Phys.org news
Phys.org / Meteorite dust holds records of magnetism that may have helped form the sun
Around 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system was little more than a giant ball of gas and dust. Over the next few million years, this "solar nebula" underwent a huge transformation, flattening into a disk of matter that ...
Phys.org / Supersized quantum sensors make faint photons easier to catch
Our everyday life is flooded with photons, the quantum building blocks of light. For cutting-edge technology, from quantum computing to deep-tissue imaging, detecting every single photon counts.
Phys.org / How fusion reactions can survive flaws—up to a point
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have found that implosions designed for inertial fusion energy (IFE) can tolerate significant imperfections before performance abruptly declines, a finding that ...
Phys.org / The 'wonder material' graphene can be made using a kitchen blender, a mobile phone and a newspaper
There is something slightly ridiculous about using a kitchen blender to make graphene. This is, after all, the "wonder material" associated with futuristic technologies. You might reasonably expect its production to involve ...
Phys.org / How chromosomes find their partners
For a long time, so-called satellite DNA was considered largely worthless. Now, ETH Zurich researchers have shown in fruit flies that these repetitive sections of genetic material act as a kind of barcode, enabling the correct ...
Phys.org / New study reveals how space rocks become meteorites
What happens to a space rock as it falls through Earth's atmosphere and becomes a meteorite? By studying 75 meteorite falls captured on video and in photographs, researchers identified seven distinct phases in the journey ...
Phys.org / Wildlife trafficking spreads across social media, putting thousands of species at risk
Researchers monitoring online activity for six weeks in mid-2025 found primates, birds, snakes, frogs, orchids and many other wildlife groups advertised for sale across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Wildlife is ...
Dialog / A bird's eye view of illegal logging and its consequences in the Peruvian Amazon
When I first arrived in Peru's Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve in 2005, a local youth surprised me with an offer to sell me a live owl, despite the fact that we were in a protected area where commercial hunting was prohibited. ...
Phys.org / Catching cow burps in real time: Methane sensor matches industry monitor in early field test
Methane is a short-lived but powerful greenhouse gas; cutting methane emissions can slow near-term warming and improve air quality by reducing harmful ground-level ozone. As ruminants digest feed, they release methane—through ...
Phys.org / How to CT scan a 400-pound crocodile
At 61, Bill had begun showing changes in his health—decreased appetite, weight loss and abdominal bloating. But his bloodwork was normal, leaving the cause of his symptoms unknown. The next step was clear: Bill should get ...
Phys.org / Bacteria from ancestral wheat microbiomes help protect plants against root rot fungus
In the journal npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, researchers from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) and the University of São Paulo (USP) describe the role of three bacteria in suppressing a soil-borne ...
Phys.org / One step closer to the ideal glass—simulations reveal hidden order at absolute zero
In the physical sense, glass is not limited to familiar window glass; it forms whenever a liquid is cooled so quickly that it cannot crystallize. As a result, glass has an amorphous structure—that is, its "building blocks" ...
