Phys.org news

Phys.org / Amplifying the beet: New tech makes for crunchier snacks

A new method of using microwave vacuum drying can create crispy beet snacks—a potential alternative to traditional drying or frying that could preserve nutrients while yielding shelf-stable products.

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / 'Ouzo effect' reveals how oil droplets can resist flow and form stable patterns in liquids

Whether it's Greek ouzo, French pastis or Turkish raki, when these spirits are diluted with water, the mixture becomes cloudy. The reason for this is that the aniseed oils contained in the spirit dissolve well in alcohol ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / LLMs unleash AI's potential for autonomous and explainable materials discovery

Discovering new inorganic materials is central to advancing technologies in catalysis, energy storage, semiconductors, and more. But finding a material with just the right properties is extremely difficult. What if an AI ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Warmer ocean currents significantly destabilize ice sheets, driving their retreat

New research reveals how ocean warming triggered the large-scale retreat of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS)—offering vital clues for understanding its modern-day vulnerability.

Dec 17, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / A 3D-printed Christmas tree made entirely of ice

A team of physicists from the University of Amsterdam's Institute of Physics has 3D-printed a Christmas tree made entirely of ice. Researchers Menno Demmenie, Stefan Kooij and Daniel Bonn used no freezing technology or refrigeration ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Subsystem resetting: Researchers discover a new route to control phase transitions in complex systems

Researchers in the Department of Theoretical Physics at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, have discovered that instead of manipulating every component or modifying interactions in a many-body system, ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / New fossil lungfish from Yunnan sheds light on critical stage of early vertebrate evolution

A research team led by Prof. Zhu Min—a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and affiliated with the CAS Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP)—has identified a new species of fossil ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Metabolic analyses of animal fossils help scientists reconstruct million-year-old environments

For the first time, scientists have analyzed metabolism-related molecules from the fossilized bones of animals that lived 1.3 to 3 million years ago, revealing insights about both the animals and their environments.

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Novel AI platform accelerates discovery of chemical catalysts for industry

CatDRX is a generative AI framework developed at Institute of Science Tokyo, which enables the design of new chemical catalysts based on the specific chemical reactions in which they are used. The model learns from large ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Could police crackdowns actually help criminal networks?

Criminal networks are known for their ability to reorganize and continue operating even after major law enforcement crackdowns. New research from the University of Amsterdam's Informatics Institute and Institute for Advanced ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Engineered proteins enable smartphone-based detection of specific DNA sequences

Imagine a container of tomatoes arriving at the container terminal in Aarhus. The papers state that the tomatoes are from Spain, but in reality, we have no way of knowing if that is true.

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / GoMars model simulates 50-year Martian dust cycle

Mars is a dusty planet dominated by vast, dry deserts, with no easily accessible sources of liquid water. Much like on Earth, dust is lifted from Mars's surface by wind and rotating air columns, transported through the atmosphere, ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Astronomy & Space