Phys.org news

Phys.org / Gravitational lensing technique unveils supermassive black hole pairs

Supermassive black hole binaries form naturally when galaxies merge, but scientists have only confidently observed a very few of these systems that are widely separated. Black hole binaries that closely orbit each other have ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Basic research on Listeria bacteria leads to unique cancer therapy

After nearly 40 years of research on how Listeria bacteria manipulate our cells and battle our immune system to cause listeriosis, Daniel Portnoy and his colleagues have discovered a way to turn the bacteria into a potent ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / The changing chemistry of invasive death cap mushrooms

The California Department of Public Health reported 39 related poisonings in the last three months, leading to the death of four people, at least three liver transplants, and many more people made sick. The culprit? In each ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / A new microscope for the quantum age: Single nanoscale scan measures four key material properties

Physicists in Leiden have built a microscope that can measure no fewer than four key properties of a material in a single scan, all with nanoscale precision. The instrument can even examine complete quantum chips, accelerating ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Rich medieval Christians bought graves 'closer to God' despite leprosy stigma, archaeologists find

Medieval Christians in Denmark showed off their wealth in death by buying prestigious graves: the closer to the church, the higher the price. Researchers used these gravesites to investigate social exclusion based on illness, ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Cutting down on quantum-dot crosstalk: Precise measurements expose a new challenge

Devices that can confine individual electrons are potential building blocks for quantum information systems. But the electrons must be protected from external disturbances. RIKEN researchers have now shown how quantum information ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Oldest known reptile skin impressions dated to 298 million years found in Germany

An international research team led by Dr. Lorenzo Marchetti from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin has described the oldest known impressions of reptile skin from the Thuringian Forest in central Germany. Particularly remarkable ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Photonic integrated circuits enable programmable non-Abelian 'braiding' of light states

A research team has successfully implemented a programmable spinor lattice on a photonic integrated circuit (PIC). This platform enables the realization of non-Abelian physics, in which the outcome of operations depends on ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Silicon metasurfaces boost optical image processing with passive intensity-based filtering

Of the many feats achieved by artificial intelligence (AI), the ability to process images quickly and accurately has had an especially impressive impact on science and technology. Now, researchers in the McKelvey School of ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Nanolaser on a chip could cut computer energy use in half

Researchers at DTU have developed a nanolaser that could be the key to much faster and much more energy-efficient computers, phones, and data centers. The technology offers the prospect of thousands of the new lasers being ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Global analysis tracks 3,100 glacier surges as climate change rewrites the rules

While most of the world's glaciers are retreating as the climate warms, a small but significant population behaves very differently—and the consequences can be severe. A team of international scientists, led by the University ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / New 3D printing ink uses 70% lignin and recycles with water

Additive manufacturing (AM) methods, such as 3D printing, enable the realization of objects with different geometric properties, by adding materials layer-by-layer to physically replicate a digital model. These methods are ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Chemistry