Phys.org news

Phys.org / Sourdough starters reveal a recipe for predicting microbial species survival

People have long said that "bread is life." Now, researchers at Tufts University are using the bubbling mixtures of flour and water known as sourdough starters to explore what shapes life at the microscopic level. Their findings, ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Rethinking where life could exist beyond Earth

Astronomers have long searched for life within a rather narrow ring around a star, the "habitable zone," where a planet should be neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water. A new study argues that this ring is too strict: ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New code connects microscopic insights to the macroscopic world

In inertial confinement fusion, a capsule of fuel begins at temperatures near zero and pressures close to vacuum. When lasers compress that fuel to trigger fusion, the material heats up to millions of degrees and reaches ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / A new optical centrifuge is helping physicists probe the mysteries of superfluids

Physicists have used a new optical centrifuge to control the rotation of molecules suspended in liquid helium nano-droplets, bringing them a step closer to demystifying the behavior of exotic, frictionless superfluids.

Jan 22, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Cells that are not our own may unlock secrets about our health

During pregnancy, maternal and fetal cells migrate back and forth across the placenta, with fetal cells entering the mother's bloodstream and tissues. They can settle in maternal organs such as the thyroid, liver, lungs, ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Experiment clarifies cosmic origin of rare proton-rich isotope selenium-74

Researchers have reported new experimental results addressing the origin of rare proton-rich isotopes heavier than iron, called p-nuclei. Led by Artemis Tsantiri, then-graduate student at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Tungsten carbide phase control: Engineering a low-cost alternative catalyst for producing sustainable petrochemicals

Important everyday products—from plastics to detergents—are made through chemical reactions that mostly use precious metals such as platinum as catalysts. Scientists have been searching for more sustainable, low-cost ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Social networks spanned thousands of square kilometers during the Upper Paleolithic period, study finds

Researchers from several European institutions, led by scientists from the University of Barcelona and the University of Alcalá, have demonstrated that the hunter-gatherers who inhabited the interior of the Iberian Peninsula ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Study challenges long-held theory that language is built on grammar trees

Every time we speak, we're improvising. "Humans possess a remarkable ability to talk about almost anything, sometimes putting words together into never-before-spoken or -written sentences," said Morten H. Christiansen, the ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Space station crew credits ultrasound machine for handling in-orbit health crisis

The astronauts evacuated last week from the International Space Station say a portable ultrasound machine came in "super handy" during the medical crisis.

Jan 22, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Beneath Antarctica's largest ice shelf, a hidden ocean is revealing its secrets

Beneath Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf lies one of the least measured oceans on Earth—a vast, dark cavity roughly twice the volume of the North Sea.

Jan 22, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Meadows reveal unexpected monotony in insect biodiversity study

According to a new study by the University of Würzburg, Bavarian meadows are the most monotonous insect habitats. Surprisingly, fields and settlements often offer more diversity than grassland.

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology