Phys.org news

Phys.org / The universe may be lopsided, new research suggests

The shape of the universe is not something we often think about. My colleagues and I have published a new study that suggests it could be asymmetric or lopsided, meaning not the same in every direction.

Dec 23, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / How the global fish trade is spreading 'forever chemicals' around the world

Eating fish may well be good for you, but it carries a hidden risk of exposure to so-called "forever chemicals." A new study published in the journal Science has revealed that the global seafood trade is acting as a massive ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Raindrops form 'sandballs' as they roll downhill, contributing more to erosion than previously thought

What happens as a raindrop impacts bare soil has been fairly well-studied, but what happens to raindrops afterward is poorly understood. We know that the initial splash of raindrops on soil contributes to erosion, but a new ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Converting CO₂ into valuable chemicals in acidic environments: Iodide ions unlock efficient ethylene production

The emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is one of the primary factors contributing to air pollution and climate change on Earth. In recent years, energy engineers have thus been trying to develop systems that could reduce ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / We discovered an ancient 'party boat' in the waters of Alexandria. Here's what might have happened on board

Beneath the shifting waters of Alexandria's eastern harbor, on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, lie the drowned remnants of a once-splendid city—ports, palaces and temples swallowed by the sea. Submerged by earthquakes and ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Ultrafast fluorescence pulse technique enables imaging of individual trapped atoms

Researchers at the ArQuS Laboratory of the University of Trieste (Italy) and the National Institute of Optics of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-INO) have achieved the first imaging of individual trapped cold atoms ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Arctic sea ice melt slowdown since 2012 linked to atmospheric pattern shift

A research team led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) scholars has discovered a significant slowdown in Arctic sea ice melting since 2012, with a decrease rate of 11.3% per decade to an insignificant ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Hagfish olfactory genes hint at ancient origins of vertebrate sense of smell

Researchers at University of Tsukuba and their collaborators have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the olfactory receptor repertoire of the hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri), a jawless vertebrate. This organism retains many ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Journey to the center of a quantized vortex: How microscopic mutual friction governs superfluid dissipation

Step inside the strange world of a superfluid, a liquid that can flow endlessly without friction, defying the common-sense rules we experience every day, where water pours, syrup sticks and coffee swirls and slows under the ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / New species are being discovered faster than ever before, study suggests

About 300 years ago, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus set out on a bold quest: to identify and name every living organism on Earth. Now celebrated as the father of modern taxonomy, he developed the binomial naming system ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Hunting pressure drives female turkeys to produce more daughters, study suggests

Female turkeys could be running the roost for years to come. New research from the University of Georgia published in the Journal of Avian Biology found that the gender of turkey offspring may depend on whether the birds ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / A molecular switch for green hydrogen: Catalyst changes function based on how it's assembled

Hydrogen production through water electrolysis is a cornerstone of the clean energy transition, but it relies on efficient and stable catalysts that work under acidic conditions—currently dominated by precious metals like ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Chemistry