Phys.org news

Phys.org / ALMA devours cosmic 'hamburger,' reveals potential for giant planet formation

Have you ever found something unexpected in your hamburger? Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) were surprised to discover the very earliest phases of giant planet formation between the ...

Jan 6, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / House sparrows can help us save endangered species: A mathematical framework for genomic prediction

Researchers are trying to understand why some wild species do better than others over time, as the environment changes.

Jan 6, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Climate change accelerates tree deaths across Australian forests, study finds

Australia's forests are losing trees more rapidly as the climate warms, a new study examining decades of data said Tuesday, warning the trend was likely a "widespread phenomenon."

Jan 6, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How well-meaning allies increase stress for marginalized people

Someone in the office makes a racially insensitive comment, and a white co-worker asks a Black colleague to help correct the offender.

Jan 6, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Researchers sustainably produce triacetic acid lactone from sugarcane

Triacetic acid lactone (TAL) has the potential to serve as a bioderived platform chemical for commercial products, including sorbic acid. However, TAL currently lacks a global market as its chemical synthesis is prohibitively ...

Jan 6, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Eye-opening research: Greenland sharks maintain vision for centuries through DNA repair mechanism

Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk sits in her office, eyes fixed on the computer monitor in front of her. "You see it move its eye," says the UC Irvine associate professor of physiology and biophysics, pointing to an image of a ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Greenland's Prudhoe Dome ice cap was completely gone only 7,000 years ago, study finds

The first study from GreenDrill—a project co-led by the University at Buffalo to collect rocks and sediment buried beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet—has found that the Prudhoe Dome ice cap was completely gone approximately ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Psychological traits that may fuel conspiracy theorist mindset identified

Conspiracy theories are one of the banes of the modern world, exacerbated by the internet and social media. What was once relegated to the fringe has now been pushed into the mainstream, actively shaping public discourse ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Fault-tolerant quantum computing: Novel protocol efficiently reduces resource cost

Quantum computers, systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, could soon outperform classical computers on some complex computational problems. These computers rely on qubits, units of quantum ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Active solar region observed for record 94 days

In May 2024, the strongest solar storm in twenty years raged. An international team led by ETH Zurich observed it. Their findings are now helping to improve space weather forecasts.

Jan 5, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Vegetation might exacerbate urban heat island effect in very dry cities

As temperatures rise around the world, city heat becomes increasingly unbearable during the hottest seasons. The urban heat island effect causes cities to become significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas due to human ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Earth
Dialog / Making sense of quantum gravity in five dimensions

Quantum theory and Einstein's theory of general relativity are two of the greatest successes in modern physics. Each works extremely well in its own domain: Quantum theory explains how atoms and particles behave, while general ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Physics