Phys.org news

Phys.org / Study demonstrates neurotransmitter communication in immune cells directly for the first time

Researchers at the University of Münster and Ruhr University Bochum have demonstrated for the first time in real time that the body's own defense cells use catecholamines—neurotransmitters such as dopamine and adrenaline—to ...

Jul 3, 2026
Phys.org / Visual map of 20,000 words reveals why lip-readers confuse common look-alikes

New research from the University of Kansas uses network science to determine why people make mistakes when lip-reading. Michael Vitevitch, professor of speech-language-hearing at KU, and his co-authors created a visual map ...

Jul 3, 2026
Phys.org / Two centuries on, experts unlock secrets of Red Sea and Gulf of Aden sailing chart

Experts have unlocked secrets hidden for two hundred years in a beautiful navigational chart made for 18th century seafarers negotiating the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The paper scroll is evidence seafaring communities in ...

Jul 3, 2026
Phys.org / Bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic Sea seem to be heavily reliant on trawlers for food

Bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic Sea are spending much of their time following trawlers to scavenge for food, scientists say. The Adriatic seabed has been plowed by bottom trawlers for decades, resulting in ecosystem damage. ...

Jul 3, 2026
Phys.org / Spontaneous current loops in a kagome metal point to hidden quantum order

Quantum materials, materials exhibiting physical behavior governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, have proved promising for the development of numerous advanced technologies, including quantum technologies, memory devices ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum gravity tests may mistake ordinary spacetime for superposition

Everything around us, from atoms and molecules to planets and galaxies, is governed by two extraordinarily successful theories of physics: quantum mechanics and gravity. Quantum mechanics explains the behavior of the microscopic ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Analog gravity advance offers new insights into Hawking radiation from black holes

Hawking radiation is a form of radiation emitted by black holes, as theoretically predicted by Stephen Hawking. It suggests that black holes do not merely swallow matter—as had previously been assumed—but also emit very faint ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / What makes a star a star? A strange 'in‑between' celestial object is testing astronomers' boundaries

A star called TOI-2155 lies around 1,350 light-years (839 trillion miles) from Earth. It is a little bigger, heavier and hotter than the sun, and it is not particularly interesting or unusual in itself.

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum semiconductor design could expand search for dark matter

Dark matter accounts for 85% of the matter in the universe, but scientists still do not know what it is made of. A study, published in Physical Review Letters, by Rice University researchers proposes a detector design that ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Dynamic black holes may obey Hawking-style thermodynamics with an alternative entropy measure

Of the known things in the universe, black holes are among the most extreme. They pack huge amounts of mass densely into a small area, producing gravity that is so strong that even light cannot escape. To describe their properties, ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / A holoparasitic plant replaces its own genes with host DNA to survive

All living organisms are known to inherit genes, DNA sequences that contain instructions for producing specific proteins and performing biological functions, from their parents. In some cases, however, genes can also shift ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Swimming crab trapped in plastic bottle survives two months at sea

How did a large crab end up trapped inside a plastic bottle with an opening smaller than its body? Hiroshima University researchers investigated this unusual marine mystery, revealing a lesser-known impact of marine plastic ...

Jul 2, 2026