Phys.org news

Phys.org / Breakthrough laser technique holds quantum matter in stable packets

For the first time, physicists have generated and observed stable bright matter-wave solitons with attractive interactions within a grid of laser light.

1 hour ago in Physics
Phys.org / South African San rock art reveals trance dances and initiation ceremonies

In a study published in Telestes, Dr. Joshua Kumbani and Dr. Margarita Díaz-Andreu categorized the various dance scenes depicted in South African rock art, drawing on ethnographic sources, published studies, and the comprehensive ...

1 hour ago in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Superconducting nanowire memory array achieves significantly lower error rate

Quantum computers, systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, will require faster and energy-efficient memory components, which will allow them to perform well on complex tasks. Superconducting ...

3 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Bacteria use wrapping flagella to tunnel through microscopic passages, research reveals

Researchers have discovered how bacteria break through spaces barely larger than themselves, by wrapping their flagella around their bodies and moving forward. Using a microfluidic device that mimics insect gut channels, ...

2 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / A new look at trends in human deaths due to climate extremes

A new study of climate extremes since 1988 finds that many regions have seen increases in deaths due to floods, storms and extreme temperatures. In human terms, the harm comes not just from deaths, but also from lost labor ...

5 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Novel biosensor enables real-time tracking of iron (II) in living cells

Iron is an essential trace element in biological cells. The concentration of the element and its so-called redox state—it can exist either in a doubly ionized state as iron (II) (Fe2+) or a triply ionized state as iron ...

4 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Cleaner air is (inadvertently) harming the Great Barrier Reef

Air pollution is now recognized as one of the greatest threats to human health, contributing to an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths in 2019, according to the World Health Organization.

15 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Edison's 1879 bulb experiments may have unintentionally produced graphene

What do Thomas Edison and 2010 Nobel Prize in physics winners Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim have in common? According to a recent publication from the lab of Rice University's James Tour in ACS Nano, it could be graphene—an ...

23 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Ancient Spanish trees reveal Mediterranean storms are intensifying

Ancient pine trees growing in the Iberian mountains of eastern Spain have quietly recorded more than five centuries of Mediterranean weather. Now, by reading the annual growth rings preserved in their wood, scientists have ...

Jan 24, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / A new three-way single step rearrangement enables precise ring editing

A new three-way bond-breaking and making mechanism makes the synthesis of five-membered rings easier than before.

Jan 24, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Microplastics in the atmosphere: Higher emissions come from land areas than from the ocean, study finds

The atmosphere is an important transport medium that carries microplastics to even the most remote parts of the world. These microplastics can be inhaled and pose a health risk to humans and animals. They can also settle ...

Jan 24, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / A year after undermining Bredt's rule, scientists make cage-shaped, double-bonded molecules that defy expectations

Organic chemistry is packed with rules about structure and reactivity, especially when it comes to making and breaking chemical bonds. The rules governing how these bonds, which hold atoms together in molecules, form and ...

Jan 24, 2026 in Chemistry