Phys.org news

Phys.org / Shakespeare's 'missing' London house mapped with new discovery

The exact location of William Shakespeare's only London property can now be pinpointed to a quiet Blackfriars street, thanks to the discovery of a previously unknown floorplan. The discovery, made by Shakespeare expert Professor ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / Electrons crack open organic solar cells, exposing their hidden 3D molecular architecture in a single microscope

How do organic solar cells work on the inside? The answer lies in structures far too small to see—and difficult to access even with advanced techniques. So far, researchers have relied mainly on X-ray methods to understand ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / A backyard bug repellent is derailing bumblebees' ability to navigate

In the summer, many people turn to mosquito repellents to reduce the insects' buzzing and bites. One solution that has become increasingly popular in recent years is the Thermacell device, which releases vaporized, pyrethroid-based ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / CRISPR variant selectively targets tumor DNA

Cancer cells excel at evading detection, but subtle chemical differences set them apart from healthy cells. Now, a team of scientists from Wageningen University & Research and Van Andel Institute has identified a way to exploit ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / 'Interstellar glaciers': NASA's SPHEREx maps vast galactic ice regions

NASA's SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) mission has mapped interstellar ice at an unprecedented scale. Covering regions in our Milky Way galaxy more than ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / Dark matter could explain the earliest supermassive black holes

A growing mystery in astronomy is the presence of gargantuan black holes—some weighing as much as a billion suns—existing less than a billion years after the Big Bang. According to the standard theory of black hole formation, ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / Alien life may hide in plain sight: Statistical patterns across exoplanets move beyond traditional biosignatures

A research team has developed a new approach to detecting life beyond Earth that does not rely on identifying specific biological markers. Instead, the study suggests that life may be detectable through patterns emerging ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient charcoal sheds new light on how early humans fueled their lives

Nearly 800,000 years ago, early humans gathered along the shores of a lush lake in what is now northern Israel. Here, they returned again and again, hunting large animals, cooking fish over controlled fires, and organizing ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / Subaru telescope captures comet 3I/ATLAS composition change

The Subaru Telescope observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on January 7, 2026, after it made its closest approach to the sun. By observing colors in the coma around the comet, astronomers could estimate the ratio of carbon ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / 'Safe' fertilizer linked to extreme water quality loss in Canadian Prairies

Research published in Nature Water found that widespread application of the common farm fertilizer, urea, severely degrades water quality in the Canadian Prairies. Researchers at the University of Manitoba and the University ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / Multitasking quantum sensors can measure several properties at once

A special class of sensors leverages quantum properties to measure tiny signals at levels that would be impossible using classical sensors alone. Such quantum sensors are currently being used to study the inner workings of ...

Apr 15, 2026
Phys.org / Dark volcanic ash has visibly reshaped Martian surface since 1976

Noticeable change on Mars often takes millions of years—but the European Space Agency's Mars Express has captured a blanket of dark ash creeping across the planet in just decades.

Apr 15, 2026