Phys.org news

Phys.org / Beachy Head Woman's origin story: DNA analysis reveals she was local to southern Britain

The identity of a Roman-era individual found in southern England has finally been resolved after scientists at the Natural History Museum were able to sequence high quality DNA from her skeletal remains.

Dec 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Ancient hunter-gatherer DNA may explain why some people live to 100 years or more

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors have given us many things. They passed down mastery of fire for cooking and early survival technologies, such as stone tools. They may also have given us the secret to a long life. A new study ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Physicists push superconducting diodes to high temperatures

For the first time, researchers in China have demonstrated a high-temperature superconducting diode effect, which allows a supercurrent to flow in both directions. Published in Nature Physics, the team's result could help ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / AI learns to build simple equations for complex systems

A research team at Duke University has developed a new AI framework that can uncover simple, understandable rules that govern some of the most complex dynamics found in nature and technology.

Dec 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Saturn's rings extend further above and below the ring plane, forming a 'halo'

The Cassini probe took its final orbits, referred to as the Grand Finale Orbits (GFOs), in 2017, before launching itself into Saturn's atmosphere. During these GFOs, the probe collected samples of dust above and below Saturn's ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Subtle twist in materials prompts surprising electromagnetic behavior

Materials react differently to electric and magnetic fields, and these reactions are known as electromagnetic responses. In many solid materials, unusual electromagnetic responses have been known to only emerge when specific ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / How a new diet of penguins is changing puma behavior and social lives in Patagonia

Penguins in the coastal steppes of Argentina have a new enemy to worry about: the increasing numbers of pumas in Monte León National Park (MLNP). These powerful mountain cats were once on the brink of disappearing from this ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Active thermal metasurfaces amplify heat signatures by a factor of nine

Light undergoes a unique phenomenon called superscattering, an optical illusion where a very small object scatters far more light than expected. This happens when multiple scattering modes overlap and interact, allowing tiny ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Sourdough starters: How flour choice shapes microbial communities

Sourdough starter, a fermented mix of flour and water, is a staple for bakers. It's also a rich experimental testing ground for microbiologists. The bread's chewy texture and tangy taste arise from the mix of microbes that ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Conventional entanglement can have thousands of hidden topologies in high dimensions

Researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, in collaboration with Huzhou University, discovered that the entanglement workhorse of most quantum optics laboratories can have hidden topologies, reporting ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Overlooked hydrogen emissions are heating Earth and supercharging methane, research finds

Rising global emissions of hydrogen over the past three decades have added to the planet's warming temperatures and amplified the impact of methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases, according to new research published ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / The perfect polymer? Plant-based plastic is fully saltwater degradable and leaves behind zero microplastics

Researchers led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) in Japan have one-upped themselves in their quest to solve our microplastic problem.

Dec 17, 2025 in Chemistry