Phys.org news

Phys.org / A century's worth of data could help predict future solar cycle activity

Research conducted by an international team of astronomers from Southwest Research Institute, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences in India and the Max Planck Institute in Germany could help predict upcoming ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Cleaner ship fuel linked to reduced lightning in key shipping lanes

Cuts in sulfur emissions from oceangoing vessels have been tied to a reduction in lightning stroke density along heavily trafficked shipping routes in the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea, according to new research from ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Seawater microbes offer new, non-invasive way to detect coral disease

Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), in collaboration with the University of the Virgin Islands have discovered that microorganisms in seawater surrounding corals provide a powerful indicator of ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Bridging theories across physics helps reconcile controversy about thin liquid layer on icy surfaces

The ice in a domestic freezer is remarkably different from the single crystals that form in snow clouds, or even those formed on a frozen pond. As temperatures drop, ice crystals can grow in a variety of shapes: from stocky ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / With planning, birds and floating solar can coexist

Solar panels on bodies of water in the northeastern U.S. might generate renewable energy but could also carry risks for birds, especially waterbirds. Now a new study provides a data-informed approach to siting floating solar ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / The last spiny dormouse in Europe

Today, only one species of the spiny dormouse survives, in southern India. However, the oldest spiny dormouse in evolutionary history, a member of the rodent family, was found in sediment dating back 17.5 to 13.3 million ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Physicists employ AI labmates to supercharge LED light control

In 2023, a team of physicists from Sandia National Laboratories announced a major discovery: a way to steer LED light. If refined, it could mean someday replacing lasers with cheaper, smaller, more energy-efficient LEDs in ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Multiple autonomous AI systems spontaneously collaborate to advance materials research

A joint research team from NIMS and University of Tsukuba have developed an autonomous AI network technology that allows multiple autonomous AI systems to efficiently discover new materials by spontaneously collaborating ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Sinking salty ice suggests pathway for life-sustaining conditions in Europa's ocean

A recent study by geophysicists at Washington State University offers insight into how nutrients may reach the subsurface ocean of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons and a leading candidate for extraterrestrial life in the solar ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New method reveals quantum states using indirect measurements of particle flows

A team from UNIGE shows that it is possible to determine the state of a quantum system from indirect measurements when it is coupled to its environment.

Jan 20, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Knock, knock... mapping comedic timing with a computational framework

Researchers propose a computational method to reveal the hidden timing structure of live performance. Vanessa C. Pope and colleagues present a framework, called Topology Analysis of Matching Sequences (TAMS), that algorithmically ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Ion trap enables 1 minute in the nanocosmos

At the Department of Ion Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Innsbruck, a research team has succeeded for the first time in storing electrically charged helium nanodroplets in an ion trap for up to one minute.

Jan 20, 2026 in Nanotechnology