Phys.org news

Phys.org / Rare pulsar unleashes 114 giant pulses in a single hour

Astronomers have detected extreme, never-before-seen behavior from a rare kind of pulsar and stumbled on a surprising link to one of astronomy's biggest current mysteries. Using 174 hours of radio observations, researchers ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / What happens when you flush? Study reveals how toilet aerosols reach the breathing zone

Researchers from Flinders University have found that flushing toilets can release aerosols and bioaerosols into the surrounding air, with some studies detecting particles at heights corresponding to adults' breathing zones.

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / Three quantum phases in chromium-based material hint at a spin-triplet superconductor

Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity without electrical resistance when cooled below a specific critical temperature. These materials have proved promising for the development of various technologies, including ...

Sep 7, 2026
Dialog / Early Earth's auroral belts may have formed a natural ion-beam reactor for prebiotic chemistry

We usually think of auroras as beautiful lights in the night sky. I see them as visible traces of a connection between the sun, Earth's magnetic field and the atmosphere. This led me to an origin-of-life question: Could the ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / 'Heel-strike' may have allowed early humans to walk farther—at the cost of high-impact forces

The average person takes thousands of steps each day, instinctively walking heel-to-toe. Although they hardly register them, those consistent heel-first strides are more distinctive to humans than previously thought and allowed ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / Excavations at Prado Vargas now span 140 square meters of a Neanderthal layer

The 2026 field season at Prado Vargas Cave, located in the village of Cornejo in the northern province of Burgos, Spain, within the Ojo Guareña karst complex, has expanded the excavation of Neanderthal sublevel 4D by 32 square ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / Weak hydrogen bonds dethrone copper as the most stable metal binder, opening a new path for metal selection

Copper has been knocked off the top of a stability ranking it had dominated for decades. Without altering the atoms directly bonded to the metal, a KAIST research team reversed the longstanding trend in which copper generally ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / Inexpensive blue pigment enables efficient one-step conversion of carbon dioxide to methane

A common blue pigment could help turn carbon dioxide (CO₂) from an industrial waste product into a useful fuel. A joint research team led by Tohoku University's Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), in collaboration ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / Survey of young researchers raises concerns over future of science in U.S.

One-third of young scientists who had been planning careers in academic research changed their minds in the spring of 2025, according to a new survey. Fewer expected to remain in higher education or work in the U.S., or felt ...

Sep 7, 2026
Dialog / Park rangers and residents speak up to save Togo's last national park

A few years ago, I drove with an old friend from Togo, West Africa, towards the country's last remaining large protected area, Fazao-Malfakassa National Park. Our destination was the Hotel Fazao, where his uncle had once ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / AI governance model inspired by Pope Leo XIV aims to put ethics first

Researchers at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) and the University of Eastern Finland have developed a new model of artificial intelligence governance inspired by the teachings of Pope Leo XIV as set out ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / From strays to territory bosses: Epigenetics makes cheetahs adaptable

The findings of a new study led by the Leibniz-IZW on Namibian free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) demonstrate that epigenetic mechanisms might play an important role in how animals develop different phenotypes ...

Sep 7, 2026