Phys.org news

Phys.org / Ultrafast light switches use atomically thin semiconductors for rapid optical control

A nanostructure made of silver and an atomically thin semiconductor layer can be turned into an ultrafast switching mirror device that may function as an optical transistor—with a switching speed around 10,000 times faster ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Nanotechnology
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
Phys.org / Single enzyme found to control formation of immune cells critical for health

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that an enzyme involved in protein ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
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 / Quantum-enabled proteins open a new frontier in biotechnology

A research team led by the University of Oxford's Department of Engineering Science has shown it is possible to engineer a quantum mechanical process inside proteins, opening the door to a new class of quantum-enabled biological ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Solar flares triggered by cascading magnetic avalanches, new observations reveal

Just as avalanches on snowy mountains start with the movement of a small quantity of snow, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has discovered that a solar flare is triggered by initially weak disturbances that quickly become ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
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
Phys.org / Two-dimensional materials expand options for next-generation terahertz quantum devices

Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered that atomic-scale substitutional dopants in ultra-thin two-dimensional (2D) materials can act as stable quantum systems operating at terahertz (THz) ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Sweetening the deal for sustainability, while removing carbon dioxide

Here's a novel pathway to a more sustainable planet: carbo-loading for the public good. In a new study published in Nature Synthesis, chemists at Yale and the University of California-Berkeley have developed a two-step process ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / A wild potato that changed the story of agriculture in the American Southwest

Starchy residue preserved in ancient stone tools may rewrite the story of crop domestication in the American Southwest, according to research led by the University of Utah.

Jan 21, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Rare Florida scrub millipedes reproduce in captivity for the first time

Before scientists even knew how many Florida scrub millipedes were left in the wild, a quiet breakthrough happened in a University of South Florida lab. The rare, giant millipedes reproduced in captivity.

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
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