Phys.org news

Phys.org / Ants break a basic rule of biology to help them adapt to new environments

A new study led by researchers in the Eco-Evo-Devo lab at the University of Ottawa finds that ants can decouple antenna size from both head and body size as they develop into different social castes, revealing how social ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / Light-activated catalyst makes sustainable production of hydrogen peroxide more efficient

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is a versatile chemical feedstock whose industrial production relies predominantly on an energy-intensive process with a substantial environmental footprint. One alternative is to produce it using ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / DNA and underwater footage reveal two new species of deep-sea siphonophores

New research is shedding light on the diversity of deep-sea siphonophores. A team of scientists from MBARI, the University of Gdańsk, New York University and Yale University conducted a comprehensive examination of Bargmannia ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / A parasite carried by one-third of humanity can't reproduce if one key protein is disabled

A protein discovered in a Virginia Tech–led study may open a gateway to treatments for a parasite responsible for a deadly disease in immunocompromised people. The team led by Raj Gaji, assistant professor of parasitology ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / Ultrafast light pulses track molecular motion with three-femtosecond resolution

Researchers have observed a molecule in the first instants after it has absorbed light and tracked the coordinated motion of electrons and nuclei with a temporal resolution of three femtoseconds. This is the result achieved ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / With climate-resilient crops in mind, study tackles flaw in photosynthesis

Rising temperatures and increasing drought are shortening crop-growing seasons in many parts of the world. Now scientists in Sweden report new advances toward engineering more efficient photosynthesis, work that could eventually ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / Helping microgreens pack even more of a nutritional punch

Microgreens are nutritional powerhouses. A team of plant scientists at Penn State conducting research on multiple aspects of microgreens recently published three studies reporting progress on multiple fronts, including iron ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / Black hole observations uncover evidence of solar storm–like magnetic eruptions

Technion researchers have presented evidence for the existence of solar-storm-like outbursts near supermassive black holes, which can be a million times larger than the sun or more. The phenomenon was discovered in the vicinity ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / Supramolecular assembly opens a new route to building quantum materials

A joint research team fabricated a two-dimensional structure that exhibits properties of both the honeycomb and Kagome lattices using organic molecules. They discovered that edge states specific to topological materials (states ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / Supermassive black holes ejected from galactic centers? Quasar survey supports decade-old prediction

By analyzing data on around 100,000 quasars, or extremely luminous galactic nuclei, researchers at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) have found statistical evidence that some supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / The assumption about farm automation that may be wrong

You've likely heard this assumption: When AI-enabled and autonomous machines arrive on the farm, jobs will disappear. But researchers at the University of California, Davis, who studied 16 fruit tree operations in California ...

Oct 22, 2026
Phys.org / Amino acid stabilizes material's quantum state above room temperature

New research started with a special material that behaves unusually when it's extremely cold—135 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 93 degrees Celsius), close to the most frigid temperature ever recorded in Antarctica—and ...

Oct 22, 2026