Phys.org news

Phys.org / El Niño arrives and could rank among strongest events since 1950

The phenomenon El Niño has arrived, the U.S. weather agency said Thursday, and scientists expect the pattern, synonymous with droughts, floods and soaring temperatures, will intensify through the end of the year, potentially ...

Jun 13, 2026
Phys.org / Harmonic radar tags reveal how mosquitoes move through fields and parkland

It's an insect everybody loves to hate. Pesky mosquitoes will be out in swarms as the weather warms up across the U.S.—and their bites aren't just itchy. They can transmit pathogens that can cause diseases like West Nile ...

Jun 13, 2026
Phys.org / Saturday Citations: JAXA collaboration with toy company TOMY; a new brain-computer interface; IBD solved

This week's notable citations: Astronomers believe collapsing stars could spawn mini universes. Chimpanzees do not like unfairness. And a single dose of psilocybin temporarily restored function in an 80-year-old with Alzheimer's ...

Jun 13, 2026
Phys.org / Engineering enzymes with potential against ALS and Parkinson's disease

In an advance that could one day lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, Meredith Jackrel, an associate professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and her team have developed ...

Jun 13, 2026
Phys.org / AI sorts cell droplets into four shapes, uncovering drug effects in human cells

Researchers at Princeton University have harnessed AI to understand how drugs affect the dynamics of vital structures within the cell, introducing a tool that can map the shape of these structures to functional outcomes and ...

Jun 13, 2026
Phys.org / Why birds ignore Newton: New theory could sharpen models of flocks, crowds and cells

Birds in flocks, bacteria and cells: In many collective systems, individual elements respond to only part of their surroundings, seemingly defying Newton's third law of motion—action equals reaction. These exceptions are ...

Jun 12, 2026
Phys.org / Solar geoengineering could shield up to 75% of oceans from heat waves

Most people have experienced a heat wave on land. But heat waves can strike in the ocean too. And as the planet continues to warm, marine heat waves are growing longer and deadlier, hurting the seafood supply that billions ...

Jun 12, 2026
Phys.org / Nuclear clocks tick for the first time

Two independent research teams have achieved a longstanding goal in physics: building a working nuclear clock. The devices, developed by Beichen Huang and colleagues at Tsinghua University and by Luca Toscani De Col and colleagues ...

Jun 12, 2026
Phys.org / A cornerstone of Milky Way history may need rewriting with evidence of multiple ancient mergers

Astronomers may have uncovered new details about one of the Milky Way's most important ancient collisions. Using data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and a new clustering algorithm, researchers have found ...

Jun 12, 2026
Phys.org / Venus flytrap's snap may come from rapid cell wall softening, not water flow

The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a marvel of nature, a highly effective killer that doesn't have to move an inch to capture and kill its prey. It releases a fruity nectar scent to attract flies and other insects. ...

Jun 12, 2026
Phys.org / Engineering quantum Hall stripes in 2D materials inside electromagnetic cavities

Quantum materials, materials with properties that are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, have proved to be highly promising for the development of ultra-efficient electronic devices, quantum processors, highly precise ...

Jun 12, 2026
Phys.org / Slime molds make decisions using internal fluid flows

Despite lacking brains or nervous systems, slime molds are capable of making surprisingly sophisticated decisions: navigating mazes, finding food and even remembering where they found it last time. How they manage to do all ...

Jun 12, 2026