Phys.org news

Phys.org / Researchers create DNA 'nano-rings' to control viral cell proteins

Scientists at Durham University, working in partnership with Jagiellonian University in Poland, have developed a new nanoscale tool that can capture and precisely position some of the most important proteins in the human ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Hidden 3D atomic structure of relaxor ferroelectrics revealed for first time

Materials called relaxor ferroelectrics have been used for decades in technologies like ultrasounds, microphones, and sonar systems. Their unique properties come from their atomic structure, but that structure has stubbornly ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Superconducting quantum circuit simulates proton tunneling phenomenon in chemical systems

Researchers at Yale, Google, and the University of California-Santa Barbara have created a device that simulates the quantum "tunneling" behavior of protons that occurs in chemistry, a process so common it occurs in everything ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Gene circuits reshape DNA folding and affect how genes are expressed, study finds

When a gene is turned on in a cell, it creates a ripple effect along the DNA strand, changing the physical structure of the strand. A new study by MIT researchers, appearing in Science, shows that these ripples can stimulate ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Chemists unlock two-step alkene alkylation using stable acids and polar coupling

Chemists at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung have developed a practical two-step method for alkylating alkenes via thianthrenation, addressing a long-standing synthetic challenge. This breakthrough simplifies complex ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Physicists reveal universal speed limit on quantum information scrambling

Theoretical physicists in the US have discovered a "speed limit" on the time taken for quantum information to spread through larger systems. Publishing their results in Physical Review Letters, Amit Vikram and colleagues ...

Apr 29, 2026
Phys.org / Levitated nano-ferromagnet confirms a 160-year-old physical prediction

Ferromagnets, such as iron, cobalt, and nickel, are materials with a strong, spontaneous, and permanent magnetic field. Over 150 years ago, the physicist and mathematician James Clerk Maxwell speculated that under specific ...

Apr 29, 2026
Phys.org / Western music is getting simpler and more repetitive by the day and data prove it

Ever had that moment when a song comes on and it feels strangely familiar, like it reminds you of another song that came out just a few months ago? If you feel this phenomenon has become more frequent, then you are not imagining ...

Apr 29, 2026
Phys.org / A flower-like pattern exposes chiral superconductivity's long-sought fingerprint

With a carefully designed experiment and a handful of tin atoms, University of Tennessee, Knoxville's physicists have found a long-sought form of superconductivity, taking one more step toward creating custom quantum materials.

Apr 29, 2026
Phys.org / Where was your backyard millions of years ago?

An international team of Earth scientists led by Utrecht professor Douwe van Hinsbergen has developed an online tool that allows you to see, for any given location on Earth, what latitude it occupied in the distant past, ...

Apr 29, 2026
Phys.org / Roman cup unearthed in Spain may have been a keepsake representing a soldier's time at the Hadrian Wall

Archaeologists recently analyzed a broken, decorative cup found unexpectedly on a Spanish farm. The cup appears to represent Hadrian's Wall—a place 2,000 miles away—and a time period almost 2,000 years ago. The new study, ...

Apr 29, 2026
Phys.org / Newly confirmed supernova remnant is one of the faintest ever detected

An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new supernova remnant (SNR) using radio observations. The newfound supernova remnant, dubbed Abeona, is one of the faintest radio SNRs so far detected. The discovery ...

Apr 29, 2026