Phys.org news

Phys.org / Enduring patterns in world's languages: One-third of grammatical 'universals' stand up to rigorous testing

Despite the vast diversity of human languages, specific grammatical patterns appear again and again. A new study reveals that around a third of the long-proposed "linguistic universals"—patterns thought to hold across all ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Supercomputer simulates quantum chip in unprecedented detail

A broad association of researchers from across Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California, Berkeley have collaborated to perform an unprecedented simulation of a quantum microchip, ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / 'City of seven ravines': Bronze age metropolis unearthed in the Eurasian steppe

An international team of archaeologists from UCL, Durham University, and Toraighyrov University (Kazakhstan) has uncovered the remains of a vast Bronze Age settlement, Semiyarka, in the Kazakh steppe—a discovery that is ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / From artificial organs to advanced batteries: A breakthrough 3D-printable polymer

A new type of 3D-printable material that gets along with the body's immune system, pioneered by a University of Virginia research team, could lead to safer medical technology for organ transplants and drug delivery systems. ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Balloon telescope captures new details of matter swirling around black holes

An international collaboration of physicists including researchers at Washington University in St. Louis has made measurements to better understand how matter falls into black holes and how enormous amounts of energy and ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Earth's earliest life 3.3 billion years ago revealed by faint biosignatures

A new study uncovered fresh chemical evidence of life in rocks more than 3.3 billion years old, along with molecular traces showing that oxygen-producing photosynthesis emerged nearly a billion years earlier than previously ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New monitor now operational in the Large Hadron Collider

A novel beam diagnostic instrument developed by researchers in the University of Liverpool's QUASAR Group has been approved for use in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's most powerful particle accelerator.

Nov 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Green-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles from desert plants show broad antimicrobial activity

As drug-resistant infections continue to rise, researchers are looking for new antimicrobial strategies that are both effective and sustainable. One emerging approach combines nanotechnology with "green" chemistry, using ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Fake survey answers from AI could quietly sway election predictions

Public opinion polls and other surveys rely on data to understand human behavior. New research from Dartmouth reveals that artificial intelligence can now corrupt public opinion surveys at scale—passing every quality check, ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Ultracold potassium-cesium molecules assembled in absolute ground state

Researchers from Hanns-Christoph Nägerl's group have produced the world's first ultracold KCs molecules in their absolute ground state. Starting by mixing clouds of potassium and cesium atoms cooled almost to absolute zero ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Lead-free alternative discovered for essential electronics component

Ferroelectric materials are used in infrared cameras, medical ultrasounds, computer memory and actuators that turn electric properties into mechanical properties and vice-versa. Most of these essential materials, however, ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Interpretable AI reveals key atomic traits for efficient hydrogen storage in metal hydrides

Hydrogen fuels represent a clean energy option, but a major hurdle in making its use more mainstream is efficient storage. Hydrogen storage requires either extremely high-pressure tanks or extremely cold temperatures, which ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Chemistry