Phys.org news

Phys.org / Physicists improve precision of atomic clocks by reducing quantum noise

Every time you check the time on your phone, make an online transaction, or use a navigation app, you are depending on the precision of atomic clocks.

Oct 8, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Scientists discover regulatory pathway behind cyanobacteria's carbon-fixing factories

Long before plants and algae, cyanobacteria were already performing photosynthesis—filling Earth's skies with oxygen and setting the stage for life as we know it. The ultra-prevalent bacteria are critical to the global ...

Oct 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / 1,000-year-old gut microbiome revealed for young man who lived in pre-Hispanic Mexico

Analysis of preserved feces and intestinal tissue has revealed specific types of bacteria that were present in the microbiome of a young adult man who lived in Mexico about 1,000 years ago, prior to Spanish colonization. ...

Oct 8, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Chinese medicine extract tetrandrine's precise mechanism of action opens new avenues for drug discovery

A research team led by Prof. Ben Ko Chi-bun, Associate Professor of the PolyU Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, has discovered the critical mechanism of action of tetrandrine, a compound derived from ...

Oct 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Analyses of moon's largest impact crater reveal unexpected insights into its tumultuous past

When astronauts land near the moon's south pole as part of NASA's Artemis program in a few years, they likely will find themselves in an unexpected treasure trove of clues that could help scientists better understand how ...

Oct 8, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Early humans butchered elephants using small tools then made big tools from their bones, research finds

During warmer periods of the Middle Pleistocene, ancient humans in Italy were in the habit of butchering elephants for meat and raw materials, according to a study published October 8, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS ...

Oct 8, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Researchers discover a hidden atomic order that persists in metals even after extreme processing

For decades, it's been known that subtle chemical patterns exist in metal alloys, but researchers thought they were too minor to matter—or that they got erased during manufacturing. However, recent studies have shown that ...

Oct 8, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Likely origins of black hole collision with 'squashed' orbital path revealed

Scientists have begun to unravel the origin story of a cataclysmic collision between two black holes, which seem to have met their fate on a rarely observed "squashed" orbital path.

Oct 8, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Antarctic Ocean of the last ice age reveals how a critical process of CO₂ storage may slow again

Off the coast of Antarctica, the sea ice retreated toward the southernmost continent and, like a bottle cap taken off a soda bottle, that reduced pressure slowed down a process of critical carbon dioxide capture, dramatically ...

Oct 8, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Understanding the climate cost of cleaning our water

Each year, U.S. wastewater treatment plants clean trillions of gallons of water, from what we flush down the toilet to drain down the sink.

Oct 8, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Webb unveils doomed star that could help solve mystery of missing massive red supergiants

A Northwestern University-led team of astronomers has captured the most detailed glimpse yet of a doomed star before it exploded. Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the international team identified a supernova's ...

Oct 8, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Nasal spray with gold nanoparticles delivers targeted treatment to the brain

Tiny gold particles that act as carriers for lithium can be delivered directly to the brain in the form of a nasal spray. Developed by scientists at the Università Cattolica Rome campus/Fondazione Policlinico Universitario ...

Oct 8, 2025 in Nanotechnology