Phys.org news

Phys.org / Waterlogged seeds reveal melons' ancient journey

Melons produce many seeds, making the melon shape a traditional symbol of fertility and prosperity in Chinese culture. But the historical debate about how melons made their way to modern tables is as long and twisted as ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Helium-3 lifts new quantum computing concept with faster tunneling rates

Helium—the lightest atom that can be laser-cooled and controlled—powers a new design for high-powered, stable quantum computers.

5 hours ago
Phys.org / Sea ice creates hidden highways for young Antarctic krill

New research shows that larval Antarctic krill could be carried far from their birthplace by drifting sea ice, linking distant ecosystems in ways conventional models may miss.

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Superfluid qubit could help scale up quantum computers

Superfluid helium could offer a new way to tackle one of the biggest challenges in scaling up quantum computers, say researchers from the University of Surrey. The research team has introduced a conceptual design for a new ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Marine heat waves boost coastal CO₂ uptake by 11%, analysis finds

Marine heat waves are a consequence of climate change and are increasingly altering marine and coastal regions worldwide. An international study led by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon now shows that many coastal seas absorb ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Rearranged polymer chains create degradable materials with potential for stronger, tougher packaging

What if the key to making stronger, more sustainable plastics isn't changing their ingredients, but rearranging their molecules? Virginia Tech researchers have put that idea to the test, creating degradable polymers with ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Melting Svalbard glaciers may flush ancient methane from rocks beneath the ice

Meltwater rivers flowing from Svalbard glaciers are carrying ancient methane from rocks beneath the ice into the open air, new research published in Nature Communications shows.

17 hours ago
Phys.org / AI model decodes cell signaling fingerprints across diverse cell types

As an embryo develops from a small cluster of stem cells, those once "blank slate" cells begin to take on more specialized roles like brain, liver or muscle cells and organize themselves into three-dimensional structures ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Worm's radical transformation shows metamorphosis can change the functions of cells

A squishy worm that starts its life as something of a floating head in the Pacific Ocean is changing what scientists know about metamorphosis at the cellular level.

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Super-resolution imaging reveals that cohesin prevents local mixing of compact, active genome domains

The human genome is about two meters (6.6 feet) long, yet it is folded inside a cell nucleus only about 10 micrometers in diameter. To fit into this tiny space, DNA is wrapped around histone proteins to form nucleosomes, ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Stripped-down LSD reveals structural features linked to hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects

University of California, Davis, researchers have stripped down LSD to the base features responsible for its hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects.

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / Entangled particles revive a 35-year-old test of the Standard Model

Physicists at the BESIII Collaboration have breathed new life into a decades-old test of one of the Standard Model's most important ideas, using a technique that had gone almost untouched by experimenters for 35 years.

Sep 7, 2026