins in the 19th century imaginations of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.

Jan 20, 2026 in Engineering