Phys.org news

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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / Structural color can now be printed with an inkjet printer

While traditional printer pigments fade and most structural color can't be printed, Kobe University material engineer Sugimoto Hiroshi has been working on nothing short of a revolution in the way color is produced.

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
Phys.org / Body size, lifespan and mobility can help predict which species are most threatened as planet changes

How can we predict species' responses to always-arising changes in our world? A long-term ecological study from Yokohama National University researchers suggests the answer may lie in a few small simple biological traits. ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Longer wildfire seasons pose an increasing threat for species under climate change

Wildfires are becoming more frequent and are ravaging new parts of the world due to global warming. A study led by researchers from the University of Gothenburg shows that this change is increasing the vulnerability of thousands ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / 'Switch' behind flash drought in Puerto Rico uncovered

In Puerto Rico, drought doesn't always arrive slowly. Sometimes, it appears in days. That speed can leave producers scrambling, reservoirs dropping, and communities facing water restrictions before they can react. In a place ...

Apr 6, 2026