Phys.org news

Phys.org / Uniting sequence and structure to map the protein universe across billions of years of evolution

An international team of researchers, including those at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at the Institute of Science Tokyo, has developed a protein language model that brings together two fundamental sources of information ...

Sep 11, 2026
Phys.org / Planes on a snake? Scientists discover various crab species hitching rides on sea snakes

Like all other snakes, sea snakes shed their skin as they grow. But because they live near the surface of the open ocean, they don't have the benefit of removing their old skin by slithering against a hard surface. Instead, ...

Sep 11, 2026
Phys.org / Breaking down shoe foam by genetically tweaking a microbe found in compost

Your favorite pair of tennies, kicks or trainers may soon become a little more sustainable. In a study published Sept. 11 in the journal Chem Catalysis, researchers developed a new kind of enzyme based on a bacterium found ...

Sep 11, 2026
Phys.org / 1,000 times faster operations bring reliable quantum computing a step closer

So far, quantum computers have been held back by their extreme sensitivity to errors and external disturbances. The longer a quantum operation takes, the greater the risk of computational errors.

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Continuous video of black hole radio observations challenges shock wave theory

For years, scientists have relied primarily on radio imaging from techniques like very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) to study jets from the active galactic nuclei of supermassive black holes. This allows for the detection ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / A galaxy with almost no stars? New Cloud-9 observations strengthen the case

Astronomers have taken one of the deepest looks yet at Cloud-9, a candidate "dark galaxy," and found no trace of stars. The paper outlining this discovery was posted to the arXiv preprint server on Aug. 21.

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Spinons may help electrons pair along stripes in some superconductors

Superconductors are materials that carry electricity with zero resistance below specific temperatures. Many of these materials become superconducting at very low temperatures, yet some enter superconducting phases at higher ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / How atmospheric events at the top of the world could have triggered two devastating California floods

In early 2017 and 2023, California experienced two catastrophic and record-breaking floods that caused billions of dollars in damage, triggered mudslides and forced thousands of people to evacuate. Why this happened left ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Asteroid Ryugu's dust reveals nitrogen's slow concentration into complex molecules

Nitrogen is a key ingredient in the biomolecules that form the building blocks of life. Yet as an unbonded gas, it is far more likely to drift into space than to lock itself into solid compounds, making it difficult for astronomers ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Fully recyclable hydrogel begins healing itself within minutes

Imagine this. You pick up a contact lens from its container and—yikes!—it falls on the bathroom floor. Before you know it, your cat pounces, claws out. By the time you wrestle it back, the lens looks like a tiny chew toy. ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Global study reveals hidden nutritional value of shellfish and other aquatic invertebrates

The nutritional value of aquatic invertebrates such as oysters, mussels and crabs has been significantly overlooked, according to a new study led by researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / A fossil feather preserved inside dinosaur poop could help explain why birds survived the mass extinction

About 66 million years ago, a dinosaur—maybe a T. rex or a Nanotyrannus—ate a bird. The record of that meal, in the form of fossilized poop, has survived to today, preserving the best example of a feather ever found from ...

Sep 10, 2026