Phys.org news

Phys.org / 'Cosmic wallflowers' may hold the key to the origin of globular clusters

Astronomers using computer simulations have investigated whether a class of star clusters nicknamed "cosmic wallflowers" could be the long-sought ancestors of the globular clusters we see orbiting galaxies today. Their paper, ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / Much of Earth's 'space dust' may come from unidentified near-Earth asteroids

Like a shelf in an old house, the Earth collects a lot of dust from its surroundings. This "space dust" is mostly made up of micrometeorites that survive atmospheric entry and provides researchers with a cheap and easy way ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / Baseline tool could separate alien life signals from geology on ocean worlds

When it comes to the search for life elsewhere in the universe, methane and other chemical compounds are seen as signs of biology because they are often produced by living microbes. However, scientists can be misled because ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / How approaching sounds can warp your perception of time

Everyone's perception of time is unique. It is a subjective experience shaped by factors such as age, emotions, memory and environmental contexts. And it may also be influenced by background noise, as scientists have demonstrated ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / NASA's New Horizons spacecraft wakes from its longest hibernation in good health

Following its longest hibernation period ever of nearly a year, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has emerged in good health and is ready to begin transmitting science data gathered in the distant Kuiper Belt far beyond Pluto.

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / Researchers break a fundamental rule to create a new concept: Heat that can be directed and 'programmed'

Normally, a material absorbs and emits heat in a linked way: A surface that absorbs heat well at a certain wavelength and direction will also emit heat in the same way. This fundamental relationship, known as reciprocity, ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / Steering light in a flash: New chip redirects light beams in less than a trillionth of a second

Light can carry enormous amounts of information at extreme speeds, making photonic technologies promising for the development of faster communications, more powerful computing systems and more sensitive sensors. But for light ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum computers model nine fusion fuel material configurations for first time

A team of scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Cleveland Clinic and IBM has calculated nine molecular configurations of a promising material to produce fuel for fusion energy—the first known instance of such computations ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / South Pole Telescope analysis releases new catalog of more than 7,000 galaxy clusters

Researchers working with data from the South Pole Telescope have released a major catalog of galaxy clusters, giving scientists a powerful new tool for studying how the universe grew and changed over billions of years. The ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient rocks reveal how water reshaped Earth's interior 3.1 billion years ago

Geologists studying some of the planet's oldest volcanic rocks have uncovered new evidence that water was playing a major role in shaping Earth's interior and driving volcanic activity more than 3 billion years ago.

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists enable DNA synthesis using only temperature instead of chemical reagents

"Complex chemical processes are essential for making DNA." This long-held assumption in the field of biotechnology has been overturned by a Korean research team. A KAIST research team has developed the world's first foundational ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / Researchers develop AI tool that finds the equations behind complex systems

Clarkson University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can uncover the mathematical equations governing complex and chaotic systems directly from data. The technology, called KANDy—short for Kolmogorov-Arnold ...

Jul 7, 2026