Phys.org news

Phys.org / Bringing quantum time into the lab—a single clock can run young and old at once

Few concepts in physics are as familiar, yet as enigmatic, as time. In Einstein's theory of relativity, time is not absolute: its passage depends on motion and gravity. But when combined with quantum physics, this relativistic ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Brushstroke-mapping AI reopens a centuries-old mystery about one of El Greco's masterpieces

Spanish Renaissance master El Greco is often considered one of the greatest painters of all time, and many of his artworks are displayed in galleries around the world. His painting The Baptism of Christ is generally believed ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / New genetic evidence from Stajnia Cave reveals the oldest Neanderthal group reconstructed in Central-Eastern Europe

An international study published in Current Biology presents the results of the analysis of ancient mitochondrial DNA obtained from eight Neanderthal teeth discovered in Stajnia Cave, Poland. For the first time, the research ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Hawaiian green sea turtles emerge as reef defenders against invasive algae

An invasive algae already well-established in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is raising concern among researchers as it threatens to spread into the main Hawaiian Islands. Scientists from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Mind the gap! The semiconductor industry is relying on the wrong materials

2D materials are widely seen as a promising path toward better computer chips. Researchers at TU Wien have now shown that some of these materials are unsuitable due to an underestimated effect. But there are alternatives.

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Cocaine pollution alters salmon behavior in the wild, study reveals

An international study, led by researchers from Griffith University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Zoological Society of London and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, is the first to demonstrate ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Madagascar's ancient baobabs store 700 years of climate secrets—what they reveal

Madagascar is home to seven species of baobab trees, of which six are found nowhere else on the planet. Many of the trees have been alive for well over 1,000 years. The ancient trees have become symbols of Madagascar itself. ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / How tiny cave shrimps power the underworld of the Yucatan

Beneath the lush rainforests of the Yucatan Peninsula lies a hidden, subterranean world: a vast network of flooded sinkholes and anchialine caves. These unique underwater systems, which mix fresh and saltwater and are influenced ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / A hidden property of light could power future nanomachines

Light does more than illuminate the world—it can also push and twist matter. It was back in the 1870s that James Clerk Maxwell first predicted that light carries momentum and can exert pressure on objects. Nearly a century ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / How primitive plants evolved to survive Earth's most catastrophic extinction event

Earth responded to its most severe past warming event by evolving a new and bizarre type of photosynthesis that allowed a group of primitive plants to survive. Research led by the University of Leeds has revealed how lycophytes—a ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Plastic texturing kills viruses when they land

Researchers have developed a thin plastic film that tears apart viruses on contact, offering a promising new way to keep high-touch surfaces such as smartphones and hospital equipment from spreading disease. The innovation ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Cells 'switch' on protein factories after injury, study finds

Scientists have uncovered a novel mechanism through which skin cells organize and control protein production during homeostasis and wound healing, according to a new study published in Developmental Cell. The findings offer ...

Apr 20, 2026