Phys.org news

Phys.org / Sea anemones reveal antiviral defense that reverses human immune playbook

A new study has uncovered a previously unknown antiviral defense mechanism in sea anemones, revealing that animals may have evolved more than one way to fight viral infections. Researchers discovered that a protein resembling ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Glass cells of atoms offer a new path to smarter, cheaper sensors

More accurate navigation systems and improved wireless communications may not come from traditional electronics, but rather from atoms. Researchers at Penn State and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Novel crystal strategy delivers near-perfect zero thermal expansion from 11 K to 893 K

Almost every material expands when heated. Well-known examples include railroad tracks and concrete roadways, which feature visible expansion gaps to accommodate this effect. However, thermal expansion poses a far more acute ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Ocean warming above 1.5°C triggered year-round marine disruption across globe, study shows

Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) led one of the first global assessments of how marine ecosystems responded during the first year when global temperatures temporarily exceeded 1.5°C ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Semiconductor quantum dots 'reawaken' predicted Rabi oscillations, boosting quantum control

Physicists at Paderborn University have, for the first time, experimentally demonstrated the so-called "return" of Rabi oscillations in semiconductor quantum dots. The phenomenon, which was first predicted theoretically in ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists find evidence of vast hidden magma systems inside Mars

Researchers from the University of Oxford have uncovered evidence that Mars once hosted enormous, Earth-like magmatic systems deep beneath its surface—despite the planet lacking the plate tectonics long thought necessary ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Pacific plate's rotation gave Alaska's Aleutian Islands a later-life lift

New research by Brown University geologists confirms that the Aleutian Islands, the archipelago stretching from Alaska to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, experienced a massive geological uplift between 5 million and 7 million ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient ocean circulation reversed Atlantic and Pacific oxygen patterns 15 million years ago

The eastern tropical Pacific Ocean is known for its large low-oxygen zones that are increasing in size, putting marine life at risk. New research shows that 15 million years ago, the opposite was true.

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / European heatwave's unlikely accomplice: An ocean 'cold blob'

The heat wave battering Europe may have an unlikely partner in crime: a patch of cold ocean water south of Iceland and Greenland that can influence weather patterns over the continent.

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Elusive thorium–thorium bonding directly observed using Hirshfeld atom refinement

Researchers have directly visualized a rare type of chemical bond between some of the heaviest elements in the periodic table, providing experimental evidence of how these atoms share electrons in systems where this has been ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / ROS-producing enzymes guide plant cell division and tissue patterning, gene-editing study shows

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced naturally during cellular metabolism often cause oxidative damage to cells. However, these molecules also play an important role in normal cellular signaling. While ROS are established ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Secrets of how we see color revealed at the molecular level

A global team has cracked a decades-old mystery, revealing the atomic structures of the molecules in our eyes that allow us to see colors. "To understand how we detect light and perceive colors, we need to know the exact ...

Jun 26, 2026