Phys.org news

Phys.org / Pilot whales are already 'shouting' at full volume, but one busy waterway is pushing them to the edge

With over 60,000 ships passing through the Strait of Gibraltar each year, this stretch between the Atlantic and Mediterranean is one of the busiest waterways on the planet. This narrow strip of water is also home to a critically ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Harmless viruses trap Salmonella on flexible polymer in portable microfluidic sensor

Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have developed a solid polymer coated with harmless viruses to detect the bacteria Salmonella enterica (S. enterica), an advance that could lead to new ways of finding ...

May 7, 2026
Dialog / Scientists uncover hidden parasite diversity in barb fish from the Sea of Galilee

When most people think about biodiversity in lakes and rivers, they imagine fish, plants, or perhaps birds and amphibians. But beneath the surface exists another world that often goes unnoticed: microscopic parasites that ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Climate-driven extreme fire danger cannot be prevented by carbon neutrality alone, study warns

A new study warns that unless atmospheric carbon is reduced immediately, future summers will become even hotter and future wildfires even more destructive. A research team led by Professor Seung-Ki Min of the Department of ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Gaming monkeys' curiosity: Japanese macaques actively explore moderately uncertain stimuli

The intrinsic information-seeking impulse we call curiosity is independent of extrinsic rewards, such as food or mating opportunities. Curiosity is purely the pursuit of understanding the unknown, driving both humans and ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Team steers electron spin ballistically in graphene

Researchers at The University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute have shown that electrons in ultra-clean graphene can be steered with high precision while keeping their spin information intact, a key requirement ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / LED light unlocks 3D optical fingerprints inside materials without lasers

Researchers have developed, for the first time in the world, incoherent dielectric tensor tomography (iDTT), a technology that can read complex three-dimensional optical fingerprints inside materials using only everyday LED ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Thawing Arctic soil awakens only half of soil microbes, new study reveals

As the Arctic warms at an unprecedented rate, frozen soils that have remained locked in ice for most of the year are now thawing for longer periods. Yet new research led by an international team including scientists from ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Novel nanoparticle therapy using manganese could improve cancer treatment

A research team led by the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has developed a new type of nanoparticle therapy that could make cancer immunotherapy safer and more ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / These monster black holes did not form the usual way—their history of violence is written into spacetime ripples

The most massive black holes in the universe detected by the ripples they make in spacetime were not born directly from collapsing stars, according to a new study. These cosmic giants instead build up through a series of ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Every dollar spent on forest fuel treatments saves $3.75 in wildfire damages, study finds

Every dollar spent on forest fuel treatments saves about $3.75 in wildfire damages, according to a new study, led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, of nearly 300 fires in the western United States. The ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Chilean wasp named in honor of Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday

Scientists from the Natural History Museum, London have described a new genus and species of parasitic wasp found within the Museum's collections, and named it as a birthday present for Sir David Attenborough.

May 7, 2026