Phys.org news

Phys.org / From pantry to pest control: Garlic kills the mood for mosquitoes as well

Garlic is not a substance that most people consider an aphrodisiac. It turns out that mosquitoes agree. In fact, a new Yale study finds that garlic also functions as a de facto birth control for mosquitoes and other winged ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / These monster black holes did not form the usual way—their history of violence is written into spacetime ripples

The most massive black holes in the universe detected by the ripples they make in spacetime were not born directly from collapsing stars, according to a new study. These cosmic giants instead build up through a series of ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum metallurgy: Electron crystals deform and melt

In a process analogous to how solids melt into liquids, the electrons in many different metals form crystal-like patterns that can deform and melt, opening new pathways for neuromorphic computing and superconductors, University ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Researchers combine five metals to build a better nanocrystal

A nanocrystal is an extraordinarily tiny piece of material—composed of anywhere from a few to a few thousand atoms—in which atoms are arranged in a precise, ordered structure. Think of it like taking a piece of gold and shrinking ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Archaeologists unearth evidence of dogs being traded within Mayan societies

A University of Calgary archaeologist has found evidence that the Classic Period Maya were trading live dogs over long distances between the northern Yucatan peninsula and central Chiapas regions.

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Myanmar's devastating quake could reshape how California and other fault zones gauge future risk

A devastating earthquake in Myanmar is giving scientists new insight into how major quakes start, spread, and grow. The findings could improve risk estimates for dangerous faults around the world. A new study, published in ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Team steers electron spin ballistically in graphene

Researchers at The University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute have shown that electrons in ultra-clean graphene can be steered with high precision while keeping their spin information intact, a key requirement ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Chilean wasp named in honor of Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday

Scientists from the Natural History Museum, London have described a new genus and species of parasitic wasp found within the Museum's collections, and named it as a birthday present for Sir David Attenborough.

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / LED light unlocks 3D optical fingerprints inside materials without lasers

Researchers have developed, for the first time in the world, incoherent dielectric tensor tomography (iDTT), a technology that can read complex three-dimensional optical fingerprints inside materials using only everyday LED ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Mechanical method unlocks sunlight-driven wastewater cleanup

University of Birmingham researchers have demonstrated a new method to break down toxic pollutants in wastewater, using sunlight and molecular-thin catalysts created using an innovative "mechanical" approach. Non-degradable ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / AI tool unifies fragmented cell maps into spatial atlases across tissues

A new computational method could dramatically accelerate efforts to map the body's cells in space, according to a study published in Nature Genetics. Spatial multi-omics technologies—often described as ultra-high-resolution ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient soil temperatures may have steered millet farming across Neolithic East Asia

Millet has been an important crop in East Asia for much of the Holocene, a period beginning about 11,700 years ago. To better understand how environmental conditions may have shaped the development of millet agriculture, ...

May 7, 2026