Phys.org news

Phys.org / Soil fertilization with Amazonian dark earth increases tree diameter by up to 88%

A study conducted in the Brazilian state of Amazonas has demonstrated that small amounts of Amazonian dark earth (ADE)—an anthropogenic soil created by ancient Amazonian populations—can increase the height and diameter of ...

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / Light can now be shaped in empty space, and it could simplify sensing and boost data links

Scientists at the University of East Anglia have uncovered a hidden property of light that allows it to twist, spin and behave differently—without mirrors, materials or special lenses. In a breakthrough that could transform ...

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / Decades-long study finds 'stable' soil carbon degrades

After nearly four decades, the world's longest-running soil warming experiment is revealing a surprising result: even "stable" carbon in forest soils can break down as temperatures rise, releasing more CO₂ into the atmosphere. ...

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / Hidden stripe pattern lets microscopes auto-focus across 400 times deeper range

Anyone who has ever used a microscope knows that it takes time to bring a sample into sharp focus. Each time you move the slide, the image blurs, and you have to stop and carefully turn a knob to bring everything back into ...

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / Natural rubber process boosts tire toughness about tenfold while preserving stiffness

Natural rubber, tapped from trees as latex, is the world's most widely used bio-elastomer. Comprising long molecular chains that make it pliable and stretchy yet highly resistant to cracking and strain, natural rubber is ...

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / New microscope reveals previously hidden differences in photosynthetic light-harvesting antennae

How do photosynthetic organisms harvest light so efficiently? To help answer this question, researchers have developed an ultrafast transient absorption microscope with sensitivity approaching the single-molecule level.

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / Investigating the disordered heart of glass

Recent research led by the University of Trento reveals that fundamental atomic vibrations remain unchanged also in ultra-stable glasses. This discovery advances the decade-long debate on the physics of disorder and opens ...

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / Astronomers release massive set of 'virtual universes' for global research

Understanding the universe as a whole requires simulations on cosmic scales. An international team of astrophysicists, with a leading role for researchers at Leiden University, Netherlands, has now released one of the largest ...

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / Egg-scanning AI may let hatcheries sort life, death and sex before chicks emerge

Eggs and poultry provide important sources of protein globally, driving a major industry with large economic impacts. Challenges to hatchery operations include embryo mortality, fertility, sex determination, and eggshell ...

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / A mechanical blue LED: Stretching GaN shifts light from UV to blue without changing chemistry

A research team from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has successfully used mechanical stretching technology to dynamically control the emission color of gallium nitride (GaN) material from ...

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / They cover just 3% of Earth, yet the unanswered questions around them could reshape climate action forever

Researchers including a number from the University of Exeter, have identified the most urgent unanswered questions about peatlands, providing a global roadmap to guide future science and policy for one of the planet's most ...

Apr 28, 2026
Phys.org / Data from Earth's most remote atoll show soil fungi are key to island regeneration

Palmyra Atoll, a remote, uninhabited speck of land, coral and sea halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa, is one of the healthiest, intact atolls on the planet—so ecologically sensitive that visiting researchers freeze ...

Apr 28, 2026