Phys.org news

Phys.org / CHIME tracks a hyperactive repeating fast radio burst source

Using the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), an international team of astronomers has performed radio observations of FRB 20220912A—a highly active source of repeating fast radio bursts. Results of the ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Put a nanodiamond under intense pressure and it becomes flexible

Diamond is among the hardest naturally occurring substances on Earth, but if you shrink it down to the nanoscale, it is surprisingly elastic. And that could be useful for a host of applications such as quantum computing. ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Laser bursts flip nanoscale magnetic vortices at blistering speeds, opening a path to brain-like spintronics

Spintronics are devices that operate leveraging the spin, an intrinsic form of angular momentum, of electrons. The ability to switch magnetic states is central to the functioning of these devices, as it ultimately allows ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Pressure-tuned quantum spin liquid-like behavior observed in material Y-kapellasite

A quantum spin liquid is a phase of matter in which the magnetic moments in a material do not align or freeze, even at temperatures close to absolute zero (i.e., at 0 K). The experimental realization of this highly dynamic ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Getting the jump on evolution: Cane toads adapt at speed

A new study comparing invasive cane toads in Japan and Australia has found substantial changes in body size and shape have developed much more rapidly than suggested by long-held ideas of the pace of evolution. Researchers ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Breakthrough sulfur polymer kills dangerous fungi and bacteria while sparing human and plant cells

Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a global burden in human health and food production, so affordable new materials are needed to overcome this growing problem. To answer the call, a multidisciplinary research team led ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists take a step toward a quantum internet using New York City's fiber

As long as there's been an internet, there's been a way to hack it. Scientists have spent decades imagining a different kind of network, one where the laws of physics make eavesdropping physically impossible, not just technically ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Black bears are emerging as roaming reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria across expanding US ranges

A new gut microbiome study of bears in eastern North Carolina expands our understanding of microbial ecosystems in omnivores and contributes to the broader idea that bear feces could help scientists monitor changes in the ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Breathing new life into an ancient mystery: Unlocking the trilobite's respiratory secrets

For more than 270 million years, trilobites were among the most successful and diverse creatures on Earth, with over 22,000 known species spanning the Paleozoic Era. Yet, despite their abundance in the fossil record and their ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Missing link in evolution of ancient fish found in 150-year-old museum specimen

A new species of coelacanth has been identified from a 150-year-old fossil housed at London's Natural History Museum. Former University of Portsmouth paleontology student Jack L. Norton located the coelacanth, which provides ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / North African-linked stone tools reached Iberia 700,000 years ago, evidence suggests

Members of the Atapuerca Research Team from the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), the University of Burgos, and the ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Simple ocean-based model forecasts a powerful El Niño, over 2 °C warmer than normal

For decades, scientists have worked to improve predictions of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a climate powerhouse that can cause droughts, flooding, marine heat waves, and more around the world. Researchers from the ...

Apr 21, 2026