Phys.org news

Phys.org / An interstellar comet packed with alcohol? What ALMA found in 3I/ATLAS

Comet 3I/ATLAS continues to make astonishing headlines, thanks to new findings from astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This new research reveals that 3I/ATLAS is packed with an unusually ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / 'Peculiar' crocodile ancestor started life on four legs before learning to walk on two

A "peculiar" ancient relative of the crocodile which experts believe began life on four legs before, in adulthood, it learned how to walk on just two has been revealed in a new study. Named Sonselasuchus cedrus, this archaic ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / ESA analyzing fireball over Europe on 8 March 2026

At approximately 18:55 CET (17:55 UTC) on Sunday, March 8, 2026, a very bright fireball moving from the southwest to the northeast was observed by many people in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Study finds teens spend nearly a third of the school day on smartphones: Frequent checking linked to poorer attention

A new study from researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds that middle and high school students spend nearly one-third of the school day on their smartphones, checking them dozens of times, often for ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Strontium optical clock accurate to within 1 second over 30 billion years

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China have achieved a major breakthrough in optical clock technology, developing a strontium optical lattice clock with stability and uncertainty both surpassing ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / AI disclosure labels may do more harm than good, study warns

The growing use of AI-generated scientific and science-related content, especially on social media, raises important concerns: these texts may contain false or highly persuasive information that is difficult for users to ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Superconductivity controlled by a built-in light-confining cavity

For the first time, physicists have demonstrated that a material's superconductivity can be altered by coupling it to an in-built, light-confining cavity. In experiments published in Nature, a team led by Itai Keren at Columbia ...

Mar 8, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum entanglement offers route to higher-resolution optical astronomy

Researchers in the US have demonstrated how quantum entanglement could be used to detect optical signals from astronomical sources at the single-photon level. Published in Nature, a team led by Pieter-Jan Stas at Harvard ...

Mar 8, 2026
Phys.org / Inland China experienced typhoon-related population decline 3,000 years ago, according to 'oracle bones,' AI and physics

Evidence suggests that China's "cradle of civilization" experienced marked climate disasters and social upheavals during the mid-late Holocene (around 3,000 years ago). However, the direct causes and impacts of these ancient ...

Mar 8, 2026
Phys.org / Engineered magnetic films follow graphene's equations for massless electron waves

The electronic and magnetic properties of two-dimensional materials both have strong potential for technological applications. Researchers have long assumed that they are distinct phenomena, but Illinois Grainger engineers ...

Mar 8, 2026
Phys.org / 'Mesoscale' swimmers could pave way for drug delivery robots inside the body

In physics, the mesoscale lies between the microscopic and the macroscopic. It is not just the domain of tiny living creatures like small larvae, shrimp, and jellyfish, but also where physics equations become extreme. While ...

Mar 8, 2026
Phys.org / How a protein pair ensures that faulty mRNA is destroyed

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is one of the most important processes in our cells to ensure that no faulty or incomplete proteins are produced. Scientists have now identified a central mechanism behind this control system.

Mar 8, 2026