Phys.org news

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 / Fossil plankton shells reveal reduced nitrogen fixation in warmer oceans 3 million years ago

Nitrogen is a key nutrient because it fuels the growth of plankton, which forms the basis of the marine food web. Two opposing processes determine the global nitrogen cycle: nitrogen fixation and denitrification.

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 / Ubiquitin marks abnormal glycogen for destruction to protect the brain, study finds

Researchers at the University of Cambridge and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology have discovered a previously unknown cellular defense system that protects the brain from abnormal glycogen accumulation, which is linked ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / A finely tuned mess—how disorder can make networks more stable

Perfection is overrated—at least when it comes to complex systems like the power grid, food webs and advanced materials. For decades, scientists generally assumed that networks function most reliably when their individual ...

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 / Capybaras in the desert? Fossil casts doubt on Atacama as world's oldest continuously dry region

Ask any zoo-goer and they will tell you that capybaras are adorable. Ask a scientist specializing in the rodents, which resemble oversized guinea pigs, and they will tell you they are obligate semiaquatic herbivores that ...

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
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 / Black holes from stellar to supermassive size may follow one jet-launching rule

An early-career Western Australian astrophysicist has helped uncover a universal rule behind one of the most powerful behaviors in the universe: when black holes launch jets. The discovery, published in the journal Nature ...

Sep 17, 2026