Phys.org news

Phys.org / Multiwavelength variability reveals dust structure in quasars

A research team has investigated quasar variability by tracking optical to mid-infrared (MIR) wavelengths of variability information. This multiband joint analysis provides an opportunity to probe the dust structure in the ...

Jan 23, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / 40 years of tree-tracking records reveal how global change is impacting Amazon and Andean Forest diversity

New research published in Nature Ecology and Evolution reveals significant recent shifts in tree diversity among the tropical forests of the Andes and Amazon, driven by global change.

Jan 23, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Light-controlled switches offer precise regulation of ion channels in living cells

Researchers at Leipzig University and TU Dresden have succeeded in developing biological switches that can selectively turn ion channels on and off using light pulses. Initial applications show that it is possible, for example, ...

Jan 23, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Whales may divide resources to co-exist under pressures from climate change

The North Atlantic Ocean is warming up. Higher temperatures and increased human activity in the region can trigger abrupt changes in marine ecosystems, for example, how species are distributed and what they eat.

Jan 23, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Discovery of PITTs shows platelets can switch from clotting to driving vessel inflammation

A team from Würzburg has fundamentally changed our understanding of platelet biology. The researchers demonstrate that the surface protein integrin αIIbβ3 is not only a key molecule in blood clotting, but can also act ...

Jan 23, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Dark energy survey scientists release analysis of all six years of survey data

The Dark Energy Survey Collaboration collected information on hundreds of millions of galaxies across the universe using the U.S. Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Amplifying feedbacks could drive Greenland ice sheet to near-complete disappearance

Greenland, which has been prominently in the news in recent days, hosts a vast ice sheet. If it melts, it will become one of the largest contributors to global sea-level rise. Under a high-emissions scenario, the Greenland ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / ATLAS confirms collective nature of quark soup's radial expansion

Scientists analyzing data from heavy ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)—the world's most powerful particle collider, located at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research—have new evidence that ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Crouzon syndrome diagnosed in a knight from the Order of Calatrava, killed in battle over 600 years ago

For the ArchaeoSpain research team, it was a day just like any other on their dig at the castle of Zorita de los Canes (Guadalajara). They were working at the Corral de los Condes, where some knights from the Order of Calatrava ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Four-eyed Cambrian fish fossils hint at origins of vertebrate pineal complex

New fossil evidence from China suggests that some of our vertebrate ancestors had four eyes. The study, published in Nature, takes a closer look at a structure found in multiple 518 million-year-old fossils, which appears ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Astronomers discover dense super-Neptune exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new extrasolar planet orbiting a sun-like star. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-3862 b, turns out to ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Magnetic 'sweet spots' enable optimal operation of hole spin qubits

Quantum computers, systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, could reliably tackle various computational problems that cannot be solved by classical computers. These systems process information ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Physics