Phys.org news

Phys.org / Some boreal forest species fail to recover even 100 years after clearcutting

Boreal forests are being clear-cut faster than some of their wildlife and plant species can recover, with a few failing to return even 100 years after harvesting, according to University of Alberta-led research.

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / New superconductors identified, unlocking process that could yield thousands more

An international team of quantum researchers has shown how machine learning can be used to filter a practically infinite number of possible material combinations to identify candidates for superconductivity. Thanks to the ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / First-of-a-kind laser spring opens up new avenues for plasma control

When a high-intensity laser interacts with plasma, the charged particles typically oscillate back and forth like waves on the ocean. But what if the laser itself could twist like a whirlpool? Researchers have now demonstrated ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / First ever dinosaur found in Antarctica described for science

The first dinosaur fossil found on the Antarctic continent has been described scientifically. The fossil, a vertebra, was found on a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) expedition in 1985 but has only recently been recognized ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Graphene can hold multiple states of superconductivity, a new study finds

The ordinary graphite in pencil lead is proving to be surprisingly multifaceted at the microscale. In a study published in the journal Nature, MIT researchers report that a certain microscopic structure found in natural graphite ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Plutonium compound unlocks rare topological quantum behavior with potential nuclear science applications

Plutonium is one of the most complex elements in the periodic table. First synthesized and isolated in 1940 by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, plutonium has been studied closely for more than eight decades. ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Bronze Age boat carvings point to maritime links from Iberia to Scandinavia

Bronze Age rock carvings suggest communities across Europe were far more connected than previously thought, according to a new study led by the Department of Archaeology. The research compared ancient rock carvings, or "petroglyphs," ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Rare inner ear cells point to regenerative hearing treatments

A study by a team of researchers from the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University offers new hope to millions of people with irreversible hearing loss. The researchers identified a unique biological ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Faster tests reveal six fluoropolymer microplastics, including four rarely tracked types

Scientists around the world have been searching food, water and other environmental media for microplastics and for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). But microfluoroplastics (MFPs), the intersection between these ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Deep inside crocodile skulls, 100 million years of brain evolution barely registers

Although modern crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials are restricted to the tropics, their fossil record tells a very different story. Ancient crocodylians once inhabited much of the globe and exhibited a remarkable ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / New Horizons tracks solar wind slowdown as interstellar atoms add drag

A new Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) study based on data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has uncovered insights into why the solar wind gradually slows as it moves toward the edge of the solar system and the boundary ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Ozone depletion began decades before discovery of ozone hole, scientists find

The Antarctic ozone hole was discovered in 1985, when scientists observed a severe depletion in Earth's protective layer of stratospheric ozone. Industrial chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), then widely used as ...

Jun 29, 2026