Phys.org news

Phys.org / Physicists observe synchronized quantum dance of excitons and phonons

An international team of researchers has reported a major advance in understanding quantum dynamics in semiconductor materials. They directly observed how excitons and phonons evolve together in perovskite nanocrystals, revealing ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Freshwater boundary breach deepens as climate and land use amplify extremes

Human activities have significantly altered the freshwater cycle, threatening its ability to support vital climatic and ecological Earth system processes. A new study led by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Koala population crash came before humans, genomic study reveals

A genomic study has reshaped our understanding of the evolutionary history of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), revealing the iconic Australian marsupial experienced a severe population decline around 100,000 years ago, ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Precision measurement under impact—when the balance itself becomes the object of measurement

How do you take measurements using one of the most sensitive scales in the world? Researchers at TU Wien have demonstrated how the measurement process affects not only the object being measured but also the scale itself, ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Brain removal in Iron Age Scotland burial reveals far-reaching family ties

It is difficult to identify funerary practices in Iron Age (c. 800 BC–AD 43) Britain, as human remains rarely survive. However, evidence is particularly prominent in north-west Scotland, because environmental conditions support ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / How animals use leveling behaviors to put alphas in their place

Inequality is not unique to human groups and societies. Individuals with relatively little power possess a variety of behavioral strategies to counterbalance or regulate power differences. In humans, these strategies include ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists discover a 3.5-billion-year-old asteroid impact on the moon

The first few billion years of Earth's history saw the rise of life, the atmosphere and the oceans. Still, that time is shrouded in mystery: Not many rocks remain that preserve a record of those early iterations of our modern ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Adélie penguins use colony cues to switch foraging sites if their previous trip was unsuccessful

Many animals live in groups. Among seabirds in particular, most species form colonies during the breeding season. Although coloniality entails costs, such as increased competition for food and disease transmission, its repeated ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / These underwater 'living pink rocks' help store carbon: Scientists just found four new species

Rhodoliths may look like small rocks on the seafloor, but they are actually living algae that create habitats for marine life and contribute to long-term carbon storage. A new study found that the deeper, low-light waters ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Why are sloths slow? It's in their DNA

Sloths are the slowest mammals on the planet, but living in dense jungles has made them notoriously difficult to study. For the first time, scientists have now sequenced and analyzed the two-toed sloth genome and revealed ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Tea compound boosts seaweed hydrogel strength fivefold, while tuning adhesion and breakdown

Could wound healing dressings adhere better, and could drug delivery patches become more sophisticated? A KAIST research team has developed a technology that leverages natural ingredients derived from plants to increase the ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Savanna chimpanzees use tools for capturing and feeding on army ants, study shows

Chimpanzees are the only great apes, apart from humans, that have adapted to living on savannas as well as in forests. However, it is not yet well understood how the harsh ecological conditions of the savanna—compared with ...

Jun 9, 2026