Phys.org news

Phys.org / 91-qubit processor accurately simulates many-body quantum chaos

Quantum chaos describes chaotic classical dynamical systems in terms of quantum theory, but simulations of these systems are limited by computational resources. However, one team seems to have found a way by leveraging error ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Long-period Jupiter-like exoplanet discovered with TESS

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new extrasolar planet transiting a distant star. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-6692 b, is the size ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Experiments clear up confusion over the form of solid methane

Through a combination of high-pressure experiments and optical spectroscopy, physicists have revealed new insights into the structural forms of solid methane. Led by Mengnan Wang at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Newly identified RNA molecule may drive cancer patient survival

In a recent study, researchers at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) identify a novel RNA molecule that plays a crucial role in preserving the integrity of a key cellular structure, the nucleolus ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Earth's largest volcanic event reshaped an oceanic plate, seismic wave analysis reveals

A research group has revealed through seismic wave analysis that the oceanic plate beneath the Ontong Java Plateau—the world's largest oceanic plateau—was extensively altered by massive volcanic activity during its formation. ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Geologists may have solved mystery of Green River's 'uphill' route

New research may have solved an American mystery which has baffled geologists for a century and a half: How did a river carve a path through a mountain in one of the country's most iconic landscapes? Scientists have long ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Lab-grown algae remove microplastics from water

A University of Missouri researcher is pioneering an innovative solution to remove tiny bits of plastic pollution from our water. Mizzou's Susie Dai recently applied a revolutionary strain of algae toward capturing and removing ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Some bottled water is worse than tap for microplastics, study shows

Some brands of bottled water contain significantly higher levels of microplastics than tap water, according to new research by scientists who have developed a novel method for detecting these tiny particles.

Feb 2, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Removing livestock from grasslands could compromise long-term soil carbon storage

Removing sheep and other livestock entirely from upland grasslands—a strategy often promoted as a way to boost carbon storage and tackle climate change—may actually reduce the most stable forms of soil carbon, according ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Biology
Dialog / Infrared running of gravity offers a field-theoretic route to dark matter phenomena

The mystery of dark matter—unseen, pervasive, and essential in standard cosmology—has loomed over physics for decades. In new research, I explore a different possibility: Rather than postulating new particles, I propose ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Focusing and defocusing light without a lens: First demonstration of the structured Montgomery effect in free space

Applied physicists in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have demonstrated a new way to structure light in custom, repeatable, three-dimensional patterns, all without the use of ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Cells adapt to aging by actively remodeling endoplasmic reticulum, study reveals

Improvements in public health have allowed humankind to survive to older ages than ever before, but, for many people, these added golden years are not spent in good health. Aging is a natural part of life, but it is associated ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Biology