Phys.org news

Phys.org / High school student designs low-cost teabags to remove arsenic from water and help millions

Arsenic contamination in drinking water is a global issue, with over 200 million people estimated to be at risk. While water treatment plants remove the metal, the problem persists in low-resource areas or undertreated well ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Toothy snout recasts Australia's famed Muttaburrasaurus as a picky eater

In a surprising new study, Australia's most famous plant-eating dinosaur has been described as a "picky eater with a nose for good food" when it roamed across the continent around 96 million years ago. After examining different ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Using computed tomography to study DNA from ancient humans without destroying samples

Research on ancient DNA is surging, but how can scientists ensure that human remains of irreplaceable significance are preserved? This is the question investigated by an international research team led by the University of ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Fluorescent technique reveals hidden scale of microfiber pollution from our clothes

Pollution released from our textiles is smaller and more irregular in shape than previously thought, according to new research led by The University of Manchester. In a study published in Scientific Reports, Manchester researchers—in ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient graves and DNA uncover family bonds that went beyond genetics

You probably have a member of your family that you're not related to by blood—a step-parent, an adopted cousin, your mom's best friend who you grew up calling your aunt. They're indisputably part of your family, but a DNA ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Shredded stars reveal how black holes ignite trillion-sun flares

Supermassive black holes are among the most enigmatic objects in the universe. They typically weigh millions or even billions of times the mass of the sun and sit at the centers of most large galaxies. At the heart of the ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Glaciers may flow into the ocean more quickly than we think

Models of glacial flow and retreat rely on estimates of glacial ice viscosity, the measure of the ice's resistance to flow. Ice viscosity is dependent on the stress applied to the glacier. Most ice sheet models use a standard ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Simple rules guide how proteins assemble and evolve, study finds

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have identified simple rules that explain how complex protein structures assemble correctly and remain functional over time, despite having many theoretically possible configurations. ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Smart cable sharing gives quantum computers a big boost

A major obstacle in the development of powerful quantum computers is the growing number of cables required to control a computer as the number of qubits increases. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Young stars dim quickly in their X-ray output, potentially benefiting orbiting planets

Scientists have found that young stellar cousins of our sun are calming down and dimming more quickly in their X-ray output than previously thought, according to a new study using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. A paper ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Mirror-positioning method could make quantum gravity tests possible

In quantum physics, objects can exist in multiple states at the same time—a phenomenon known as quantum superposition, where a particle does not have a single definite value of position or momentum until it is measured. A ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / The once-theoretical skyrmion could unlock supercomputing memory

When looking to the future of information technology, researchers have pinpointed a once-theoretical particle-like structure: the skyrmion. Magnetic skyrmions are very stable structures found on micromagnetic materials that ...

Apr 14, 2026