Phys.org news

Phys.org / Why some earthquakes caused by fracking come with warning signs

Fracking, the injection of high-pressure fluid to fracture rock and release oil or gas, can trigger earthquakes. While some sites generate small tremors beforehand that may provide an early warning, others produce few or ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Light reveals internal motion in electron crystals and can trigger their melting

Electrons, particles that carry a negative electric charge, typically move through materials. At low densities and temperatures, however, the electrical repulsion between them can overpower their tendency to move, prompting ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Bumblebees may self-medicate when exposed to fungal infections

There is an old saying that nature is the best medicine, and it turns out bumblebees might agree. A new study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science suggests that buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) may ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Diamond clock combines two signals to cut temperature-driven drift

Despite all the advertisements for engagement rings and necklace gifts, natural diamonds are imperfect. Their carbon atoms are arranged in a cubic lattice, but they nonetheless contain several types of crystallographic defects ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Low temperature graphene growth opens a route to sustainable resource recycling

Graphene is an exceptionally useful material for creating batteries, catalysts and electronic devices. Yet producing graphene typically requires temperatures as high as 900°C (1,652°F), limiting energy efficiency and making ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists capture first molecular-level images of water reorganization during a reaction crucial for life

Some of nature's most important chemical reactions rely on the coupled movement of negatively and positively charged particles. These processes play central roles in photosynthesis, catalysis and biological energy conversion ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Eagles known as hunting specialists reveal an unexpected taste for goat

Eagles are symbols of hunting prowess. Known as top predators wherever they live, they are often assumed to kill as their primary mode of obtaining food. However, a new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research reports ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Joro spiders eat wider range of insects than Georgia's native orb weavers

When Joro spiders first arrived stateside more than a decade ago, scientists worried the massive black-and-yellow spiders would gorge themselves on the same bugs as native spiders (or even the native spiders themselves). ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Inspired by nature, scientists engineer tiny 'nitrogen factories' that could help future cereal crops

As fertilizer prices remain elevated, researchers at South Dakota State University are developing an innovative solution to corn's nitrogen supply problems by taking inspiration from an ancient Mexican variety and root nodules ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Nano-antennas make living cells light up brighter and faster

Researchers at Delft University of Technology have demonstrated for the first time that nano-antennas can enhance the fluorescence of proteins in living human and other mammalian cells. Scientists already use smart fluorescent ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Self-blinking 'fairy lights' allow DNA to be imaged at almost double-helix-width resolution

Researchers have developed fluorescent molecules that permit imaging of how DNA is packaged inside living cells at unprecedented resolution and, in preserved cells, at a resolution close to the width of the double helix itself.

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Motorboat noise stunts growth and impairs predator escape in reef fish, study shows

Coral reef fish that are exposed to motorboat noise grow up smaller and less able to dodge predators, new research shows. Scientists played either boat noise or natural reef sounds to a species from the Great Barrier Reef ...

Aug 28, 2026