Phys.org news

Phys.org / 'Tis the season: Sharing resources sustains ocean microbial biodiversity

Oceanographers from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa discovered that microbial communities—from the sunlit surface to extreme depths—in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre exhibit robust seasonal cycles. The study provides ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Atlantic current shows two-decade decline across four deep-ocean monitoring sites

A paper published in the journal Science Advances is adding to the growing body of research showing that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is weakening. In this new study, instead of relying mainly on ...

Apr 19, 2026
Phys.org / These blazing blue explosions may be born when a compact dead star slams into a Wolf-Rayet star

Luminous fast blue optical transients (LFBOTs) are among the universe's brightest and fastest explosions but their origin is not completely understood. A new study takes a closer look at the galaxies they occur in, offering ...

Apr 19, 2026
Phys.org / Hollow-sphere catalyst enables greener production of 99% pure propene at room temperature

The world's appetite for propene (propylene) is growing faster than the chemical industry can keep up. This petrochemical product powers the production of acrylonitrile, propylene oxide, high-velocity fuels, and, most importantly, ...

Apr 19, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum model explains how single electrons cause damage inside silicon chips

Researchers in the UC Santa Barbara Materials Department have uncovered the elusive quantum mechanism by which energetic electrons break chemical bonds inside microelectronic devices—a detrimental process that slowly degrades ...

Apr 19, 2026
Phys.org / Sulfur-rich Mercury magmas behave differently than Earth's do

Mercury is a small, rocky planet about which researchers know relatively little. Two missions, taking readings as they passed over the planet, have revealed that Mercury is covered by an iron-poor and sulfur-rich crust. It ...

Apr 19, 2026
Phys.org / This protein-engineering breakthrough generates over 10M data points and turbocharges AI in just three days

Protein engineering is a field primed for artificial intelligence research. Each protein is made up of amino acids; to optimize a protein function, researchers modify proteins by switching out one of 20 different amino acids ...

Apr 19, 2026
Phys.org / Theoretical models of supernova chemistry overhauled after X-ray data from Perseus Cluster reveal key discrepancies

The Perseus Cluster is a massive galaxy cluster located in the constellation Perseus. It is one of the largest structures in the observable universe, comprising more than a thousand galaxies—equivalent to roughly a thousand ...

Apr 19, 2026
Phys.org / A light-controlled 'muscle' could give synthetic cells a new way to move

Engineers interested in creating artificial cells to deliver drugs to unhealthy parts of the body face a key challenge: for a cell-like system to move, change shape, or divide, it needs a way to generate force on command.

Apr 19, 2026
Phys.org / There's a range of magic angles to study superconductivity in a twisted 2D semiconductor

Last year, tungsten diselenide (WSe2) had its magic moment. Two independent research groups discovered "magic angles" at which two atom-thin layers of the unique semiconductor, when twisted relative to one another into what's ...

Apr 19, 2026
Phys.org / Wafer-scale 2D magnetic films emerge thanks to a new low-defect growth technique

In a major advance, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have devised a method to grow high-quality 2D magnetic materials (2D-MMs) over centimeter-scale wafers. Earlier approaches in the field were limited ...

Apr 19, 2026
Phys.org / Blue Origin reuses New Glenn booster for the first time in Florida launch

Blue Origin, the U.S. space company of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, on Sunday successfully reused and recovered a booster for its New Glenn rocket, confirming its mastery of a technical feat that could boost its launch cadence ...

Apr 19, 2026