Phys.org news

Phys.org / Student researcher leads discovery of fastest gamma-ray burst ever recorded

Sarah Dalessi, a fifth-year student in the College of Science at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, is the lead author of a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Climate extremes trigger rare coral disease and mass mortality on the Great Barrier Reef

University of Sydney marine biologists have identified a devastating combination of coral bleaching and a rare necrotic wasting disease that wiped out large, long-lived corals on the Great Barrier Reef during the record 2024 ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Like living cells, oil-in-water droplets form 'arms' in response to their environment

Oil-in-water droplets respond to chemical cues by forming arm-like extensions that resemble filopodia, which are used by living cells to sense and explore their environment.

Dec 9, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Decoding the chemistry of life: Maximum entropy reveals how mutations alter enzymes and drive drug resistance

For decades, Arieh Warshel, USC Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and a 2013 Nobel laureate, has used computer simulations to understand how enzymes—fundamental to nearly every biological process in living organisms—carry ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / K-DRIFT pathfinder: A compact telescope for observing faint galactic structures

Conventional telescopes are limited in detecting low-surface-brightness (LSB) structures, which are essential for studying galaxy evolution. Now, researchers have developed a new telescope system featuring a confocal off-axis ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New nanomagnet production process improves efficiency and cuts costs

Researchers at HZDR have partnered with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, and the Institute of Nuclear Physics in the Polish Academy of Sciences to develop a method that facilitates the manufacture ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Limitations of AI-based material prediction: Crystallographic disorder represents a stumbling block

Computer simulations and artificial intelligence often make significant errors when predicting the properties of new, high-performance materials, according to a new international study led by the University of Bayreuth. In ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Laser draws made-to-order magnetic landscapes

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado, have for the first time succeeded in using existing laser technology to ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Cooperative intermolecular interactions regulate supramolecular polymer assembly

Supramolecular chemistry involves the study of self-assembly of discrete molecules that are used to build large functional structures. Often, these molecules are allowed to self-assemble into one-dimensional polymeric structures ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Ocean current and seabed shape influence warm water circulation under ice shelves, research reveals

New research reveals how the speed of ocean currents and the shape of the seabed influence the amount of heat flowing underneath Antarctic ice shelves, contributing to melting.

Dec 9, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Mini-vortices in nanopores accelerate ion transport for faster supercapacitor charging

Tiny cavities in energy storage devices form small vortices that help with charging, according to a research team led by TU Darmstadt. This previously unknown phenomenon could advance the development of faster storage devices.

Dec 9, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Surprising nanoscopic heat traps found in diamonds

Diamond is famous in material science for being the best natural heat conductor on Earth—but new research reveals that, at the atomic scale, it can briefly trap heat in unexpected ways. The findings could influence how ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Physics