Phys.org news

Phys.org / Dry seeds preserve fully formed mitochondria, unlocking rapid energy at germination

The majority of plant seeds have the special ability to almost completely dry out and yet remain viable. While most living cells die with a 90% loss of water, cells in seeds enter a biological state of dormancy. With a moisture ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Machine learning methods move self-driving labs closer to materials discovery at scale

Machine learning doesn't replace human intelligence, but it can outlast human endurance, which makes it a helpful tool for chemistry and materials discovery. Scientists know machine learning models can make predictions based ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Narwhals help researchers uncover unique data from the deepest East Greenland fjords

They live in some of the most inaccessible waters on Earth, where ocean temperatures hover around freezing. Because they move through areas that humans rarely reach, they have been able to help researchers with a special ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Why some lava-covered exoplanets retain atmospheres for billions of years

Stanford researchers have offered an explanation for why some sizzling, lava-covered worlds nestled tightly around their stars can retain their atmospheres. At such close quarters, intense stellar radiation should strip away ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / How high scores in an online brain teaser made mathematicians lie for three years

It might not yet be the phenomenon that is Wordle, but for hundreds of thousands of players, Digit Party has scratched the itch of a casual brain teaser to break up their day.

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Narrow ultrasonic beam enables stable 3D levitation six times farther than before

Scientists have developed a new acoustic levitation technique using an ultrasonic beam capable of levitating and moving small objects in midair over distances of up to 40 cm (16 inches), six times farther than previously ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Liquid gallium experiment confirms key flow regime inside rapidly rotating stars and planets

Since we cannot look into the interiors of stars and planets, we rely on lab experiments to replicate the physical processes that occur there. Led by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), an international research ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Volcanic eruptions and warming climate disrupt long-standing link between Indian and Pacific oceans

A new study that combines paleoclimate data and climate models suggests that large volcanic eruptions can disrupt the relationship between atmospheric circulation patterns over the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans. In addition, ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / For Legionella bacteria, taking over a cell means playing by its rules

When it comes to invading healthy cells, Legionella bacteria rely on blending in rather than breaking in. New research from Van Andel Institute scientists demonstrates how a protein produced by Legionella mimics the behavior ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Fossil-fuel carbon fingerprint reaches the deep North Atlantic

The use of fossil fuels alters both the concentration and the carbon isotope composition of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since surface water exchanges carbon dioxide with the atmosphere, this also alters the isotopic ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny atomic changes could lead to smarter wireless technology

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have shown that making extremely small changes to the structure of a material can dramatically improve its ability to respond to electrical signals. Published recently in Science ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / When fruits and veggies are scarce, monkeys hunt for meat

Capuchin monkeys hunt prey when fruits and vegetables become scarce, potentially mirroring the habits of human ancestors, according to a study published in PLOS One by Susana Carvalho (Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique), ...

Aug 26, 2026