Phys.org news

Phys.org / Fluorescence imaging technique reveals hidden magnetic chemistry in living systems

A research team at the University of Tokyo has developed a new microscopy platform that can observe a previously hidden layer of biomolecular chemistry linked to weak magnetic fields. The work, led by Project Researcher Noboru ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Pigeons tend to respond 'at the edge of chaos,' study finds

If you were rewarded for following a particular pattern of behavior, wouldn't you keep doing it? The answer turns out to be more nuanced than you might think. In a new study, University of Iowa researchers report that pigeons ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Origins of Earth's most powerful ocean current revealed

It transports far more than 100 times as much water as all of the Earth's rivers combined: The Antarctic Circumpolar Current rushes around the southern continent unhindered by land masses and is therefore a fundamental component ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Electrons in moiré crystals explore higher-dimensional quantum worlds

The electrons that power our society flow left and right through the circuitry in our electronics, back and forth along the transmission lines that make up our power grid, and up and down to light up every floor of every ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Mutant clownfish reveals how nature draws boundaries

In 1999, a clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) hatched in the aquarium of a tropical fish hobbyist in the UK. These clownfish are prized by aquarists for their unique pattern of three straight white bars bordered by a thin black ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum ground state of rotation achieved for the first time in two dimensions

Quantum mechanics tells us that a particle can never be perfectly still. But how precisely can it be oriented? A research team at the University of Vienna, together with colleagues at TU Wien and Ulm University, has now cooled ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Study finds 70% of remediated Los Angeles yards still exceed lead limit

Even after one of the largest environmental remediation efforts in California history, dangerous levels of lead persist in residential neighborhoods surrounding a former battery smelter in Southeast Los Angeles, according ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists identify potential new target for disrupting mosquito reproduction

A longstanding mystery in mosquito biology has been solved, opening a potential new path for controlling mosquitoes and the diseases they spread. For decades, scientists believed that juvenile hormone, a chemical signal essential ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Mechanical inputs boost diamond quantum sensor states as Q factor tops one million

Most people think of diamonds as high-end adornments. Not Ania Bleszynski Jayich. The UC Santa Barbara physicist sees diamonds, which she grows in the UC Quantum Foundry, as a potentially powerful foundation for quantum sensors. ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Artemis mission approaches lunar loop for first flyby since 1972

The Artemis astronauts entered the final phase of their run-up to a lunar loop on Monday, a tipping point of sorts that means the moon's gravity is now having a stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth's.

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Water-repelling surfaces reveal surprising charging effects

Materials that repel water are used in countless applications, including industrial separation processes, routine laboratory pipetting, and medical devices. When water touches these surfaces, the interface where they meet ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Advancing synthetic cells: A more flexible system to replicate cellular functions

Creating artificial systems that mimic the functioning of cells is one of the goals of what is known as synthetic biology. These models, known as synthetic or biomimetic cells, allow some of the basic processes of life to ...

Apr 6, 2026