Phys.org news

Phys.org / Real-time imaging captures contact between cells and between a single neuron's extensions

Living organisms are made up of hundreds of thousands of cells that cooperate to create the organs and systems that breathe, eat, move, and think. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a new way to track how and when ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / MXene nanoscrolls could improve energy storage, biosensors and more

Researchers from Drexel University who discovered a versatile type of two-dimensional conductive nanomaterial called MXene nearly a decade and a half ago, have now reported on a process for producing its one-dimensional cousin: ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Why termite kings and queens are monogamous: Scientists uncover surprising answer

Termites are among the most successful animals on Earth, forming vast societies that can number in the millions. But how did such complex social systems evolve from solitary ancestors that looked much like today's cockroaches?

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / NASA researchers probe tangled magnetospheres of merging neutron stars

New simulations performed on a NASA supercomputer are providing scientists with the most comprehensive look yet into the maelstrom of interacting magnetic structures around city-sized neutron stars in the moments before they ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Mapping 'figure 8' Fermi surfaces to pinpoint future chiral conductors

One of the biggest problems facing modern microelectronics is that computer chips can no longer be made arbitrarily smaller and more efficient. Materials used to date, such as copper, are reaching their limits because their ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / How fire-loving fungi learned to eat charcoal

Wildfire causes most living things to flee or die, but some fungi thrive afterward, even feasting on charred remains. New University of California, Riverside research finds the secret to post-fire flourishing hidden in their ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Freestanding 3D MXene structures push the limits of microscale devices

In a breakthrough that could power next-generation electronics, sensors, and energy storage devices, CMU engineers have developed a fabrication technique that arranges MXene nanosheets, each a million times thinner than a ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Atomic spins set quantum fluid in motion: Experimental realization of the Einstein–de Haas effect

The Einstein–de Haas effect, which links the spin of electrons to macroscopic rotation, has now been demonstrated in a quantum fluid by researchers at Science Tokyo. The team observed this effect in a Bose–Einstein condensate ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Novel quantum refrigerator benefits from problematic noise

For quantum computers to function, they must be kept at extremely low temperatures. However, today's cooling systems also generate noise that interferes with the fragile quantum information they are meant to protect. Now, ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Bacterial 'brains' operate on the brink of order and disorder

The sensory proteins that control the motion of bacteria constantly fluctuate. AMOLF researchers, together with international collaborators from ETH Zurich and University of Utah, found out that these proteins can jointly ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Kangaroo and wallaby evolution tied to Australia's past climate shifts

A QUT-led study has found how increasing aridity and habitat variation and the subsequent emergence of grasslands shaped the evolution of modern kangaroos and wallabies. The study, published in Molecular Phylogenetics and ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / AI models retrace evolution of genetic control elements in the brain

Artificial intelligence allows tracing the evolution of genetic control elements in the developing mammalian cerebellum. An international research team led by biologists from Heidelberg University as well as the Vlaams Instituut ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology