Phys.org news

Phys.org / A microfluidic chip for one-step detection of PFAS and other pollutants

Environmental pollutant analysis typically requires complex sample pretreatment steps such as filtration, separation, and preconcentration. When solid materials such as sand, soil, or food residues are present in water samples, ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Time crystals could become accurate and efficient timekeepers

Time crystals could one day provide a reliable foundation for ultra-precise quantum clocks, new mathematical analysis has revealed. Published in Physical Review Letters, the research was led by Ludmila Viotti at the Abdus ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Could the discovery of a tiny RNA molecule explain the origins of life?

One of the greatest mysteries of our planet is how a soup of lifeless chemicals transformed into the first living cell. There are several competing theories about where this happened, from frozen polar ice to superheated ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Recently discovered SN 2024abfl is a low-luminosity Type IIP supernova, astronomers find

An international team of astronomers has conducted photometric and spectroscopic observations of a recently discovered supernova designated SN 2024abfl. Results of the observational campaign, presented February 4 on the preprint ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Arctic peatlands are expanding as temperatures continue to rise, new research confirms

The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet, with average temperatures increasing by about 4°C in the last four decades. A new study, led by the University of Exeter, shows peatlands have expanded since 1950, ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / How did humans develop sharp vision? Lab-grown retinas show likely answer

Humans develop sharp vision during early fetal development thanks to an interplay between a vitamin A derivative and thyroid hormones in the retina, Johns Hopkins University scientists have found. The findings could upend ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Syntax discovered in the warbling duets of wild parrots

With a few minutes of searching, anyone can find videos online of chatty birds: macaws talk to their keepers, cockatoos sing to the camera, corvids mimic the jarring sounds of construction sites. Research has shown that some ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Most precise map yet of agricultural emissions charts a path to reduce hotspots

To lower agricultural emissions, policymakers and communities first need to pinpoint the sources—not just by country but crop by crop, field by field. In a study published in Nature Climate Change, researchers have synthesized ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Electrically controllable 3D magnetic hopfions realized in chiral magnets

A research team from the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with collaborators from Anhui University, ShanghaiTech University, and the University ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Hologram processing method boosts 3D image depth of focus fivefold

Researchers from the University of Tartu Institute of Physics have developed a novel method for enhancing the quality of three-dimensional images by increasing the depth of focus in holograms fivefold after recording, using ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Shaping carbon fiber with electricity: Wireless voltage pulses drive reversible bending

Controlled manipulation of fibers that are as thin as or even thinner than human hair is a real challenge. Despite technological development, the precise and reversible change of the microfibers' orientation is not easy. ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Fossil evidence reveals how gray wolves adapt diets to climate change

Gray wolves adapt their diets as a result of climate change, eating harder foods such as bones to extract nutrition during warmer climates, new research has found. The study, led by the University of Bristol in collaboration ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Biology