Phys.org news

Phys.org / 'Elegant triangle' experiment suggests quantum internet may be closer than we think

For more than 60 years, Bell's theorem has been the gold standard for demonstrating that quantum mechanics defies the rules of classical physics. Now, an international team of researchers, including Constructor University ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / When uncertainty spikes, chasing rewards backfires and a more informed strategy pulls ahead

Humans and other animals are constantly required to make decisions under uncertain conditions or while in rapidly changing environments. Past psychology and biology studies showed that some decision-making strategies can ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / How a single star can reshape an entire galaxy

Astronomers who simulate galaxies do not always get the same result, even when they start from identical conditions. New research from Leiden University shows that this is not a flaw, but a consequence of how galaxies behave—and ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Heat index maps uncover when city greening cools most—and when it can backfire

Tree shade is one of the fastest ways to make heat more bearable. It cuts direct sunlight, protects people walking or working outdoors, and remains essential for heat action plans. A new study by researchers from the Indian ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Shark face study uncovers 400-million-year-old blueprint shared across jawed vertebrates

Most of what scientists know about face development comes from studies in bony vertebrates such as mice, chickens, and zebrafish. However, their evolutionary counterparts, cartilaginous fishes, have remained largely unexplored. ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Snow and glacier ecosystems across remote Antarctic island reveal hidden microbial diversity

Research led by a University of Bristol Ph.D. student has revealed a host of thriving microscopic algae communities in snow and glaciers across one of the most remote locations on Earth. The study, which appears in ISME Communications ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Metagenomics and AI could unlock uncultivated bacteria and archaea

Advances in DNA sequencing have expanded our view of the microbial world, but the inability to cultivate most microbes has been a major constraint. Now, a systematic, predictive framework that combines existing genomic and ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Climate patterns may shape where violent conflict risks are amplified

A new Rice University study is shedding light on a long-debated question: Can climate variability influence the risk of armed conflict? The answer, researchers say, is yes—but in more nuanced and region-specific ways than ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Hubble survey sets up Roman's future look near Milky Way's center

The Milky Way's galactic bulge, the bulbous region that surrounds the galactic center, contains a dense collection of stars, planets, and other free-floating objects. This region has been studied for decades with numerous ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Researchers find coherent ferrons—polarization waves with potential across quantum and telecom applications

In new research published in Nature Materials, a team of researchers led by Columbia University chemist Xiaoyang Zhu, in collaboration with fellow Columbians Xavier Roy, Milan Delor, Dmitri Basov, and James McIver, has observed ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / How carbon dioxide cools the upper atmosphere—and warms Earth below

Even as temperatures rise on Earth's surface and in the lower atmosphere, the planet's upper atmosphere has cooled dramatically. This paradoxical pattern is a well-known sign of humanity's climate impacts—but until now, the ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Smarter search for fuel-cell catalysts uses machine learning

A computational method combining generative AI with atomistic simulations can identify promising platinum alloy catalyst structures for hydrogen fuel cells, report researchers from Science Tokyo. Their approach addresses ...

May 11, 2026