Phys.org news

Phys.org / Gold nanoclusters could help break down Alzheimer's amyloid plaques

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by progressive memory loss and a decline in other mental functions. Past studies have consistently linked this disorder to the accumulation of the protein ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Physicists predict a new form of quantum matter that holds itself together

Researchers at Monash University have predicted a new type of quantum matter that challenges decades of thinking about how ultracold particles behave. The paper, "Quantum droplets in a resonant Bose-Fermi mixture," is published ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / How ancient trees are warning us about the next enormous solar storm

Our sun is capable of storms far bigger than we've ever recorded. Studying the world's oldest trees suggests we could soon be due one of these gargantuan events.

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Gluons may play a central role in baryon number conservation—and matter's stability

New results from the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) suggest that gluons, the glue-like particles that hold quarks together inside protons, play a central role in the conservation of baryon number—an ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Who's watching who? Otters turn their attention to humans

For many people, a trip to the zoo is a chance to watch playful otters dart through the water and chatter with one another. But while we may worry that crowds could stress the otter community, a new Australian study shows ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Mega-Earth GJ 523b is 23 times as massive as our planet—but only 2.5 times as wide

It's nearly 170 million years old. It's more than 2.5 times the size of Earth. And it's the first exoplanet discovered and cataloged by researchers with the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research (WiCOR).

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / 35-year monitoring study clarifies ecological forces behind Lyme disease risk

Tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the United States. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported, with nearly half a million people diagnosed each year. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, it is most often spread ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient Austronesian seafarers carried symbolic art 4,000 years ago

A 4,000-year-old painted stone plaque discovered on a remote Indonesian island is the first known example of portable art belonging to the Austronesian Painting Tradition (APT), providing a rare glimpse into the symbolic ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Graphene device measures fractional electric charges carried by some of quantum physics' strangest objects

An electron is supposed to be indivisible. It carries one fundamental unit of electric charge, and every electron is exactly the same. But under extreme conditions, large numbers of electrons act together and give rise to ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Stellar explosions come into focus with new nuclear reaction measurements

In two separate papers published in Physical Review Letters, researchers investigated the nuclear reactions that take place inside supernovae and X-ray bursts—two of the universe's most powerful explosions. Together, the ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / World off-track on nearly every food system goal, latest assessment reveals

The latest study from the Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) reveals the stark reality of where global food systems transformation stands: for most indicators on health, environment, livelihoods, governance and resilience, ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Two eyeless shrimp-like species found in Japan's groundwater are new to science

Researchers have identified two new species in the genus Bogidiella, small shrimp-like amphipods that live in subterranean aquatic environments, from cave waters on the Ryukyu Islands, a subtropical island chain in southwestern ...

Aug 17, 2026