Phys.org news

Phys.org / Dinosaurs may have originated 10 million years earlier than fossils show

Dinosaurs are among the most majestic and iconic animals to have ever walked on our planet. While they are now extinct, they are estimated to have inhabited Earth for over 165 million years.

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 / AI tackles one of math's most brutal problems: Inverse PDEs

Penn Engineers have developed a new way to use AI to solve inverse partial differential equations (PDEs), a particularly challenging class of mathematical problems with broad implications for understanding the natural world.

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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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