Phys.org news

Phys.org / How plants evolved a molecular switch to cope with heat

As climate change drives more frequent and intense heat waves, plants face growing challenges to survive and remain productive. Researchers at VIB, Ghent University, KU Leuven and their international collaborators have uncovered ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Narwhals help researchers uncover unique data from the deepest East Greenland fjords

They live in some of the most inaccessible waters on Earth, where ocean temperatures hover around freezing. Because they move through areas that humans rarely reach, they have been able to help researchers with a special ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Why some lava-covered exoplanets retain atmospheres for billions of years

Stanford researchers have offered an explanation for why some sizzling, lava-covered worlds nestled tightly around their stars can retain their atmospheres. At such close quarters, intense stellar radiation should strip away ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Does AI shape decisions before we do? Researcher questions what 'human in the loop' really means

Artificial intelligence is often discussed with a simple safeguard in mind: Keep a human in the loop. But what happens when AI is already shaping the information, options and recommendations that inform a decision?

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Machine learning methods move self-driving labs closer to materials discovery at scale

Machine learning doesn't replace human intelligence, but it can outlast human endurance, which makes it a helpful tool for chemistry and materials discovery. Scientists know machine learning models can make predictions based ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Narrow ultrasonic beam enables stable 3D levitation six times farther than before

Scientists have developed a new acoustic levitation technique using an ultrasonic beam capable of levitating and moving small objects in midair over distances of up to 40 cm (16 inches), six times farther than previously ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / How high scores in an online brain teaser made mathematicians lie for three years

It might not yet be the phenomenon that is Wordle, but for hundreds of thousands of players, Digit Party has scratched the itch of a casual brain teaser to break up their day.

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Liquid gallium experiment confirms key flow regime inside rapidly rotating stars and planets

Since we cannot look into the interiors of stars and planets, we rely on lab experiments to replicate the physical processes that occur there. Led by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), an international research ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Volcanic eruptions and warming climate disrupt long-standing link between Indian and Pacific oceans

A new study that combines paleoclimate data and climate models suggests that large volcanic eruptions can disrupt the relationship between atmospheric circulation patterns over the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans. In addition, ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / High magnetic fields revive superconductivity in nickelates

Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States, have uncovered that a class of nickel-based materials known as samarium (Sm)-based infinite-layer ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny atomic changes could lead to smarter wireless technology

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have shown that making extremely small changes to the structure of a material can dramatically improve its ability to respond to electrical signals. Published recently in Science ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / For Legionella bacteria, taking over a cell means playing by its rules

When it comes to invading healthy cells, Legionella bacteria rely on blending in rather than breaking in. New research from Van Andel Institute scientists demonstrates how a protein produced by Legionella mimics the behavior ...

Aug 26, 2026