Phys.org news

Phys.org / How Mercury formed its graphite crust and core

As the BepiColombo mission prepares to enter the final phase of its journey to Mercury, a series of studies conducted by researchers at the University of Liège and KU Leuven sheds new light on the early stages of the evolution ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / Researchers tune into Arctic under-ice sounds and test through-ice communication

Beneath the Arctic Ocean is an orchestra featuring natural and human composers, from cracking sea ice and whistling beluga whales to humming shipping-vessel engines. Researchers from MIT Lincoln Laboratory heard some of this ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / In ant nervous systems, gene expression may drive rescue behavior

Why do some ants help nestmates in distress while others don't? A research team from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Tel Aviv University addressed this question in a new study. The researchers examined worker ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / New AI tool maps the hidden universe of small molecules

The human body and its gut microbiome produce thousands of small molecules that shape how the body functions—influencing immunity, metabolism and more. Identifying what those molecules actually are has been one of the biomedical ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / Virus-like particles enable gene activity tracking over time in the same cells

In recent years, scientists have developed methods to measure a cell's transcriptome, or all the RNA produced by a cell, to study the cell's identity and genetic activity. However, these methods rely on killing the cell to ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / Ultrafast electrons and lasers reveal unexpectedly strong radiation signals in common semiconductors

Detecting radiation is key to technologies ranging from particle accelerators and scientific instruments to medical imaging and security screening. But current detectors must often make trade-offs, providing signals that ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / Embedded platinum channels bring nanoscale spin-based thermoelectric conversion to bulk materials

A joint research team from NIMS and the University of Tokyo has developed a new composite in which three-dimensional nano-interfaces are distributed throughout the material by coating the surfaces of magnetic-insulator powders ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / Archaea as 'flexitarians': Ammonia-oxidizing microbes also feed on amino acids

Symbiotic ammonia-oxidizing archaea in marine sponges are not strict specialists but true "flexitarians." A team led by microbiologists Bettina Glasl and Katharina Kitzinger from the University of Vienna, in collaboration ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / Turbulent times for star formation in Stephan's Quintet

Star formation in galaxies is closely linked to molecular gas. In the distant past, when galaxy interactions were more common, these encounters compressed molecular gas, causing dense clouds to collapse under their own gravity ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / 'Hidden order in disorder' makes nanodevices easier to design

Augmented reality (AR) glasses, lenses thinner than a human hair, and holograms floating above your fingertips may sound like technologies from science fiction. At the heart of these emerging technologies, however, lies a ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / Physics-informed AI improves predictions of how critical minerals move through rock

The key to finding more critical minerals may lie in understanding how fluids and chemicals move through rock. As these fluids travel underground, they can dissolve, transport and concentrate valuable minerals in specific ...

Sep 4, 2026
Phys.org / Davyne changes color beyond human sight, opening path to invisible security tags

While studying the properties of hackmanite, researchers created a new material called davyne that changes color in the near-infrared region. The color change cannot be detected with the human eye, but only with a spectrometer ...

Sep 4, 2026