Phys.org news

Phys.org / New Monte Carlo method accelerates simulations of densely entangled polymer melts

Long polymer chains are everywhere: in synthetic materials, soft matter, biological systems such as chromosomes, and mathematical models of filaments and knots. When many such chains are densely packed, they form what physicists ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Stellar eruptions in the laboratory: First experimental evidence for their suppression in strong magnetic fields

An international team of astrophysicists and plasma physicists has provided the first experimental evidence that strong magnetic fields surrounding active stars can completely suppress coronal mass ejections. This offers ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Climate change could triple the price of wheat

Bread, pasta and breakfast cereals may seem far removed from dry fields in North America, Europe or Asia. Yet when water shortages hit several of the world's most important wheat-growing regions simultaneously, the consequences ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists map hair follicle formation in spacetime, advancing understanding of how organs develop

In a new research report, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have developed a technology that allows them to capture a 3D molecular "snapshot" of hundreds of hair follicles as they develop and then reconstruct ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Hidden chemical pathway could keep phosphorus from fueling lake algal blooms

Why do some lakes remain plagued by harmful algal blooms even after phosphorus pollution has been reduced? Part of the answer lies beneath the surface. A new Concordia study has uncovered a previously overlooked chemical ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Seeing the unseen: A new tool visualizes hidden structures in complex biological data

Modern biology research can now generate valuable data on an unprecedented scale. But there is one major obstacle: making sense of these complex high-dimensional datasets. A team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Iron hydride enters an exotic state of matter under Earth's inner-core conditions

Earth's inner core, composed primarily of iron with a small percentage of light elements, may enter a superionic state at extreme pressure and temperature, according to experimental results from researchers at Science Tokyo. ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Stellar spin may explain why repeated black hole flares grow dimmer

At the center of most galaxies lies a supermassive black hole, with a mass millions to billions of times that of our sun and some of the most extreme gravity in the universe.

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Twenty years and 7,500 fossils reveal what blurs Earth's marine fossil record

In productive marine environments, a square meter (10.8 square feet) of seafloor can be perforated by hundreds to thousands of isolated and interconnected tunnels through which crawl and writhe a cornucopia of clams, shrimp, ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Complex odors prove easier to map than expected with machine learning

If you want to describe a particular color, you could look to the Pantone color wheel to find its exact hue, saturation and brightness, and how it compares with other colors. But nothing like that has existed for complex ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Ocean plankton reveal sugar-for-nutrients partnership that sustains life in barren seas

In the vast, nutrient-poor regions of the world's oceans, there is a constant struggle for survival. Yet tiny organisms known as Collodaria have thrived there for millions of years. These Collodaria host microscopically small ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / Breaking up of swan families in winter disrupts spring migration

Young Bewick's swans only survive their first spring migration if they stay with their parents long enough. If they lose their parents in winter, they leave later and are unable to keep up with the rest of the population. ...

Aug 21, 2026