Phys.org news

Phys.org / Physics of foam strangely resembles AI training

Foams are everywhere: soap suds, shaving cream, whipped toppings and food emulsions like mayonnaise. For decades, scientists believed that foams behave like glass, their microscopic components trapped in static, disordered ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Neutral-atom arrays, a rapidly emerging quantum computing platform, get a boost from researchers

For quantum computers to outperform their classical counterparts, they need more quantum bits, or qubits. State-of-the-art quantum computers have around 1,000 qubits. Columbia physicists Sebastian Will and Nanfang Yu have ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / CRISPR–Cas3 genome-editing system holds therapeutic potential

Genetic disorders occur due to alterations in the primary genetic material—deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)—of an organism.

Jan 14, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Analyzing Darwin's specimens without opening 200-year-old jars

Scientists have successfully analyzed Charles Darwin's original specimens from his HMS Beagle voyage (1831 to 1836) to the Galapagos Islands.

Jan 14, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Major river deltas are sinking faster than sea-level rise, study shows

A study published in Nature shows that many of the world's major river deltas are sinking faster than sea levels are rising, potentially affecting hundreds of millions of people in these regions.

Jan 14, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / How 'smart' nanoparticles can deliver targeted gene therapy in osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a highly prevalent joint disease that leads to cartilage breakdown, pain and disability, yet there are still no FDA-approved treatments that can slow or reverse its progression. RNA-based therapies hold ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / 'Absolutely huge' black coral among largest ever seen

Marine researchers have been wowed by the size of a centuries-old black coral found in Fiordland.

Jan 14, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Homo habilis: The oldest and most complete skeleton discovered to date

An international research team has unveiled a significant discovery in human paleontology: an exceptionally well-preserved Homo habilis skeleton dating back more than 2 million years.

Jan 14, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Ultrasound-activated nanoparticles in immune cells trigger targeted inflammatory response

Piezoelectric nanoparticles deployed inside immune cells and stimulated remotely by ultrasound can trigger the body's disease-fighting response, according to an interdisciplinary team of Boston College researchers.

Jan 14, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Researchers expand human genome map to 2.37 million regulatory DNA elements

A research team led by Zhiping Weng, Ph.D., and Jill Moore, Ph.D."18, at UMass Chan Medical School, has nearly tripled the known number of potential regulatory elements in the genome to 2.37 million, creating the most comprehensive ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Tuning spin waves—using commercially available devices at room temperature

Physicist Davide Bossini from the University of Konstanz has recently demonstrated how to change the frequency of the collective magnetic oscillations of a material by up to 40%—using commercially available devices at room ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Quantum simulator reveals how vibrations steer energy flow in molecules

Researchers led by Rice University's Guido Pagano used a specialized quantum device to simulate a vibrating molecule and track how energy moves within it. The work, published Dec. 5 in Nature Communications, could improve ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Physics