Phys.org news

Phys.org / A new game demonstrates quantum advantage with provable classical limits

For decades, physicists have worked to prove the strange predictions of quantum mechanics with real experiments. As quantum computers have grown more powerful, researchers have devised increasingly sophisticated ways to test ...

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Beyond the sea walls: Underwater archaeology reveals the hidden scale of ancient Mediterranean ports

Trade routes and ports have shaped the history of human civilization, with the Mediterranean network among the most prominent and influential. Yet our understanding of its past is shaped largely by what remains visible on ...

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / JWST finds extreme star-forming galaxies masquerading as faint quasars

A new study finds that two early-universe objects thought to be faint quasars are actually extraordinarily luminous galaxies powered by bursts of star formation. James Webb Space Telescope observations of the galaxies, seen ...

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / One of the oldest known 3D animal fossils found in Norwegian sheep field

One of the oldest known 3D fossils of an animal has been discovered in a sheep field in the Norwegian Arctic, the first new major site of its kind anywhere in Europe in decades.

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / New screening system flags food-packaging chemicals linked to serious health risks

Packaged food usually sits in plastic-lined bags designed to keep air, moisture and contaminants out. That same protection can also increase the chances of chemicals from the packaging seeping into the food. When a chemical ...

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Hubble and Webb find that far-out solar system objects 'remember' the past

For the first time, scientists used the combined power of NASA's Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes to study some of the most far-flung bodies in our solar system, trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). Some are the smallest ...

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Prehistoric builders hauled 25-tonne stones at least 18 km to build iconic Devil's Arrows

New research has revealed that ancient builders deliberately transported enormous 25-tonne stones across at least 18 kilometers (11 miles) to build Britain's tallest surviving prehistoric stone row—the iconic Devil's Arrows.

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Helium-3 lifts new quantum computing concept with faster tunneling rates

Helium—the lightest atom that can be laser-cooled and controlled—powers a new design for high-powered, stable quantum computers.

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Extremely massive galaxy proto-supercluster smashes distance record

An international team of astronomers has discovered the most distant progenitor to a galaxy supercluster ever. The discovery supports existing theories of how galaxy clusters evolve and reveals how they are connected to the ...

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Eggshells-inspired aluminum material offers significant protection from space debris

There are nearly 1 million pieces of debris larger than 1 centimeter (0.4 inch) in near-Earth orbit. As we continue launching spacecraft and telescopes to explore the universe, this debris poses a significant threat of high-speed ...

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Pumping antibiotics out: A new route to bacterial drug resistance

Bacteria can survive antibiotics in several ways, including by pumping the drugs out of their cells before they can take effect. Researchers at the University of Osaka have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that allows ...

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS carries clues from the frozen outskirts of another star system

UK astronomers have uncovered new clues about the origin of 3I/ATLAS—only the third known object from beyond the solar system ever spotted. In a new paper published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers ...

Sep 8, 2026