Phys.org news

Phys.org / How does gold keep its glitter? Researchers uncover why it resists tarnish

Gold has been prized for thousands of years for its enduring shine, but Tulane University researchers have discovered that gold's resistance to tarnishing depends on more than its chemistry.

May 21, 2026
Phys.org / Bacteria found in artisan cheeses may ease disease

Blessed are the tiny cheesemakers: scientists have mapped out the bacteria responsible for giving three British cheeses their distinct flavor, which may also be beneficial to human health. Scientists in the Food Microbial ...

May 21, 2026
Phys.org / NASA's AWE instrument completes mission to study Earth's effect on space weather

On May 21, ground controllers powered down NASA's AWE (Atmospheric Waves Experiment) instrument, bringing the data collection phase of the mission to a successful and scheduled end, surpassing its planned two-year mission.

May 21, 2026
Dialog / A new light-based sensor could help make ultrasensitive disease testing more portable

When we think about highly sensitive medical testing, we often imagine a hospital laboratory filled with large instruments, trained technicians, and carefully controlled conditions. This is especially true for optical biosensing, ...

May 21, 2026
Phys.org / Evolutionary arms race stretches hawkmoths and flowers to extremes

Long before his days of research, Christian Couch was just a kid marveling at the butterflies in the Florida Museum of Natural History's Butterfly Rainforest. Years later, after enrolling as an undergraduate student at the ...

May 21, 2026
Phys.org / Television news coverage of climate policy is limited and polarized in the US, study finds

Two-thirds of Americans want action on climate change, but people vastly underestimate public support for climate solutions and policy. Historically, U.S. news outlets overrepresented views on climate change that went against ...

May 21, 2026
Phys.org / Wildlife is watching us, too—and changing behavior in response

A new large-scale study led by a research team from the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change has found that wildlife responds not only to how humans reshape their habitats, but also to the simple presence of humans—and ...

May 21, 2026
Phys.org / Unusual nonlinear thermoelectric effect appears in chiral tellurium, confirming theoretical predictions

An unusual thermoelectric effect has been observed in the semiconductor tellurium by RIKEN physicists for the first time. This demonstration points to the potential of similar materials to be used in applications such as ...

May 21, 2026
Phys.org / Dual-atom fuel cell catalysts break single-peak rule, exposing two optima

Researchers have uncovered a new principle that could accelerate the development of cheaper and more efficient fuel cells by revealing how dual-atom catalysts behave during a key energy conversion reaction. The study, led ...

May 21, 2026
Phys.org / Extraterrestrial life may be slipping past space missions, astrobiologists warn

Suppose there are signs of extraterrestrial life and we have not yet been able to detect them. What does that mean? In Nature Astronomy, researchers discuss the consequences of these so-called false-negative results. "We ...

May 21, 2026
Phys.org / Faster gene screening method targets deadly fungus

Researchers at the University of Guelph have developed a faster way to identify potential drug targets against a dangerous fungal pathogen, allowing for the study of hundreds or thousands of genes simultaneously instead of ...

May 21, 2026
Phys.org / Astronomers de-fog exoplanet atmospheres with new cloud-detecting method

Sand clouds form every morning but clear up by nightfall on WASP-94A b, a well-studied gas giant in a constellation located nearly 700 light years away from Earth. Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), research ...

May 21, 2026