Phys.org news

Phys.org / How climate change may amplify the impact of earthquakes in the Arctic

Permafrost refers to permanently frozen ground. The rock is held together by ice, much like cement binds concrete. However, when the ice thaws, the ground becomes weak and unstable. During an earthquake, this can trigger ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Slender crystal's blue-to-yellow glow could make invisible forces visible

Applying pressure to luminescent organic crystals usually brings molecules closer together and weakens their fluorescence. Materials that instead brighten and undergo a large color change are rare, and clear design principles ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Why 'you're smart' can backfire: Young children may cheat more after ability praise

Parents and teachers might think telling kids "they're smart" is a helpful way to build self-confidence and support positive development.

6 hours ago
Phys.org / Neutrophil vesicles help Candida albicans evade immune-cell engulfment

The immune system is a highly sophisticated defense network designed to protect against pathogens. A research team from the Universities of Würzburg and Jena and the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Reversible electric control unlocks persistent chiral phonon states

Atoms in a material are rarely still. They jiggle back and forth in collective lattice vibrations known as phonons. Their motion can also carry a rotational element: In 2023, scientists at PSI experimentally proved the existence ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Excavations at Prado Vargas now span 140 square meters of a Neanderthal layer

The 2026 field season at Prado Vargas Cave, located in the village of Cornejo in the northern province of Burgos, Spain, within the Ojo Guareña karst complex, has expanded the excavation of Neanderthal sublevel 4D by 32 square ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Can atmospheric methane removal limit peak warming?

In a new report, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) concludes that global warming is expected to exceed 1.5°C within the next few years. This makes two questions increasingly important: how high will temperatures ...

8 hours ago
Dialog / Park rangers and residents speak up to save Togo's last national park

A few years ago, I drove with an old friend from Togo, West Africa, towards the country's last remaining large protected area, Fazao-Malfakassa National Park. Our destination was the Hotel Fazao, where his uncle had once ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Ancient charcoal reveals evidence of wildfires near the South Pole

A journey back in time to the Late Cretaceous: A swampy rainforest with conifers and tree ferns stretches as far as the eye can see, dinosaurs roam through the misty wetlands, and the climate is mild and warm. The average ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / How 'hyperselection' is making modern life efficient, pleasant—and boring

It's difficult to imagine a song like Queen's 1975 "Bohemian Rhapsody" topping the charts today. Almost six minutes long, it moves through several radically different musical sections and famously ignores the conventional ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Dark plasma regions reveal overlooked source of reactive atomic oxygen

Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have found a way to make plasma more effective for its wide-ranging uses, from antimicrobial applications to surface conditioning in the semiconductor industry. They mapped the ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / AI governance model inspired by Pope Leo XIV aims to put ethics first

Researchers at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) and the University of Eastern Finland have developed a new model of artificial intelligence governance inspired by the teachings of Pope Leo XIV as set out ...

4 hours ago