Phys.org news

Phys.org / With planning, birds and floating solar can coexist

Solar panels on bodies of water in the northeastern U.S. might generate renewable energy but could also carry risks for birds, especially waterbirds. Now a new study provides a data-informed approach to siting floating solar ...

22 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Virtual staining advances: AI uses cell context to improve imaging accuracy

To ensure our bodies function correctly, the cells that compose them must operate properly. Imagine a cell as a bustling city where tiny parts called organelles move, reorganize, and respond to external stresses. To understand ...

23 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Physicists employ AI labmates to supercharge LED light control

In 2023, a team of physicists from Sandia National Laboratories announced a major discovery: a way to steer LED light. If refined, it could mean someday replacing lasers with cheaper, smaller, more energy-efficient LEDs in ...

23 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Vast cluster of ancient galaxies could rewrite the history of star formation

Astronomers have discovered a vast, dense cluster of massive galaxies just 1 billion years after the Big Bang, each forming stars at an intense rate from collapsing clouds of dust. Reported in Astronomy & Astrophysics by ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / An electrically powered source of entangled light on a chip

Quantum technologies are cutting-edge systems that can process, transfer, or store information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, particularly a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement. Entanglement entails a correlation ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Full value added tax on meat: A first step towards pricing the environmental damages caused by diets

A study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Nature Food analyzes the ecological "footprint" from diets—and policy options to counteract through price signals. EU-wide, 23% of greenhouse gas emissions ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Ancient Mesopotamian medical texts reveal the role of divine sanctuaries in treating ear and spleen ailments

In a study published in the journal Iraq, Dr. Troels Arbøll analyzed medical prescriptions from ancient Mesopotamia to understand and re-evaluate the role sanctuaries played in the healing process. The study found that specific ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Howler monkey roars exaggerate body size but are truthful to other howlers

Howler monkeys are relatively small primates known for their incredibly loud, low-frequency roars that sound as if they come from a much larger creature. This is useful in the animal kingdom because sounding big can deter ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Gaia data release reveals four substructures in open cluster NGC 752

By analyzing the data from ESA's Gaia satellite, Chinese astronomers have investigated the structure of a nearby open cluster known as NGC 752. The new study identified four substructures and delivered evidence for mass segregation ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / ALMA reveals teenage years of new worlds

Astronomers have, for the first time, captured a detailed snapshot of planetary systems in an era long shrouded in mystery. The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS), using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Physicists bridge worlds of quantum matter

A new unified theory connects two fundamental domains of modern quantum physics: It joins two opposite views of how a single exotic particle behaves in a many-body system, namely as a mobile or static impurity among a large ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Beyond chemistry: How mechanical forces shape brain wiring

During brain development, neurons extend long processes called axons. Axons link different areas of the brain and carry signals within it and to the rest of the body. Growing axons "wire up" the brain by following precise ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology