Phys.org news

Phys.org / Emission cuts before mid-century could prevent 0.6 meters of future sea-level rise

Rising seas are irreversible on human timescales and among the most severe consequences of climate change. Emissions released in the coming decades will determine how much coastlines are reshaped for centuries to come.

8 minutes ago in Earth
Phys.org / Gene variant that protects against norovirus spread with arrival of agriculture, prehistoric DNA reveals

The arrival of agriculture coincided with a sharp rise in a gene variant that protected against the virus that causes winter vomiting, researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Linköping University report after analyzing ...

1 hour ago in Biology
Phys.org / Flexible fitting method translates high-speed atomic force microscopy images into precise protein motion models

High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is the only experimental technique to directly watch proteins in dynamic action. However, as a surface scanning technique with limited spatial resolution, HS-AFM will inevitably ...

3 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Common crystal proves ideal for low-temperature light technology

Superconductivity and quantum computing are two fields that have seeped from theoretical circles into popular consciousness. The 2025 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for work in superconducting quantum circuits that could ...

11 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Newly discovered 'super-Earth' offers prime target in search for alien life

The discovery of a possible "super-Earth" less than 20 light-years from our own planet is offering scientists new hope in the hunt for other worlds that could harbor life, according to an international team including researchers ...

19 hours ago in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Simulations hint at new strongly correlated states of matter in ultracold polar molecules

Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) are fascinating states of matter that emerge when atoms or molecules are cooled to extremely low temperatures just slightly above absolute zero (0 K). In 2023, physicists at Columbia University ...

18 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Ancient skeletons yield the first hormonal evidence of reproductive life

University of Sheffield and University College London researchers have made the first successful detection of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in bones, teeth and dental calculus, opening a way to identify pregnancy ...

19 hours ago in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Snakes' biting styles revealed in fine detail for the first time

Few actions in nature inspire more fear and fascination than snake bites. And the venomous reptiles have to move fast to sink their fangs into their prey before their victim flinches, which may be as little as 60 ms when ...

19 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Neanderthals and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers shaped European landscapes long before agriculture, study reveals

Imagine Europe tens of thousands of years ago: dense forests, large herds of elephants, bison and aurochs—and small groups of people armed with fire and spears. A new study shows that these people left a much clearer mark ...

14 hours ago in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Microscopic 'ocean' on a chip reveals new nonlinear wave behavior

University of Queensland researchers have created a microscopic "ocean" on a silicon chip to miniaturize the study of wave dynamics. The device, made at UQ's School of Mathematics and Physics, uses a layer of superfluid helium ...

12 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / With a new molecule-based method, physicists peer inside an atom's nucleus

Physicists at MIT have developed a new way to probe inside an atom's nucleus, using the atom's own electrons as "messengers" within a molecule.

13 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / New molecular strategy achieves complete synthesis of anti-MRSA natural product

Spiroaspertrione A is a complex polycyclic compound naturally produced by the fungus Aspergillus sp. TJ23. First isolated in 2017, it quickly drew scientific attention for its promising ability to combat drug-resistant bacteria ...

21 hours ago in Chemistry