Phys.org news

Phys.org / This odd little plant could help turbocharge crop yields

An international team of researchers has uncovered a remarkable molecular trick used by a unique group of land plants, one that could eventually be engineered into crops like wheat and rice to dramatically boost how efficiently ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Missing technosignatures? Turbulent plasma may blur ultra-narrow signals before they leave their home star systems

A new study by researchers at the SETI Institute suggests that stellar "space weather" could make radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence harder to detect. Stellar activity and plasma turbulence near a transmitting ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Why Large Hadron Collider predictions can miss the mark, and a new way to fix it

Estimating things that exist is generally easy, but when it comes to estimating things that do not exist, it's more difficult. This is something physicists from Poland and the UK are well aware of. To improve current simulations ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Plant cell structure could hold key to cancer therapies and improved crops

Can the bend of a banana give us insight into cancer? What does the shape of a rice grain have to do with infertility? The proteins that give plants their shape and structure are also involved in human disease. A team led ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Electric field tunes vibrations to ease heat transfer

New research from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in collaboration with The Ohio State University and Amphenol Corporation, challenges conventional understanding about controlling heat flow in solid ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Making mini-lightning in a block of plastic

Lightning formation and the conditions triggering it have long been shrouded in a cloud of mystery, but new research led by Penn State scientists is lifting the fog. Using mathematical calculations, the researchers have discovered ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Multifractal patterns across deep time: What measurement density reveals about Earth's history

Much of our understanding of Earth's past is derived from stratigraphic records exposed in rock outcrops or recovered from drilled cores. These records span immense time intervals, from thousands to billions of years, and ...

Mar 5, 2026
Dialog / Amazon fish contaminated with toxic metals threaten riverine communities' health

For riverside communities along the Amazon, fish is not a menu choice—it is a lifeline. Millions of people in the Brazilian Amazon depend on fish as their primary source of protein, consuming it daily in quantities far ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / AI-designed diffractive optical processors pave the way for low-power structural health monitoring

A team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has introduced a novel framework for monitoring structural vibrations using diffractive optical processors. This new technology uses artificial intelligence ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Shrinking the carbon footprint of chemical manufacturing with lasers and solar radiation

Researchers have found a way to use solar energy to power a key chemical reaction that drives many manufacturing industries. This new method can significantly reduce the energy required to run these operations, eliminate ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / 3D imagery helps bring world's ant diversity to life

For more than a decade, Evan Economo's lab has been using micro-CT machines to scan insect specimens. The resulting X-ray images help researchers study the form and structure of insects—a subfield of entomology known as ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Protecting wildlife from genetic collapse with newly identified 'early warning signals'

A new study reveals that habitat fragmentation can lead to sudden "tipping points" where a species' genetic health unexpectedly collapses after appearing stable for long periods. By merging network theory with population ...

Mar 5, 2026