Phys.org news

Phys.org / Quantum mechanics theory may work without imaginary numbers, new analysis suggests

Physicists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have examined a fundamental property of quantum mechanics in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). In an article published in the journal Physical ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Engineered bacterial spores reveal new protein targets for enzymes and vaccines

A remarkable quality of bioengineering is that scientists can take biological processes honed by millions of years of evolution and use them to efficiently create drugs, chemicals and other products to improve our lives. ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Well-known planetary nebula's ear-like lobes rewrite its evolutionary timeline

Using the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) and the Manchester Echelle Spectrograph (MES), astronomers from Turkey and Mexico have investigated a planetary nebula discovered two centuries ago, known as NGC 6563. Results ...

Jun 21, 2026
Phys.org / Human sacrifice in Inca Empire may have been driven by political motives, not religion

Three decades ago, researchers working atop the Llullaillaco volcano, located on the border between Argentina and Chile, discovered exceptionally well-preserved remains. The find included the mummified bodies of three children ...

Jun 21, 2026
Phys.org / Nanoscale CoAl design delivers 6 GPa strength with 15% plastic strain at room temperature

Materials engineers have developed the ability to manipulate structure and matter at the nanoscale for solid-state alloys called intermetallics, making it possible to alter their properties for improved performance.

Jun 21, 2026
Phys.org / Modular nanorobot self-assembles, targets cancer cells and cuts viability

A team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has developed a versatile nanorobot with propulsion and payload modules. The two reusable modules autonomously self-assemble and could be used in medicine or industry.

Jun 21, 2026
Phys.org / Stress gives bees sharper vision and faster reactions, researchers discover

Bumblebees see the world differently under stress, processing visual information more sharply and making quicker decisions, new research from Newcastle University reveals.

Jun 21, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum gravity research links continuous parameters to local operators within the theory itself

A researcher at Kyushu University and his collaborators have shown that continuous parameters in quantum gravity may not be freely adjustable "dials" from outside the theory, but rather arise from operators within the theory ...

Jun 20, 2026
Phys.org / Jumping gene caught moving between species in first direct observation

Genes are not passed on exclusively from parents to their offspring. Some are mobile and can also jump to other species, as researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen have now shown. The direct ...

Jun 20, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient Mongolian cemetery reveals power and status mattered more than blood ties

On the edge of the Mongolian steppe, overlooking where two rivers meet, lies an ancient cemetery. Buried within are two families, traced through ancient DNA across six generations, surrounded by dozens of "strangers." The ...

Jun 20, 2026
Phys.org / Antarctica is offering 30 to 50 years' worth of warning on sea level rise, models suggest

Scientists predict that the next three to five decades provide a critical window to anticipate and plan for Antarctic ice loss and its contribution to sea level rise. Research published in Nature, led by Monash University ...

Jun 20, 2026
Phys.org / Saturday Citations: Intermittent fasting and chronic stress; macroscopic entanglement; gamma-ray bursts

Researchers reported this week a deadly outbreak of plague in Siberia 5,500 years ago, revealing that Yersinia pestis evolved lethal genetic traits far earlier than suspected. A drug developed for heart tissue repair may ...

Jun 20, 2026