Phys.org news

Phys.org / ALMA watches a massive binary assemble in real time

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have captured one of the most detailed three-dimensional views yet of a massive binary star system while it is still being born. By tracking the motions ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Worm's radical transformation shows metamorphosis can change the functions of cells

A squishy worm that starts its life as something of a floating head in the Pacific Ocean is changing what scientists know about metamorphosis at the cellular level.

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Eggshells-inspired aluminum material offers significant protection from space debris

There are nearly 1 million pieces of debris larger than 1 centimeter (0.4 inch) in near-Earth orbit. As we continue launching spacecraft and telescopes to explore the universe, this debris poses a significant threat of high-speed ...

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Rearranged polymer chains create degradable materials with potential for stronger, tougher packaging

What if the key to making stronger, more sustainable plastics isn't changing their ingredients, but rearranging their molecules? Virginia Tech researchers have put that idea to the test, creating degradable polymers with ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Super-resolution imaging reveals that cohesin prevents local mixing of compact, active genome domains

The human genome is about two meters (6.6 feet) long, yet it is folded inside a cell nucleus only about 10 micrometers in diameter. To fit into this tiny space, DNA is wrapped around histone proteins to form nucleosomes, ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Big supernova dataset challenges dark energy theory

The most comprehensive catalog of exploding white dwarf stars ever assembled has revealed new clues about dark energy, the mysterious force driving the universe's accelerating expansion. Researchers at The University of Queensland's ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Sea ice creates hidden highways for young Antarctic krill

New research shows that larval Antarctic krill could be carried far from their birthplace by drifting sea ice, linking distant ecosystems in ways conventional models may miss.

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Marine heat waves boost coastal CO₂ uptake by 11%, analysis finds

Marine heat waves are a consequence of climate change and are increasingly altering marine and coastal regions worldwide. An international study led by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon now shows that many coastal seas absorb ...

6 hours ago
Phys.org / Superfluid qubit could help scale up quantum computers

Superfluid helium could offer a new way to tackle one of the biggest challenges in scaling up quantum computers, say researchers from the University of Surrey. The research team has introduced a conceptual design for a new ...

6 hours ago
Dialog / Early Earth's auroral belts may have formed a natural ion-beam reactor for prebiotic chemistry

We usually think of auroras as beautiful lights in the night sky. I see them as visible traces of a connection between the sun, Earth's magnetic field and the atmosphere. This led me to an origin-of-life question: Could the ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Survey of young researchers raises concerns over future of science in U.S.

One-third of young scientists who had been planning careers in academic research changed their minds in the spring of 2025, according to a new survey. Fewer expected to remain in higher education or work in the U.S., or felt ...

23 hours ago
Dialog / Park rangers and residents speak up to save Togo's last national park

A few years ago, I drove with an old friend from Togo, West Africa, towards the country's last remaining large protected area, Fazao-Malfakassa National Park. Our destination was the Hotel Fazao, where his uncle had once ...

22 hours ago