Phys.org news
Phys.org / Training microbes to prepare soils for the impacts of climate change
Scientists at the University of Lincoln have discovered a promising new way to help protect crops from one of climate change's growing threats to global food production—increasing soil salinity.
Phys.org / How an iceberg may have stopped emperor penguins from breeding on Coulman Island in 2025
The number of chicks in the Coulman Island emperor penguin colony decreased by about 69% in 2025 compared with 2024, according to research published in Communications Earth & Environment. The authors suggest that a large ...
Phys.org / Striped or checkered? Magnetic field influences competing electronic patterns in a graphene-like quantum material
In most everyday materials, such as copper, silver and silicon, the behavior of electrons is relatively predictable. In quantum materials, however, electrons can interact in complex ways, giving rise to collective electronic ...
Phys.org / Colorado basins supplying 70% of Lake Powell's water face major midcentury shortages
If the Colorado River Basin is the lifeblood of the American Southwest, keeping the region's agricultural, ecological and economic systems thriving, Colorado's West Slope River basins could be considered the heart. Together, ...
Phys.org / Universal structure of exceptional points revealed in nonlinear light‑based systems
Exceptional points, or EPs for short, are among the phenomena of modern physics. These are special points or locations at which the properties of matter, space or time change. In a new theoretical study, researchers from ...
Phys.org / Spent coffee grounds reveal a route to biodiesel and other bio-based products
Coffee grounds that usually end up being thrown away can have a second life as a raw material for producing biofuels and other high-value-added products. A study by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has evaluated how ...
Phys.org / Shaking atoms to bring black-hole quantum chaos into the lab
Physicists have discovered a surprisingly simple way to reproduce one of the most fascinating models in modern physics—linked to black holes, quantum chaos and exotic electronic materials—using ultracold atoms trapped in ...
Phys.org / Destructive crop caterpillar harbors fungi that can degrade Styrofoam
A moth caterpillar identified by the agribusiness sector as one of the most destructive pests of soybean, cotton and corn crops may harbor fungi and bacteria in its gut that can degrade expanded polystyrene, also known as ...
Phys.org / Earlier toilet training could curb growing diaper waste crisis
Earlier toilet training and new recycling technologies are among expert-backed solutions to reduce the environmental impact of disposable diapers and other hygiene products, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.
Phys.org / Peptide isolated from a Cerrado frog increases strawberry shelf life
Five minutes. That was the amount of time that Oso Grande strawberries remained in contact with the Ctx(Ile21)-Ha peptide—a molecule isolated from a frog native to the Brazilian Cerrado—in experiments conducted in Brazil ...
Phys.org / How insect submariners survive the depths without imploding
Deep-diving insect larvae are challenging a long-held idea about why there are almost no insects in the ocean, thanks to sturdy air sacs. In Lake Malawi in East Africa, billions of lake fly larvae (Chaoborus edulis) make ...
Phys.org / Simple circuit brings topological insulators closer to practical electrical measurement standards
Researchers at the University of Würzburg have succeeded in detecting exceptionally robust electrical transport in a topological insulator. This could lead to new metrological applications. The work is published in the journal ...
