Phys.org news

Phys.org / Dying radio galaxies suggest a shorter, more dynamic afterlife for black hole jets

Astronomers have uncovered a previously underexplored population of faint, rapidly fading remnant radio galaxies, offering new insights into what happens after supermassive black holes stop powering their enormous radio jets.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists 'see' nanoscale forces, providing evidence of electric fields at the air‑water interface

Bubbles are round, and we know surface tension does that. But squeeze that gas-liquid boundary into a space only a few tens of nanometers wide—could other forces be at work?

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / 'Hidden stars' suggest that distant galaxies are much more massive than they appear

Astronomers have discovered that the most massive galaxies in the early universe contain far more small stars than expected. As a result, these early galaxies were likely much more massive than initial measurements suggested. ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / A single asteroid impact may explain the appearance of Mars' moon Deimos

Deimos, the smaller and outermost of Mars' two moons, is roughly oval in shape and has a deep depression at its south pole. Unlike its heavily scarred sister moon, Phobos, Deimos is covered by a loose layer of dust and rubble—a ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / New bone analysis challenges long-held theory on farming's arrival in Ireland and Great Britain

New research led by University College Dublin has rewritten a key chapter in Irish prehistory, revealing that bones long thought to mark the beginning of farming in Ireland belong to bear and wild boar, not cattle.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / New photonic crystal method improves single-photon sources for quantum networks

Quantum communication promises many advantages over today's standard technologies, including absolutely secure transmission of large amounts of data. However, it requires single photons—and generating them is very difficult. ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / A new mathematical tool to uncover 'who eats whom' in nature

Understanding "who eats whom" is the key to keeping our oceans alive—and our dinner plates full. However, this invisible network that makes up the food chain can unravel with the pull of just one thread. Overfish one species, ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Artificial intelligence acts as an 'ideological chameleon' and may deepen political polarization

Researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, examined the ideological stance of large language models—artificial intelligence systems trained to understand and generate human ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Novel plastic turns into a gas when heated—then reforms once cooled

In a study published in Macromolecules, researchers introduce a novel polymer that could simplify how materials are applied, removed and recycled by eliminating several complex processing steps used today.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Robotic ocean glider reveals giant phytoplankton chains in the Mediterranean Sea

Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography in Marseille, France, have discovered something surprising in the Mediterranean Sea: giant chains of phytoplankton.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / New study links bad bosses with greater work intensity

Work intensity is significantly higher under poor line managers, according to new research led by Bayes Business School (City St George's, University of London) that could have strong implications for global occupational ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Experiment shows how AI discoveries can shape human cultural evolution

Artificial intelligence can develop solutions that humans would be unlikely to discover on their own. But what happens when machines do more than solve individual problems and actually discover entirely new solution strategies? ...

Aug 18, 2026