Phys.org news

Phys.org / Magma repeatedly breaks and heals during eruptions, microscopic evidence suggests

Explosive volcanic eruptions can be as destructive as they are difficult to predict, launching pyroclasts—the fragments of magma and rock blasted from a volcano—into the air and surrounding areas. These particles can have ...

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / No cities on the moon—there isn't enough water, scientists say

The discovery of water in dark craters at the moon's poles has sparked a "moon rush" to establish bases there, followed by villages, cities and heavy industry. How sustainable is this rush?

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / New light-emitting nanoparticles can detect subtle chemical differences

A team of researchers from University of Toronto Engineering has created a new type of dye-sensitized nanoparticle that can detect target chemicals at very low concentrations while also distinguishing between molecules with ...

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / Getting photons into shape for reliable quantum communication

The vast majority of modern quantum technologies—from quantum cryptography to the quantum internet to the quantum computer—rely on one essential element: the transmission of photons. Two qubits (two atoms, for example) exchange ...

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / Lebanon: 400,000 years of climate and landscape history rediscovered

An international research team led by Dr. Gabriele Russo of the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen has re-examined historical fossil collections from Lebanon using modern ...

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / Room-temperature skyrmion-based synapses could pave the way for energy-efficient AI

Artificial intelligence is transforming how information is generated, processed and stored, but its rapid expansion is also driving unprecedented demand for computing power and electricity. Developing hardware that can process ...

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / Active black holes reveal star-forming rings and shock waves in nine nearby galaxies

A new study of nine nearby galaxies has shown that actively growing supermassive black holes may contribute to, rather than prevent, star formation in their host galaxies.

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / Physicists zoom into the birth of cosmic rainstorms with new CERN study

Every second, particles zip through your body at nearly the speed of light. They rain down from a storm high in the sky, where cosmic rays, a powerful type of interstellar matter, constantly strike atoms in Earth's atmosphere. ...

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / Snail shells are surprising weather time capsules

Snails carry weather records on their backs that could be used to map prehistoric cyclones, a University of Queensland study has shown. The project led by School of the Environment researchers examined the rings on the shell ...

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / How the 2024 solar superstorm drained Earth's radiation belt

In May 2024, Earth experienced its most intense geomagnetic storm since the Halloween storms of 2003. This "superstorm" filled night skies in many parts of the world with colorful aurorae, and it disrupted some infrastructure, ...

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / AI models enable cross-species mapping of cell biology

Researchers at Stanford Medicine have developed two new artificial intelligence models of the biological cell. The first, called universal cell embedding, paved the way for a second-generation model called TranscriptFormer, ...

Sep 14, 2026
Phys.org / Unused natural gas behind NYC's $300 million waste of a potent greenhouse gas

Methane emissions from the New York City metropolitan area are largely driven by natural gas use, according to a new study published today in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics by researchers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, ...

Sep 14, 2026