Phys.org news

Phys.org / Cuttlefish suckers reveal how they grip rough prey—and could inspire better technology

Cephalopods are a group of soft-bodied marine mollusks that include cuttlefish, octopuses, squid and nautiluses. Many of these mollusks have muscular suckers on their arms that allow them to seize prey or grip other surfaces ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Virtual biotech company puts thousands of AI scientist agents to work on drug discovery

The latest company to spin out of a Stanford Medicine lab is a biotech undertaking with 37,000 employees—and none of them are human. There's no lab space, no lunch breaks and no payroll. It's an artificial intelligence-powered ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / A new bridge for quantum networks: Physicists convert microwaves to light using 2D magnets

Physicists at The City College of New York have demonstrated a new way to transfer microwave signals onto light using magnetic waves inside a layered semiconductor. The work establishes a materials platform for building interfaces ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Close-up images show defects locking electrons into stable Wigner solids

A team of researchers led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) developed an approach that enabled them to directly observe how electrons interact with defects in advanced ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Japanese supercomputer simulations may explain Webb's Little Red Dots

Of all the discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope, the multitude of Little Red Dots it has observed is among the most enigmatic. Now, simulations using the Japanese Supercomputer ATERUI III have explained the nature ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Using sound waves to turn iron and water into magnetic nanoparticles

Iron rusts on its own, slowly, over months or years. Now, researchers at Tohoku University have found a way to compress the process of metal reacting with water to form oxide, taking mere hours and using nothing more than ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / A glimpse of the solar system's origins: Striking details on the molecules inside a meteorite

Researchers at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory have teamed up to get a fresh look at the complex makeup of meteorites and glimpse into our solar system's past.

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Newfound fungal nutrient-sensing mechanism could advance biofuels and disease control

Scientists have taken a step toward a better understanding of how fungi sense and respond to nutrients in the environment, which is critical for engineering fungi for green technologies and combating fungal pathogens and ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / How accurately can we measure the ocean's deepest point?

How deep is the deepest ocean—and how precisely can we actually measure it? A Japanese research team led by the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), SOKENDAI, the University of Tokyo and other Japanese institutions ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Laser shocks turn plastic into ultra-small, high-purity nanodiamonds

Nanodiamonds are tiny diamond particles that usually measure mere millionths of a millimeter. They are extremely hard, stable and heat-resistant and highly adaptable for various purposes in medicine, new materials, catalysis ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / European ash pangenome could help researchers breed a generation of trees resistant to ash dieback

In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Forest Research and collaborating organizations present the first-ever European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) pangenome, ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Nullarbor mapping reveals surface signs of deep, hidden cave systems

Mysterious trenches stretching for kilometers across southern Australia's Nullarbor Plain have been revealed as the surface footprints of deep, hidden ancient cave systems.

Sep 17, 2026