Phys.org news

Phys.org / Stars defy black hole by showing stable orbits around Sagittarius A*

An international research team led by PD Dr. Florian Peissker at the University of Cologne has used the new observation instrument ERIS (Enhanced Resolution Imager and Spectrograph) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) facility ...

Nov 28, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New universal law predicts how most objects shatter, from dropped bottles to exploding bubbles

When a plate drops or a glass smashes, you're annoyed by the mess and the cost of replacing them. But for some physicists, the broken pieces are a source of fascination: Why does everything break into such a huge variety ...

Nov 28, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Rare high-resolution observations of a flare-prolific solar active region

Scientists have captured an exceptionally rare, high-resolution view of an active region that produced two powerful X-class solar flares—an achievement rarely possible from Earth. Using the GREGOR solar telescope in Tenerife, ...

Nov 28, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Radio wave bursts linked to onset of intense auroral storms

A University of Southampton study has revealed an intriguing new clue in the mystery of what triggers periods of very intense, brightly colored activity during displays of both the southern and northern lights.

Nov 28, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Archaeologists discover solitary grave from ancient Kingdom of Kerma in remote Bayuda Desert

Dr. Monika Badura and her colleagues have published a study analyzing an isolated burial found in the Bayuda Desert in the journal Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa. The discovery, made at site BP937 in Sudan, has ...

Nov 28, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Quantum sensor based on silicon carbide qubits operates at room temperature

Over the past decades, physicists and quantum engineers introduced a wide range of systems that perform desired functions leveraging quantum mechanical effects. These include so-called quantum sensors, devices that rely on ...

Nov 28, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Google Quantum AI realizes three dynamic surface code implementations

Quantum computers are computing systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects. These computers rely on qubits (i.e., the quantum equivalent of bits), which can store information in a mixture of states, ...

Nov 28, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Dating a North American rock art tradition that lasted 175 generations

The Pecos River murals are a stunning collection of monumental, multicolored rock paintings in limestone rock shelters across southwest Texas and northern Mexico. They depict human-like figures that reach up to eight meters ...

Nov 28, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Tiny reconfigurable robots can help manage carbon dioxide levels in confined spaces

Vehicles and buildings designed to enable survival in extreme environments, such as spacecraft, submarines and sealed shelters, heavily rely on systems for the management of carbon dioxide (CO2). These are technologies that ...

Nov 28, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / How phototherapy could reverse antibiotic resistance

Lars Stevens-Cullinane works in a dark room. But he's not processing negatives and printing photographs on light-sensitive paper; he's testing whether brief flashes of light can make drug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics.

Nov 28, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Dark matter-dark energy interaction shapes cosmic halo spin and alignment, simulations show

A cosmological simulation study by researchers from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has systematically revealed, for the first time, how the interaction between dark matter and dark ...

Nov 28, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Studies show how the giant statues on Rapa Nui were made and moved—and what caused the island's deforestation

Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is often portrayed in popular culture as an enigma. The rationale is clear: The tiny, remote island in the Pacific features nearly 1,000 enormous statues—the moai. The magnitude and ...

Nov 28, 2025 in Other Sciences