Phys.org news

Phys.org / Sacrifice before the cataclysm: The aromas of Pompeii's household altars

The destruction of Pompeii preserved ash residues on the household altars of its inhabitants. An international research team has scientifically investigated for the first time what was burned in Roman incense burners from ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum twisting microscope reveals electron-electron interactions in graphene at room temperature

An international team of researchers built a highly sensitive quantum microscope and used it to directly observe, for the first time at room temperature, how electrons subtly interact with each other in graphene—confirming ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Nanoparticles can genetically modify several human cell types

In a demonstration that could help pave the way for gene therapies with fewer side effects, several human cell types have been genetically modified with protein nanoparticles designed at University of Michigan Engineering ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Cornerstone model of evolutionary biology built on math flaw, study argues

New research is significantly revising a widely cited evolutionary model, the Inhibitory Cascade Mode (ICM). Benjamin Auerbach, professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Next-generation optical sensor can read photon spin across UV-to-infrared wavelengths

A research team led by Professor Jiwoong Yang of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST has developed next-generation optical sensor technology capable of precisely detecting not only the intensity and ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Cyclic catalysts use sunlight and air to regenerate during pharma ingredient synthesis

In chemical processes for producing pharmaceuticals, catalysts are a core technology that determines production speed and cost. However, until now, there has been a trade-off between "precise but disposable catalysts" and ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Tasmanian tiger lives on in Arnhem Land rock art

The striped dog-like marsupial we know as the Tasmanian tiger has long been surrounded by mystery, and the subject of scientific curiosity. Now, newly discovered rock art depicting Tasmanian tigers and Tasmanian devils in ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Stabilized laser components could shrink quantum computers from room- to chip-scale

Scientists in the Riccio College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of California Santa Barbara have demonstrated key laser and ion trap components necessary to help drastically shrink ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum researchers engineer extremely precise phonon lasers

When lasers were invented in the 1960s, they opened new avenues for scientific discovery and everyday applications, from scanners at the grocery store to corrective eye surgery. Conventional lasers control photons—individual ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Graphene 'leaf tattoo' sensor tracks plant hydration in real time

Is your houseplant thirsty? Are crops getting enough water? Is a forest at high risk of wildfire? Leaf health can answer all these questions, and researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed new technology ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Study uncovers internal cell 'trade winds' that drive movement and repair

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University have uncovered a previously unknown system of internal "trade winds" that help cells rapidly move essential proteins to the front of the cell, reshaping how researchers understand ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Animals are powerful landscape engineers shaping the Earth's surface, global study finds

Wild animals are not just inhabitants of the natural world. Many also act as natural landscape engineers, reshaping Earth's surface as they burrow, feed, and build shelters that move soil and sediment across ecosystems. From ...

Mar 30, 2026