Phys.org news

Phys.org / Female chickadees seek cognitively skilled males for extra‑pair matings, study shows

Female chickadees living in monogamous mating systems will proactively seek out males that have better cognitive skills than their nest mate, according to new findings.

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / One of the world's most important plate boundaries is older than previously thought

A chain of remote islands and underwater volcanoes between Alaska and Kamchatka has revealed a much older chapter in Earth's tectonic history than previously known. Along the Aleutian Arc, the Pacific Plate dives beneath ...

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / AI system evaluates chemical spectra in minutes

A research team has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that proposes suitable molecular structures from the raw data of spectroscopic measurements and assesses their plausibility. The system is openly accessible ...

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / Random deformation lets glassy materials store precise mechanical memories, simulations reveal

Amorphous materials such as glass are solids whose internal structure lacks a repeating pattern. Their molecules are arranged in a random and irregular way. Surprisingly, these disordered materials can "remember" past mechanical ...

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / Honeybees adjust their dances based on information reliability, study reveals

A new study demonstrates that honeybees can evaluate the reliability of their own communication, actively adjusting the vigor of their "waggle dance" based on the truthfulness of the information they provide. By manipulating ...

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / Intermolecular collisions may explain why organic radical fluids become unusually magnetic

Certain substances can become magnetic when exposed to an external magnetic field. Magnetic susceptibility measures how easily a material can be magnetized. Materials known as organic radicals have been noted to possess anomalously ...

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / Silicon-compatible nanocomposite garnet enables better, simpler optical isolators

A research team from Tohoku University and Kyocera Corp. has developed a new magneto-optical material—a nanocomposite magnetic garnet film—that can be deposited directly onto silicon substrates while delivering a magneto-optical ...

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / Black holes unleash delayed radio 'burps' years after tearing apart stars

Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA) have found that when a supermassive black hole tears apart an unlucky star, the fireworks are not over when the first flash fades. Years after ...

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / Observation of living cells solves mystery of bacterial cell division

Using an innovative combination of biochemical experiments and ultra-high-resolution microscopy, a research team at Kiel University has solved the long-standing mystery of how the bacterium B. subtilis regulates its cell ...

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / Distant ocean temperatures found to influence snowfall in Antarctica

Snowfall deep inside East Antarctica has increased in recent decades, and distant ocean temperature changes may be partly responsible. Using long-term climate data and observations from Dome Fuji station, researchers found ...

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / Data suggest 'red flag' laws are linked to sustained reductions in arrests

Individuals subject to extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), or "red flag" laws, were significantly less likely to be arrested—including for violent and firearm-related offenses—while the orders were in effect than in the ...

Jun 16, 2026
Phys.org / Global surveys find carbon uptake in tropics overestimated

An international team of researchers has found plants in the tropics absorb much less carbon dioxide than previous modeling had suggested, which has implications for ecosystem management.

Jun 16, 2026