Phys.org news

Phys.org / Bird-derived gene tool inserts plant DNA 30 times more efficiently than CRISPR

In a rapidly changing climate landscape, the plants we rely on for food, textiles and more face a multitude of challenges, including rising temperatures, drought and disease. Caltech's Gözde Demirer, the Clare Boothe Luce ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / New findings challenge idea that human bodies simply got bigger and bigger over time in a steady line

The biggest jump in body size among our ancestors happened around 2–2.5 million years ago, with the appearance of Homo rudolfensis or Homo erectus/ergaster, rather than gradually across the whole human family tree.

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists design a clay that can prevent fruits and vegetables from rotting too quickly

Avocados from Chile, bananas from Costa Rica, tomatoes from southern Spain, mangoes from Brazil. A large share of the fruit and vegetables we eat have traveled across the globe before they reach store shelves here at home. ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Experiment upends beliefs on how electrons actually behave in warm dense matter

Researchers at European XFEL, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Rostock University and other collaborating institutions have used high-precision experiments to demonstrate that the most widely used models for the ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Modeling nuclear fusion at lightning speed

As we scour and scorch the Earth for deeper wells of energy, investors and government agencies are pouring billions into nuclear fusion research. The hope is that fusion may ultimately provide a virtually limitless source ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Bow-and-arrow-shaped radio galaxy discovered by citizen scientist

Astronomers have discovered a "remarkable" bow-and-arrow-shaped radio galaxy with an enormous arc-like structure extending nearly 1.8 million light-years across. The newly identified system, detailed in a new paper published ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / California has lost more than half of its coastal sand dunes, first-ever assessment reveals

A study conducted by UC Santa Barbara researchers and collaborators has found that California has lost more than half of its coastal dune systems. The researchers' assessment—the first of its kind for the California coast—estimates ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / What made prehistoric communities resilient? Ancient social networks may hold the answer

A new study led by Dr. Ariel Malinsky-Buller of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem challenges long-held assumptions about how prehistoric hunter-gatherers survived in the Southern Caucasus between 57,000 and 27,000 years ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Nanotube-based thermoelectrics open a new pathway to waste-heat energy conversion

Whenever someone asks ChatGPT a question, heat is generated somewhere in the server room—a data center. When an electric vehicle battery generates heat during operation, the heat must be managed continuously. Manufacturing ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Room-temperature device synchronizes distant laser spots into single coherent 'supermode'

Researchers have demonstrated a new way to make spatially separated lasers synchronize and act as a single coherent light source—without extreme conditions or complex materials.

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Webb spots the birth of a giant galaxy and a supermassive black hole

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to catch an extraordinary glimpse of a massive galaxy taking shape in the early universe. They identified a compact group of at least six galaxies that are likely to merge ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Arctic shipping alters cloud formation, study finds

A study led by the EPFL suggests that shipping emissions influence climate-relevant cloud formation and may affect regional climate processes far beyond the polar region.

Jun 22, 2026