Phys.org news

Phys.org / The invasive fern that science misidentified for decades

Salvinia molesta can double its biomass in 36 hours. It spreads across ponds, lakes and slow-moving waterways in a smothering green mat, blocking sunlight, consuming oxygen and collapsing the ecosystems beneath it. Now present ...

23 hours ago
Phys.org / New way to clean up environmental pollution using phage bioaugmentation

The ability of bacteria to remove pollutants from soil, water, mine waste and other environments could be supercharged by a "friendly" compatible virus, according to a study led by Flinders University. The new insights, published ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / How a sugar building block influences viral attachment

Sialic acid is a natural sugar building block found on the surfaces of our cells. It acts as a protective and recognition molecule and plays a central role in the development of the nervous system. Following the modular principle, ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Arabian Sea sediments reveal summer and winter monsoons shifted differently after last ice age

High-resolution sediment analyses from the Arabian Sea reveal, for the first time, that summer and winter monsoons respond differently to global climate change. The study enhances understanding of past precipitation patterns ...

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Physicists demonstrate Hong–Ou–Mandel interference with more than 10 atoms

In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers have demonstrated the Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) effect with up to 12 indistinguishable neutral atoms—an effect that has been predominantly observed in photonic systems.

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / An iconic spear-throwing device likely wasn't used by prehistoric hunters until around 10,000 years ago

Archaeologists have long pictured prehistoric hunters taking down mammoths and other megafauna using the atlatl, a handheld spear-throwing device that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity and force when throwing darts. ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Open cluster NGC 6134 in Norma is 1.38 billion years old and hosts a core, tidal tail and diffuse halo

Indonesian astronomers have conducted a comprehensive study of an open cluster in the constellation Norma, known as NGC 6134. Results of the new study, available in a research paper published June 23 on the preprint server ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / One of the most distant 'leaky' galaxies ever found may reveal how the universe reionized

Astronomers have identified one of the most distant candidate galaxies known to leak ionizing radiation—the same kind of radiation thought to have transformed the early universe during the epoch of reionization.

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Houston power plant emerges as dominant source of cloud-forming aerosols

Research by atmospheric scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and colleagues pinpointed an individual coal-fired power plant in Houston as the main source of particles most likely to encourage the ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Gut parasite alters honey bee smell as infection progresses, potentially changing hive behavior

Honey bees infected with a gut parasite smell different, which could allow bee colonies to detect disease and influence behavior inside the hive, new research finds.

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / The little red galaxies that may be sending us neutrinos

Peering far into the distant, high-redshift universe, the James Webb telescope has discovered an abundance of small red galaxies known as the Little Red Dots. From their observations, astronomers believe that at least some ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / A severe El Niño could threaten something essential to half of humanity—rice

Forecasters expect the El Niño now underway in the tropical Pacific to strengthen into a strong or very strong climate driver later this year.

Jun 30, 2026