Phys.org news

Phys.org / Ultrathin silicon structures can tune mid-IR light in billionths of a second

Light in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum plays a key role in modern sensing. Because molecules interact with this kind of light in specific ways, researchers use technologies like mid-IR ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / 'Peculiar' new species of Jurassic squid found in Wyoming

A "peculiar" new species of Jurassic squid-like animal has been unearthed in Wyoming, U.S., following the discovery of two exceptionally rare fossils dating to around 160 million years ago.

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Chinese cave traces Denisovan hunting and adaptation across 120,000 years

An ancient cave in southwestern China has revealed new evidence about how Denisovans—an ancient human relative—lived, survived and adapted over more than 100,000 years.

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / A cellular threshold can determine whether herpesvirus becomes active or lies dormant

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we wore masks and kept 2 meters (6.6 feet) apart in an effort to reduce the spread of the tiny droplets we release into the air with every breath, conversation or cough. The main goal was to ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Unaccounted climate feedback loops may amplify warming by 20–30% this century, but cutting emissions will reduce risks

New research shows that warming-induced emissions—greenhouse gas emissions from natural sources driven by rising temperatures—could amplify global warming by approximately 20%–30% and add an estimated 0.2°C–0.4°C of warming ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Water isotopes reveal early drought signals in Central Amazon rainfall

The historic droughts of 2023 and 2024 in the Amazon reduced river flows and altered the region's rainfall composition. Daily monitoring in Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, revealed these changes through ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / How sex with multiple mates can help save species from extinction

Allowing females to mate with multiple males, rather than just one, could help make species more resistant to extinction, University of East Anglia research shows. A new study reveals that when females have multiple males ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Kids' brains are built for distraction. Sometimes that's a good thing.

Parents often learn the hard way that to make it anywhere on time, they should calculate how much time they think they need to get ready—and double it.

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Sun's largest sunspots may have potential to trigger superflares

The sun is capable of great things. In massive eruptions, it repeatedly hurls particles and radiation into space. This solar bombardment can be dangerous for technical infrastructure on Earth: For example, satellites and ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / 'White graphene' reshaped at the atomic scale with tailor-made nanopores

A research team at the University of Vienna led by physicist Jani Kotakoski demonstrates how the shape of nanopores in hexagonal boron nitride—the electrically insulating counterpart to graphene, also known as "white graphene"—can ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists want to 3D print houses on Mars with the help of yeast

Mars is a terrible place to build a house. It's bitterly cold, blasted by radiation and a near vacuum. Not to mention that the building materials, even for a modest shelter, could spend months hurtling through space before ...

Sep 10, 2026
Phys.org / New pulse-train method aims to improve precision in quantum control

Quantum technologies are poised to transform fields ranging from medicine and sensing to computing and communications by manipulating the energy states of atoms and molecules. These manipulations are achieved by controlling ...

Sep 10, 2026