Phys.org news

Phys.org / Optical atomic clocks poised to redefine how the world measures seconds

Time is almost up on the way we track each second of the day, with optical atomic clocks set to redefine the way the world measures one second in the near future. Researchers from Adelaide University worked with the National ...

Jan 31, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Saturday Citations: Understanding procrastination; delicious baby sauropods; a study on musical 'pleasure chills'

This week, researchers identified the role of the brain's protein clean-up system in dementia. Fecal transplants show promising benefits in treating multiple cancer types. And biologists found that saltwater crocodiles traveled ...

Jan 31, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / 'Negative viscosity' helps propel groups of migrating cells, study finds

The cells in our bodies move in groups during biological processes such as wound healing and tissue development—but because of resistance, or viscosity, those cells can't just neatly glide past each other.

Jan 31, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Tropical peatlands are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, research reveals

Using a new method to track groundwater levels and greenhouse gas emissions, researchers uncover the climate impact of Southeast Asia's peatlands. In Indonesia, Malaysia, and other parts of Southeast Asia, vast areas spanning ...

Jan 30, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Land-intensive carbon removal requires better siting to protect biodiversity, study warns

New research looks at carbon dioxide removal—where carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere and stored—and finds that large-scale reliance on land-based methods, such as planting forests or bioenergy with carbon capture ...

Jan 30, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Record-breaking photons at telecom wavelengths—on demand

A team of researchers from the University of Stuttgart and the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg led by Prof. Stefanie Barz (University of Stuttgart) has demonstrated a source of single photons that combines on-demand ...

Jan 30, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Puzzling slow radio pulses are coming from space. A new study could finally explain them

Cosmic radio pulses repeating every few minutes or hours, known as long-period transients, have puzzled astronomers since their discovery in 2022. Our new study, published in Nature Astronomy today, might finally add some ...

Jan 30, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Snakes on trains: King cobras are 'hopping railways' to unsuitable habitats in India

King cobras are the world's longest venomous snakes. So, imagine seeing one a few feet away as you embark on a train in India. The Western Ghats King Cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga)—a vulnerable king cobra species found in ...

Jan 30, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Why are Tatooine planets rare? General relativity explains why binary star systems rarely host planets

Astronomers have found thousands of exoplanets around single stars, but few around binary stars—even though both types of stars are equally common. Physicists can now explain the dearth.

Jan 30, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Lab study suggests longer waves fracture floating ice sheets at lower stress

When waves are moving across ice-covered seas, they can cause sheets of ice to bend and ultimately break. Understanding the processes underlying these wave-induced ice fractures and predicting when they will occur could help ...

Jan 30, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Spider spinneret evolution: How a genome duplication event 438 million years ago set the stage

Scientists have uncovered a 400-million-year-old genetic secret that gave spiders the ability to produce silk and weave their webs. Spiders didn't begin their journey on Earth in the same way as they are known today. Arthropods ...

Jan 30, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How a broken DNA repair tool accelerates aging

Although DNA is tightly packed and protected within the cell nucleus, it is constantly threatened by damage from normal metabolic processes or external stressors such as radiation or chemical substances. To counteract this, ...

Jan 30, 2026 in Biology