Phys.org news

Phys.org / Amber fossil reveals firefly relative with unprecedented antennae

Insects rely on a wide range of strategies to sense their surroundings and communicate with their peers. Fireflies (Lampyridae) and some related beetles are known for their ability to produce visible light through chemical ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / First pair of feeding supermassive black holes found in a Green Pea galaxy

Astronomers have discovered the first confirmed dual active galactic nucleus in a Green Pea galaxy, revealing two supermassive black holes growing at the same time inside a compact, intensely star-forming system. X-ray observations ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Gold nanoclusters could help break down Alzheimer's amyloid plaques

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by progressive memory loss and a decline in other mental functions. Past studies have consistently linked this disorder to the accumulation of the protein ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Immune cells have a 'sense of touch,' scientists discover

Scientists have long believed that tissue-resident memory T cells—which remain in tissues after an infection has cleared and respond rapidly if the threat returns—are shaped primarily by biochemical signals. A McGill University–led ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees could have been a vertical climber, no matter its feet

New research suggests that no matter what we eventually determine the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees to be, we'll learn it was a primate that climbed trees.

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / 35-year monitoring study clarifies ecological forces behind Lyme disease risk

Tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the United States. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported, with nearly half a million people diagnosed each year. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, it is most often spread ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Unlocking Gondwana's 120-million-year archive: Karoo record refines timing of extinctions and climate upheavals

A new review led by professor Emese Bordy at the University of Cape Town (UCT) Department of Geological Sciences brings together more than two decades of research on the Karoo Supergroup, revealing how scientific understanding ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Physicists predict a new form of quantum matter that holds itself together

Researchers at Monash University have predicted a new type of quantum matter that challenges decades of thinking about how ultracold particles behave. The paper, "Quantum droplets in a resonant Bose-Fermi mixture," is published ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Three photons at once beat the standard photon test

Physicists at the University of Twente have improved the standard test for the quality of individual particles of light. By letting three photons interfere at the same time instead of two, they draw more information from ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum light engine links atom-photon thermodynamics to classical physics

What is heat, and what is useful work if a machine consists only of an atom and light particles? In modern quantum technologies, this kind of question connects thermodynamics with quantum physics. Researchers at the University ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / How ancient trees are warning us about the next enormous solar storm

Our sun is capable of storms far bigger than we've ever recorded. Studying the world's oldest trees suggests we could soon be due one of these gargantuan events.

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Mega-Earth GJ 523b is 23 times as massive as our planet—but only 2.5 times as wide

It's nearly 170 million years old. It's more than 2.5 times the size of Earth. And it's the first exoplanet discovered and cataloged by researchers with the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research (WiCOR).

Aug 17, 2026