Phys.org news

Phys.org / Alaknanda: JWST discovers massive grand-design spiral galaxy from the universe's infancy

A spiral galaxy, shaped much like our Milky Way, has been found in an era when astronomers believed such well-formed galaxies could not yet exist. Two astronomers from India have identified a remarkably mature galaxy just ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Cats adjust their communication strategy by meowing more when greeting men

As many cat owners will testify, their pets are often mysterious creatures, independent, cunning and sometimes aloof. And now it appears that when it comes to communication, they might be playing favorites. A new study published ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Geodesic approach links quantum physics and gravitation

It is something like the "Holy Grail" of physics: unifying particle physics and gravitation. The world of tiny particles is described extremely well by quantum theory, while the world of gravitation is captured by Einstein's ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Sugars, 'gum,' stardust found in NASA's asteroid Bennu samples

The asteroid Bennu continues to provide new clues to scientists' biggest questions about the formation of the early solar system and the origins of life. As part of the ongoing study of pristine samples delivered to Earth ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Ancient stalagmite provides insights into how climate affected early communities in cradle of civilization

The Fertile Crescent, a boomerang-shaped region spanning modern-day Middle Eastern countries, is considered the cradle of civilization and where farming first emerged. But little is known about how climate change influenced ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Chesapeake Bay's storm surge tides can be 47% higher than the open ocean

When hurricanes or strong storms sweep up the United States' East Coast and meet the shores of the country's largest estuary, Chesapeake Bay, the familiar pattern of storm activity gets a little more complicated. A new study, ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Astronomers confirm low-luminosity active galactic nucleus in nearby galaxy NGC 3221

Using ESA's XMM-Newton satellite, astronomers from Stanford University and elsewhere have conducted deep X-ray observations of a nearby galaxy known as NGC 3221. The new observational campaign detected a faint active galactic ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New palladium-gold alloy catalyst boosts methane-to-ethylene conversion with solar power

Researchers just hit two benefits with one catalyst. They converted methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, into ethylene (C2H4), a highly demanded raw material in industrial sectors, using sunlight and a newly designed palladium–gold ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Single-photon teleportation achieved between distant quantum dots for the first time

An international research team involving Paderborn University has achieved a crucial breakthrough on the road to a quantum internet. For the first time ever, the polarization state of a single photon emitted from a quantum ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Physicists overcome fundamental limitation of acoustic levitation

Using sound to get objects to float works well if a single particle is levitated, but it causes multiple particles to collapse into a clump in mid-air. Physicists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Euclid dataset of a million galaxies proves connection between galaxy mergers and AGN

Astronomers have long debated the role of galaxy mergers in powering active supermassive black holes. Now an unprecedented dataset of a million galaxies from the Euclid telescope provides evidence that mergers play a dominant ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Historical geography helps researchers solve 2,700-year old eclipse mystery

An international team of researchers has used knowledge of historical geography to reexamine the earliest datable total solar eclipse record known to the scientific community, enabling accurate measurements of Earth's variable ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Astronomy & Space