Phys.org news
Phys.org / Open database tracks Earth's water cycle by standardizing decades of satellite data
All water comes from somewhere. Researchers who want to know where it comes from rely on water isotopes, variants of water molecules with slightly different masses, as location identifiers. In particular, the specific ratio ...
Phys.org / The way Earth's 'thermostat' works may have changed during Pangea era
Life arose on Earth at least 3.5 billion years ago, and our planet has remained habitable ever since—not too hot, not too cold. These life-sustaining conditions are possible in part thanks to a built-in, carbon cycle–based ...
Phys.org / Paleontologists reveal the hidden role of eye pigments in vertebrate evolution
Paleontologists at University College Cork have discovered that the evolution of fish is linked to the shape, location and abundance of tiny melanin-rich granules called melanosomes. These features survive in 300-million-year-old ...
Phys.org / Perseverance offers clues to protect crews from ultrafine Mars dust
Over 1,645 Martian days, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover measured the fine and ultrafine Martian dust particles found clinging to samples of spacesuit materials that are carried aboard the rover, including particles small ...
Phys.org / Greenhouse gas levels hit new record highs in 2025: UN
Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere rose to new record highs in 2025, locking in climate impacts that will persist for centuries to come, the United Nations said Tuesday.
Phys.org / Quantum gates set speed record at 6.8 nanoseconds with over 99.98% accuracy
Researchers from Jülich, Aachen and Cologne have performed a quantum operation on a qubit in just 6.8 nanoseconds—with more than 99.98% accuracy. Such operations typically take several tens of nanoseconds in superconducting ...
Phys.org / Computational model extends the study of nanostructures beyond classic layered systems
Since the production of graphene in 2004, two-dimensional materials have been sparking scientific and technological interest. As they are only a few atomic layers thick, or even just a single atomic layer, they can exhibit ...
Phys.org / SPINE: A machine-learning program is on the trail of ghost particles
Neutrinos are among the most abundant particles in the universe, but they are also among the most elusive. Nearly massless, they are produced by nuclear reactions in the sun, exploding stars, particle accelerators and even ...
Phys.org / Autonomous rendezvous system overcomes simulated spacecraft failures in lab tests
There is a problem in low Earth orbit, and it's growing. According to the European Space Agency, there are about 19,440 satellites on orbit, 3,540 of which are nonfunctioning and/or not emitting a signal to warn other spacecraft ...
Phys.org / Ancient fault suggests earthquake heating may amplify tsunami-triggering slip
In 2011, a huge earthquake struck eastern Japan. The magnitude 9.1 earthquake caused shaking at its epicenter for almost six minutes. However, its effects didn't end there, as the movement of the plates displaced the seafloor ...
Phys.org / Light-controlled brake makes random molecular motion 300,000 times slower
Molecules are never still. Driven by thermal energy, they are constantly moving through space, while their individual parts also rotate relative to one another. Scientists at IOCB Prague have now shown that random motion ...
Phys.org / Identical vesicles, different behaviors: Model reveals how spontaneous asymmetry gives rise to lifelike behavior
In nonreciprocal active matter, agents act differently on each other, seemingly in violation of Newton's third law. This principle can result in various active matter traits, such as self-propulsion, molecular regulation ...
