Phys.org news

Phys.org / New global standard set for testing graphene's single-atom thickness

Graphene could transform everything from electric cars to smartphones, but only if we can guarantee its quality. The University of Manchester has led the world's largest study to set a new global benchmark for testing graphene's ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Cyanobacteria can utilize toxic guanidine as a nitrogen source

Guanidine is an organic compound primarily used as a denaturing reagent to disrupt the structures of proteins and nucleic acids. Together with partner institutions, scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Phages and bacteria accumulate distinctive mutations aboard the International Space Station

In a new study, terrestrial bacteria-infecting viruses were still able to infect their E. coli hosts in near-weightless "microgravity" conditions aboard the International Space Station, but the dynamics of virus-bacteria ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Massive supernova from Wolf-Rayet star could be precursor to black hole binary

What we know of the birth of a black hole has traditionally aligned with our perception of black holes themselves: dark, mysterious, and eerily quiet, despite their mass and influence. Stellar-mass black holes are born from ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Quantum-dot device can generate multiple frequency-entangled photons

Researchers have designed a new device that can efficiently create multiple frequency-entangled photons, a feat that cannot be achieved with today's optical devices. The new approach could open a path to more powerful quantum ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Organisms in the Atacama Desert soil are remarkably diverse, study shows

A new study shows that resilient and remarkably diverse populations of organisms can persist in the soil despite harsh and extremely dry conditions. An international team led by researchers from the University of Cologne, ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How the Tibetan Plateau-Himalayan uplift shaped Asian summer monsoons

Research from Monash University reveals the climate history behind Asia's summer monsoon—Earth's most influential climate system. In a new study published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, an international team of ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Board games boost young kids' math skills, research review shows

Playing linear number board games, those where players move pieces along a straight numbered path, can significantly strengthen young children's math skills, according to a new report by the HEDCO Institute for Evidence-Based ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / New tool lets anyone audit a country's methane claims

For years, countries have told the United Nations how much methane they emit using a kind of bottom-up bookkeeping: Count the cows and oil barrels, estimate the volume of trash, and multiply by standard emission factors.

Jan 13, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Magnetic fields slow carbon migration in iron by altering energy barriers, study shows

Professor Dallas Trinkle and colleagues have provided the first quantitative explanation for how magnetic fields slow carbon atom movement through iron, a phenomenon first observed in the 1970s but never fully understood. ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Impact of darkwaves on marine ecosystems revealed

An international team of scientists has developed ways to measure and compare the impact of "darkwaves"—when extreme weather events or human activities reduce underwater light for extended periods, affecting the stability ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Uncovering a hidden mechanism in Met receptor activation

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, in collaboration with Osaka University and the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, have uncovered a previously unknown ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Nanotechnology