Phys.org news

Phys.org / Replication efforts suggest 'smoking gun' evidence isn't enough to prove quantum computing claims

A group of scientists, including Sergey Frolov, professor of physics at the University of Pittsburgh, and co-authors from Minnesota and Grenoble have undertaken several replication studies centered around topological effects ...

Jan 8, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Unexpected oscillation states in magnetic vortices could enable coupling across different physical systems

Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have uncovered previously unobserved oscillation states—so-called Floquet states—in tiny magnetic vortices. Unlike earlier experiments, which required energy-intensive ...

Jan 8, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / The Arctic has entered a new era of extreme weather, study suggests

Extreme weather events have become significantly more common in the Arctic over recent decades, posing a threat to vital polar ecosystems, according to new research by an international team of scientists.

Jan 8, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Study offers possible solution to a gravitational wave mystery

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder may have solved a pressing mystery about the universe's gravitational wave background.

Jan 8, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New group of potential diabetes drugs with fewer side effects can reprogram insulin-resistant cells to be healthier

Using a blend of computer modeling, structural and cell-based studies, scientists at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute have designed a group of potential diabetes drugs that reprogram insulin-resistant cells into a healthier ...

Jan 8, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Quantum-enhanced interferometry amplifies detection of tiny laser beam shifts and tilts

A quantum trick based on interferometric measurements allows a team of researchers at LMU to detect even the smallest movements of a laser beam with extreme sensitivity.

Jan 8, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Scientists solve longstanding mystery about diseases driven by uncontrolled cell growth

For the first time, scientists have answered a longstanding question in cell biology about a partnership of proteins called the "KICSTOR–GATOR1 complex" which operates as a control system inside our cells, telling them ...

Jan 8, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Coffee as a staining agent substitute in electron microscopy

To ensure that the tissue structures of biological samples are easily recognizable under the electron microscope, they are treated with a staining agent. The standard staining agent for this is uranyl acetate. However, some ...

Jan 8, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Simultaneous packing structures in superionic water may explain ice giant magnetic fields

Superionic water—the hot, black and strangely conductive form of ice that exists in the center of distant planets—was predicted in the 1980s and first recreated in a laboratory in 2018. With each closer look, it continues ...

Jan 8, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Quantum phenomenon enables a nanoscale mirror that can be switched on and off

Controlling light is an important technological challenge—not just at the large scale of optics in microscopes and telescopes, but also at the nanometer scale. Recently, physicists at the University of Amsterdam published ...

Jan 8, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Self-configuring optical devices automatically learn how to sort out light

Light can be sculpted into countless shapes. Yet building optical devices that can simultaneously manipulate many different optical patterns at once is extremely complicated, and remains a major challenge in modern photonics.

Jan 8, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Entanglement enhances the speed of quantum simulations, transforming long-standing obstacles into a powerful advantage

Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have made a significant discovery regarding quantum entanglement. This phenomenon, which has long been viewed as a significant obstacle in classical ...

Jan 8, 2026 in Physics