Phys.org news

Phys.org / 5th-century Belgian burial with 'scrap metal' may reveal missing link between Roman and Merovingian monetary systems

A study published in the journal Britannia analyzed coins and metal items found in an early 5th-century AD burial in Oudenburg, Belgium. The burial occurred around the same time that base metal coins ceased arriving in northwestern ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / A leading journal finds that AI is flooding academic publishing with lower quality work

Artificial intelligence can undoubtedly help scientists with their academic papers by summarizing research and helping to improve writing. However, one downside is that it has led to a wave of poorly written submissions and ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Physicists achieve first-ever 'quadsqueezing' quantum interaction

Researchers at the University of Oxford have demonstrated a new type of quantum interaction using a single trapped ion. By creating and controlling increasingly complex forms of "squeezing" – including a fourth-order effect ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Explosive evaporation unlocks new possibilities in 3D printing and chemical analysis

Water droplets might seem simple at first. But when nearing evaporation, a desperate power struggle of competing physical forces can emerge, with explosive effects. In a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences publication, ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / A better way to search for extraterrestrial intelligence

When you're looking for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, it helps to know what you're looking for and to go about it in the most efficient way. But work so far has generally not done so, writes Benjamin Zuckerman, ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / How oak trees outwit their predators

Spring in the forest: Many insects, particularly caterpillars, hatch just when the trees' nutrient-rich leaves are still young and soft. This means they find a table laden with food and can start eating straight away. If ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Widespread genetic exchange in disease-causing parasites revealed

Mississippi State University biologist Matthew W. Brown is part of an international research team whose latest findings, published this spring in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are reshaping scientific ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Bigger, faster, but still outfoxed: How prey escape predators

Predators are typically larger, faster, and more powerful than the animals they hunt. Yet in nature, most attacks fail. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, by researchers from the ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / The way a cell fails to divide after copying its DNA can determine its fate

Cell division is one of the most fundamental and complex processes underpinning life. In human cells, thousands of molecules coordinate with one another in highly precise steps, all within a fraction of a second. But things ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / How photosynthetic bacteria pass light along: Two major energy pathways identified

RIKEN researchers have found out how light energy harvested by pigments besides chlorophyll is transferred to the molecular site where photosynthesis occurs in cyanobacteria. The work is published in the journal Plant and ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Mechanochemistry simplifies synthesis of challenging conductive organic molecules

Mechanochemistry is a growing field for chemical reactions that proceed in the solid state in the absence, or with minuscule amounts, of solvent added. For decades, solvents have been considered conventional for the progression ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Slower access, faster chemistry: Nanoreactor design improves catalysis by balancing molecular flow

A new study by a team at Tohoku University, published in Chemical Engineering Journal, has shown that more isn't always better when it comes to nanoscale chemical reactions. One might think that giving reactants completely ...

May 1, 2026