Phys.org news

Phys.org / Bilayer antiferromagnet reveals photocurrent that flips with magnetic state

In recent years, atomically thin materials—crystals only a few atoms thick—have attracted growing attention because they can exhibit physical properties that do not appear in conventional bulk materials. Among them, atomically ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Mapping how 'Big AI' influences AI laws and oversight

Artificial intelligence (AI) companies influence policy and regulation using similar techniques to Big Tobacco, Big Pharma and Big Oil, according to a new study.

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Professional chess analysis reveals faster decisions correlate with higher quality moves

In chess, faster decisions are on average of higher quality. This is the conclusion of a study that has just been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The team of researchers, which, in ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / A smelly dog breath breakthrough: Plant-based spray tackles odor and harmful oral microbes

Pet owners love their dogs but may not always love the smell of their breath. Because this bad odor can signal oral disease, veterinary clinics will prescribe daily toothbrushing, antibiotics, or chemical rinses as treatment. ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Worker bumble bees help determine which baby bee will become queen

Every bumble bee colony has a queen, but a new study led by researchers at Penn State suggests the process of determining which baby bee reigns supreme may be less monarchal than the royal title suggests. The study, published ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / MatterChat model helps AI to 'see' the language of atom-scale physics to sharpen materials predictions

From writing emails to generating computer code, much of the artificial intelligence prevalent in our daily lives has succeeded by mastering one domain: text. However, this leaves a major blind spot in the physical sciences, ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Elongated canopy gaps may best support the natural regeneration of oak forest

As climate change intensifies, one of the key challenges facing forestry is how to balance efficient timber production with the preservation of forests' climate-regulating functions, biodiversity, and resilience. The growing ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / New economics study finds that ICE activity has upended the US childcare workforce

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations come to town, it can create a landscape of fear, chilling commerce and school attendance, and now, new research shows that it affects childcare workers.

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Overfishing hits 11 of 12 Bahamian seafood staples, 73 years of catch data show

Most of the Bahamas' signature seafood stocks are being fished harder than the sea can replace them, according to a new paper led by Sea Around Us researchers and published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / New evidence reveals a millennium-old dingo was ritually buried, and cared for, in Australia

A millennium-old dingo deliberately buried by Barkindji ancestors along the Baaka, or Darling River, is offering rare insight into the depth of relationships between First Nations people and dingoes in western New South Wales, ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Dark lunar craters could host ultrastable lasers for moon navigation

They rank among the darkest and coldest places in the solar system: Hundreds of lunar craters, many of them at the moon's south pole, never receive direct sunlight and lie in permanent shadow. That's exactly why physicist ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Microneedle patch vaccine could solving one of farming's most stubborn problems

Sticking needles into arms—or rather, haunches—is often the hardest part of distributing an effective agricultural vaccine. Now, University of Connecticut researchers show in the April 15 issue of Advanced Healthcare Materials ...

May 18, 2026