Phys.org news

Phys.org / Problematic internet users are crabbier, more stressed and more tempted than the rest of us

People described as "problematic" internet users report higher stress, worse mood and greater neglect of other activities than those who surf the web sparingly, according to a study published in PLOS One by Silke M. Müller ...

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / New antimicrobials could help tackle deadly drug-resistant infections

Scientists at Imperial College London and the University of Manchester have developed a promising new way to create safer and more effective treatments for life-threatening fungal infections. The research, published today ...

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / Astronomers find strongest evidence yet that Betelgeuse has a companion

At long last, astronomers have firm evidence that Betelgeuse, one of the most famous stars in the night sky, is not alone. Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), a team led by French researcher ...

Jul 28, 2026
Phys.org / DNA studies uncover a forgotten population at the top of the world

Scientists have uncovered an ancient population previously unknown to science in Ladakh, a high-altitude region in northern India. Their studies revealed individuals with a nearly perfect 50–50 mix of South Asian-related ...

Jul 28, 2026
Phys.org / California drought may have pushed parts of the Sacramento Valley aquifer toward permanent collapse

Around a quarter of the U.S. food supply is grown in California's Central Valley. Most of its crops, like rice, fruit trees and nut trees, are water-intensive and require extensive groundwater pumping during droughts. Over ...

Jul 28, 2026
Phys.org / Evidence of giant rings in Venus's atmosphere uncovered in archived observations

In 2010, scientists waiting to use the William Herschel Telescope in the Canary Islands captured a brief 36 minutes of images of Venus. They were waiting for the sun to set so they could look at distant stars and dust disks ...

Jul 28, 2026
Phys.org / Tabby's star may be orbited by a planetary-mass companion

By analyzing data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and conducting new radial velocity measurements, U.K. and French astronomers have found evidence that the mysterious Tabby's star may be orbited by ...

Jul 28, 2026
Phys.org / Moon's thick crust could amplify elusive gravitational-wave signals

Gravitational waves are tiny ripples in the fabric of spacetime that are produced when massive objects in the cosmos accelerate or collide. By detecting these waves, astrophysicists can study various cosmic events, including ...

Jul 28, 2026
Phys.org / New theory on how six‑tonne Stonehenge rock was transported from Scotland thousands of years ago: On a glacier

Built from stones weighing between 2 and 25 tonnes (2 to 28 tons), the structure of Stonehenge demonstrates a scale of construction hard to imagine before the invention of the wheel. The mystery deepens when you consider ...

Jul 28, 2026
Phys.org / New Ribo-Tweezer tool can pluck individual protein pieces out of a working ribosome

Every human cell has millions of ribosomes that make proteins. For decades, biologists thought of ribosomes as tiny, uniform machines. But now a Stanford Medicine team is showing that ribosomes are much more interesting and ...

Jul 28, 2026
Phys.org / 'Bag of Bones' preserves rare three-tier prehistoric meal in Outback Queensland

An ancient marine 'crime scene' discovered near Richmond captures the world first evidence of a flying reptile being eaten by a sea monster… before that predator became dinner itself.

Jul 28, 2026
Phys.org / New research shows how 'hot electrons' can reshape metals in billionths of a second

Researchers at The University of Manchester have revealed how intense electronic excitation can trigger rapid structural changes in metals—without heating the atomic lattice—offering new insight into ultrafast materials behavior.

Jul 28, 2026