Phys.org news

Phys.org / Microplastics found in a third of surveyed fish off the coasts of remote Pacific Islands

A third of fish living in the remote coastal waters of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories are contaminated with microplastics, with especially high rates in Fiji, according to an analysis published in PLOS One by ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Residents from strongly blue or red counties favor like-minded destinations for everyday travel, analysis finds

A new analysis of 471 U.S. counties has found that, for everyday travel, people from counties with particularly strong political leanings—whether liberal or conservative—are more likely to visit like-minded destinations. ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Proton-trapping MNene transforms ammonia production for food security and economic growth

With a new electrochemical synthesis via an electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), achieving carbon-free ammonia production is closer to reality through work from Drs. Abdoulaye Djire and Perla Balbuena, chemical ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Unprecedented 3D views of sensory cells accelerate hearing research

The cochlea is the spiral-shaped structure within the inner ear responsible for our sense of hearing. To fully understand hearing functions and open the door to new hearing loss treatments, scientists require intricately ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Capturing the moment of organelle handoff inside living cells

For the first time, researchers have directly visualized how newly formed cellular organelles leave the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and transition onto microtubule tracks inside living cells. This new finding reveals that ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Ultrathin kagome metal hosts robust 3D flat electronic band state

A team of researchers at Monash University has uncovered a powerful new way to engineer exotic quantum states, revealing a robust and tunable three-dimensional flat electronic band in an ultrathin kagome metal, an achievement ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Hearing tests uncover unexpected humpback sensitivity to high-frequency noise

University of Queensland hearing tests conducted across kilometers of ocean off the Australian coast show humpback whales react to higher frequency sounds than expected. Associate Professor Rebecca Dunlop from UQ's School ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How iron-sulfur nanolayers are formed: X-ray methods enable real-time view

Researchers at the University of Hamburg, the University of Toulouse, and the DESY and ESRF research institutes have observed for the first time in real time how iron-sulfur nanostructures form in solutions. Using time-resolved ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Extracellular vesicles manage to slip gene edits into Pneumocystis fungi

Pneumocystis is an unwieldy genus of fungal pathogens that cause severe pneumonia, particularly in immunocompromised people like those with HIV/AIDs or who have received organ transplants. However, the mechanisms by which ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Strength-in-numbers X-ray technique can map previously unattainable atomic structures

For many decades, the method to obtain atomic-level descriptions of chemical compounds and materials—be it a drug, a catalyst, or a commodity chemical—has been X-ray crystallography. This method has a known weakness: ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / New ABF crystal delivers high-performance vacuum ultraviolet nonlinear optical conversion

Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV, 100–200 nm) light sources are indispensable for advanced spectroscopy, quantum research, and semiconductor lithography. Although second harmonic generation (SHG) using nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / AI bosses are creating a new problem for gig workers

For millions of gig workers driving for companies such as Uber Eats, DoorDash and Deliveroo, there is no human manager to call, no supervisor to appeal to and no office to walk into. Decisions about pay, performance, penalties ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Other Sciences