Phys.org news

Phys.org / Antarctica's only native insect is already eating microplastics

A global research team led by researchers from the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment has found that Antarctica's only native insect is already ingesting microplastics, even ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / The surprising culprit limiting the abundance of Earth's largest land animals

Humans live in a world abundant in salt, but this everyday seasoning is a luxury for wild herbivores, and it's far from clear how these animals get enough.

Dec 9, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Electron-phonon interactions in crystals found to be quantized by a fundamental constant

A researcher at the Department of Physics at Tohoku University has uncovered a surprising quantum phenomenon hidden inside ordinary crystals: the strength of interactions between electrons and lattice vibrations—known as ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / 'Monster Stars' from the cosmic dawn: Astronomers find first direct evidence

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of international researchers have discovered chemical fingerprints of gigantic primordial stars that were among the first to form after the Big Bang.

Dec 9, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / 'Light-bending' material that controls blue and ultraviolet light could transform advanced chipmaking

Researchers from TU Delft and Radboud University (The Netherlands) have discovered that the two-dimensional ferroelectric material CuInP₂S₆ (CIPS) can be used to control the pathway and properties of blue and ultraviolet ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Artificial photosynthesis catalyst converts carbon dioxide into fuel using sunlight

A joint research team has developed a highly efficient photocatalyst that can convert carbon dioxide into the high-value-added fuel, methane, using sunlight, while explaining its operating principles. The work is published ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Fast-tracking a natural climate solution by compressing millennia of carbon capture into hours

What if it were possible to take a very slow geological process, one that takes thousands of years in nature, and speed it up so that it happens within hours, in order to slow the rate of global warming?

Dec 9, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / First human DNA-cutting enzyme that senses physical tension discovered

An international research team has identified a human protein, ANKLE1, as the first DNA-cutting enzyme (nuclease) in mammals capable of detecting and responding to physical tension in DNA. This "tension-sensing" mechanism ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / From light to logic: Ultrafast quantum switching in 2D materials

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have found a way to use light to control and read tiny quantum states inside atom-thin materials. The simple technique could pave the way for computers that are dramatically ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Pompeii offers insights into ancient Roman building technology

Concrete was the foundation of the ancient Roman empire. It enabled Rome's storied architectural revolution as well as the construction of buildings, bridges, and aqueducts, many of which are still used some 2,000 years after ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Molten metal nano-droplets reveal new hybrid state of matter where solids meet liquids

Researchers have discovered that not all atoms in a liquid are in motion and that some remain stationary regardless of the temperature, significantly impacting the solidification process, including the formation of an unusual ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / How oxygen first reached Earth's oceans

For roughly 2 billion years of Earth's early history, the atmosphere contained no oxygen, the essential ingredient required for complex life. Oxygen began building up during the period known as the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Astronomy & Space