Phys.org news

Phys.org / Electron spin unlocks magnetic control of hydrogen surface reactions

Chemical reactions at surfaces play a central role in many processes, including catalysis and materials synthesis. It is well known that the outcome of these reactions is influenced by the translational, vibrational and rotational ...

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / Iron helped scientists trace Earth's oxygen. Now it's telling a bigger story

For decades, scientists have studied iron preserved in ancient rocks to reconstruct how Earth's oceans and atmosphere became rich in oxygen. A new study suggests iron has recorded other major transformations too.

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / Heat has a memory—and a new theoretical framework can track it

Heat, it turns out, has a memory. A cooling cup of coffee may not seem particularly thoughtful. At the scale of a kitchen, heat appears to follow a straightforward rule: it moves from warmer places to cooler ones. Leave the ...

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / How an unassuming wildflower thrives in salt-laden air that kills other plants

On the windswept coasts of Oregon and California lives an unassuming little plant that can withstand salty blasts that kill its inland counterparts. It's called the yellow monkeyflower. Now, researchers are beginning to understand ...

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient DNA suggests western farming reached Gansu without mass migration

A multidisciplinary study has answered key questions about how agricultural practices diffused into ancient Gansu from Eurasia, as well as described population movements and burial practices in the Gansu region thousands ...

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / Early mammals weren't all loners—some may have lived in pairs alongside the dinosaurs

About 200 million years ago, furry, little egg-laying creatures evolved the ability to feed their offspring with a secretion from special glands: milk. Their evolutionary journey continued, and by about 160 million years ...

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / Ig Nobel Prize winners reveal why babies smell better than teenagers

Babies smell wonderful—at least to their parents. An international research team of Ilona Croy, Tomasz Frackowiak, Thomas Hummel and Agnieszka Sorokowska investigated why teenagers lose this special olfactory advantage and ...

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / Hot subdwarfs come into focus as AI scans thousands of stars in Gaia data

There are myriad ways of "being a star," and scientists spend years trying to uncover and understand them. One unusual type is the so-called hot subdwarf—small stars that burn mysteriously hot for their size. Scientists from ...

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / Biodegradable 'nanobone' could one day help regrow bone without painful grafts

For children born with cleft lip and palate, repairing gaps in the jawbone often means waiting until they are 10 to 12 years old before undergoing invasive bone graft surgery. University of Sydney researchers have developed ...

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / From peas to potatoes, AI identifies nearly 800 promising plant proteins for food and cosmetics

Scientists from Leeds' School of Food Science and Nutrition have developed an advanced AI process that can rapidly identify plant proteins capable of acting as emulsifiers from tens of millions of initial candidates. To date, ...

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / Soft nanoscale confinement prevents ice, exposing water's liquid-to-glass transition

An international collaboration of researchers has used ANSTO's facilities to uncover new properties of one of the most fundamental everyday materials, water, and answer an important scientific question. The findings, published ...

Sep 3, 2026
Phys.org / Warming seas could shrink most mollusks by 2100, but some may grow

Research led by scientists at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette challenges a long-held assumption about the effects of climate change on marine life: Warmer oceans won't simply make animals smaller.

Sep 3, 2026