Phys.org news

Phys.org / Protein map reveals how red blood cells rapidly adjust to low oxygen

Scientists map the hidden protein network that helps red blood cells adapt to oxygen

Sep 19, 2026
Phys.org / Physicists extend the search for quantum black holes at the LHC

Physicists at UC Santa Barbara have extended the search for evidence of microscopic black holes produced at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The formation of these ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / Greenland's Qaanaaq Ice Cap has lost enough ice to produce a layer of water about 8 meters deep

Each summer, researchers from Hokkaido University returned to the Qaanaaq Ice Cap in northwestern Greenland to measure changes in the ice surface using aluminum poles drilled into the ice. Their 13-year record shows how the ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / Medieval Chinese skeleton may reveal first evidence of a brutal punishment

Ancient Chinese authorities used many creative ways to punish people, often with methods designed to mark them for life. One brutal example mentioned repeatedly in historical texts is cutting off a person's nose. However, ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / Discovery of CRISPR's long lost ancestor may expand gene-editing toolkit

CRISPR may be a powerful technology for gene editing, but the system existed in bacteria long before scientists began using it. For billions of years, CRISPR has acted as a natural immune system in bacteria and other microbes, ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / North Korea's nuclear testing may have triggered hundreds of earthquakes over several years

Between 2006 and 2017, North Korea conducted six underground nuclear tests at its vast testing site at Mount Mantap in North Hamgyong province. Typically, underground explosions trigger an intense burst of minor earthquakes ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / Stacked 2D materials reveal room-temperature multiferroicity and voltage-controlled magnetism

Multiferroics are materials that simultaneously exhibit two or more ferroic orders—stable arrangements of physical properties that can be switched using an external stimulus. These materials could be highly advantageous for ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / New thermal insulator outperforms any material found in nature

Researchers have engineered a new material that is an extreme thermal insulator, is exceptionally stiff and can be printed as a thin film at large scales. The material has one of the lowest thermal conductivity profiles of ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / From the start, the solar system chose fire over ice to build its first bodies

When the solar system first took up the task of building solid bodies—such as planets, moons and protoplanets—it basically had a choice between two ingredients: heat-forged chondrules, which were millimeter-sized bits of ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / To read 2,000-year-old burned scrolls, scientists burn their own

Douglas Seiler painstakingly sourced papyrus and reed pens from Egypt and traditional lampblack ink from Japan, then paid some high school students to inscribe the papyrus with lines from Star Wars and the Bible and a quote ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / 'Plasticorals,' coral rubble fused with plastic, represent a new form of plastic pollution

During routine beach litter surveys on the subtropical island of Okinawa, Japan, researchers came across small, brightly colored specks in the pale coral rubble. Back at the lab, spectroscopic and microscopic analyses revealed ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / Coffee on the nanoscale: Graphene oxide membrane removes half the caffeine while retaining key compounds

The humble coffee filter has the relatively simple job of letting the coffee through and leaving the grounds behind. But researchers from the ARC Center of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation (COE-CSI) are exploring ...

Sep 18, 2026