Phys.org news

Phys.org / Hubble examines Cloud-9, first of new type of object

A team using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a new type of astronomical object—a starless, gas-rich, dark-matter cloud that is considered a "relic" or remnant of early galaxy formation. Nicknamed "Cloud-9," ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New species of bush tomato with visible nectar glands discovered in the Australian outback

A recent study led by Bucknell University Professor Chris Martine, biology, the David Burpee Professor of Plant Genetics and Research, has identified and described a new species of bush tomato with a special connection to ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Microbes may hold the key to brain evolution

A new study reveals that changes to the gut microbiome can change the way the brain works.

Jan 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Betelgeuse's elusive companion star: Siwarha's 'wake' detected

Using new observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observatories, astronomers have tracked the influence of a recently discovered companion star, Siwarha, on the gas around Betelgeuse. The research, ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Metal–metal bonded molecule achieves stable spin qubit state, opening path toward quantum computing materials

Researchers at Kumamoto University, in collaboration with colleagues in South Korea and Taiwan, have discovered that a unique cobalt-based molecule with metal–metal bonds can function as a spin quantum bit (spin qubit)—a ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Second spider-parasitic mite species described in Brazil

When researchers studying spiders and scorpions at the Zoological Collections Laboratory of the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, came across a few-millimeter-long spider wearing something resembling a pearl necklace, ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Thin ice may have protected lake water on frozen Mars

Small lakes on ancient Mars may have remained liquid for decades, even with average air temperatures well below freezing.

Jan 5, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Ancient Antarctica reveals a 'one–two punch' behind ice sheet collapse

When we think of global warming, what first comes to mind is the air: crushing heat waves that are felt rather than seen, except through the haziness of humid air. But when it comes to melting ice sheets, rising ocean temperatures ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / XRISM gives sharpest-ever glimpse at growth of a rapidly-spinning black hole

Astronomers have obtained the sharpest-ever X-ray spectrum of an iconic active galaxy, providing the most accurate, precise view ever obtained of the extreme relativistic effects imprinted onto the spacetime around a supermassive ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Earliest, hottest galaxy cluster gas on record challenges cosmological models

An international team of astronomers led by Canadian researchers has found something the universe wasn't supposed to have: a galaxy cluster blazing with hot gas just 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang, far earlier and hotter ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Climate messaging sways minds, not wallets, regardless of political party

In a study involving more than 13,000 participants in the U.S., several messaging strategies were shown to move the needle—albeit slightly—in attempts to strengthen pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors regarding ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Geometry shapes life: Embryo curvature acts as instruction manual for coordinated cell division

Life begins with a single fertilized cell that gradually transforms into a multicellular organism. This process requires precise coordination; otherwise, the embryo could develop serious complications. Scientists at ISTA ...

Jan 5, 2026 in Biology