Phys.org news

Phys.org / Massive black hole mystery unlocked by researchers

It's one of astronomy's great mysteries: how did black holes get so big, so massive, so quickly. An answer to this cosmic conundrum has now been provided by researchers at Ireland's Maynooth University (MU) and reported today ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Bionic LiDAR system achieves beyond-retinal resolution through adaptive focusing

In a recent study, researchers from China have developed a chip-scale LiDAR system that mimics the human eye's foveation by dynamically concentrating high-resolution sensing on regions of interest (ROIs) while maintaining ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Compact electron accelerator offers new approach for treating PFAS-contaminated water

So-called forever chemicals or PFAS compounds are a growing environmental problem. An innovative approach to treating PFAS‐contaminated water and soil now comes from accelerator physics: high‐energy electrons can break ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Neanderthals took reusable toolkits with them on high-altitude treks through the Alps

When Neanderthals in Italy were crossing the Alps, it's likely they took refuge in high-altitude bear caves. A new study of stone tools in Caverna Generosa, a cave sitting 1,450 meters up in the mountains, found that these ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Too much entanglement? Quantum networks can suffer from 'selfish routing,' study shows

Quantum technologies, systems that process, transfer or store information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, could tackle some real-world problems faster and more effectively than their classical counterparts. In recent ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / World's oldest rock art holds clues to early human migration to Australia

A hand stencil on the wall of a cave in Indonesia has become the oldest known rock art in the world, exceeding the archaeologists' previous discovery in the same region by 15,000 years or more.

Jan 21, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / How European city life is continually rewriting insect DNA

Cities are known to shape the evolution of wildlife within them, but according to a study of European cities published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, this is not a one-off event. Rather ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Largest canine gut microbiome catalog reveals hundreds of new bacterial strains

Researchers at the Waltham Petcare Science Institute in the UK recently revealed a complete taxonomic and functional catalog of the canine gut microbiome after analyzing samples from 107 healthy dogs across the U.S. and Europe. ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Astronomers discover a companion cluster to Czernik 38

Astronomers from the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) in Cairo, Egypt, have investigated a young open cluster known as Czernik 38. As a result, they found a new open cluster, which turns out ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Meet the marten: An updated look at a rare, adorable carnivore

Oregon State University researchers have painted a clearer picture of the coastal marten, a secretive, ferret-sized forest carnivore renowned for its cuteness but nearly driven to extinction by human activity in the 20th ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Massive cloud with metallic winds discovered orbiting mystery object

Sweeping winds of vaporized metals have been found in a massive cloud that dimmed the light of a star for nearly nine months. This discovery, made with the Gemini South telescope in Chile, one half of the International Gemini ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Prehistoric tool made from elephant bone is the oldest discovered in Europe

A remarkable prehistoric hammer made from elephant bone, dating back nearly half a million years ago, has been uncovered in southern England and analyzed by archaeologists from UCL and the Natural History Museum, London.

Jan 21, 2026 in Other Sciences