Phys.org news

Phys.org / Magnetic checkerboard separates microparticles by size and sends them along different paths

A team of researchers from the Universities of Tübingen, Bayreuth, and Kassel, and the Polish Academy of Sciences has developed a method for precisely controlling the movement of magnetic microparticles based on their size. ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Deforestation lessens Amazon rainfall—and climate change hastens that process, study finds

Climate change makes the southern Amazon's rain increasingly sensitive to deforestation, a new study finds. Clearing large areas of forest can trigger severe and lasting reductions in rainfall regardless of climate, but as ...

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Tree communities shape hidden energy flows under European forests

Mixing tree species can lead to better growth in the forest—at least above ground. A new study published in Nature shows that mixed forests had lower activity in the complex belowground ecosystems than previously thought. ...

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Testing quantum collapse theory with the XENONnT dark matter detector

Theories of quantum mechanics predict that some particles can exist in superpositions, which essentially means that they can be in more than one state at once. When a particle's state is measured, however, this superposition ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Rapidly melting Antarctic ice shelves may cause global sea levels to rise far faster than expected

Global sea levels may rise faster than previously expected, suggests a new study in Nature Communications. The reason is that warming oceans appear to be melting Antarctic ice shelves from below much more rapidly than expected.

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Chilean wasp named in honor of Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday

Scientists from the Natural History Museum, London have described a new genus and species of parasitic wasp found within the Museum's collections, and named it as a birthday present for Sir David Attenborough.

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / These monster black holes did not form the usual way—their history of violence is written into spacetime ripples

The most massive black holes in the universe detected by the ripples they make in spacetime were not born directly from collapsing stars, according to a new study. These cosmic giants instead build up through a series of ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Why twisted bilayer graphene stops superconducting near high-dielectric substrates

Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity with a resistance of zero. In so-called conventional superconductors, this occurs at low temperatures when electrons become bound into pairs, known as Cooper pairs.

May 6, 2026
Phys.org / Human language shows deep safety bias, challenging 70-year scientific consensus

Researchers at the University of Vermont have uncovered a powerful new insight about how language works—one that overturns a cornerstone assumption in psychology, linguistics, and artificial intelligence that has stood for ...

May 6, 2026
Phys.org / Buried in Arnhem Land, an ancient fire trick may rewrite early stone technology's timeline

A recent archaeological study has identified the earliest lithic heat treatment of chert in the world. Discovered in Australia, this discovery is nearly twice as old as any previously identified chert heat treatment in Eurasia. ...

May 6, 2026
Phys.org / A persistent quantum computing error finally explained

Scientists have discovered the cause of a persistent glitch that continues to disrupt superconducting quantum computers, even when they have built-in defenses. For all their advanced hardware, superconducting quantum computers ...

May 6, 2026
Phys.org / In mafias, marriages are strategic tools, analysis suggests

A new analysis of inter-family marriages in the mafia-type organized crime group 'Ndrangheta, suggests that matrimonial ties between non-powerful families may play a previously under-appreciated role in maintaining the resilience ...

May 6, 2026