Phys.org news

Phys.org / Scientists find gas emissions from rocks may have contributed to ancient climate swings, mass extinctions

An interdisciplinary team from Florida State University's Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science has uncovered new evidence about processes that may have contributed to ancient mass-extinction events, some of ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / From the lab to the moon: Lunar cement alternative survives 6 months on ISS and returned stronger in some tests

Building material samples from the University of Delaware spent six months mounted outside the International Space Station, where the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit tested their limits.

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Why some glasses break suddenly while others deform smoothly

If a liquid is cooled slowly to its freezing point, it becomes a crystal in which the constituent particles are arranged in an ordered pattern. In contrast, when the liquid is cooled very quickly, the particles are unable ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / New probe could help trace Alzheimer's-linked lipids one cell at a time

Cells sitting side by side in the same tissues are not identical. Each cell carries its own subtly different chemical signature—a hidden individuality that can reveal how diseases take root and spread. Now, researchers from ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / X-pinch plasma achieves radial proton acceleration for crisp imaging

Plasma pinches: From pursuits of nuclear fusion to an attractive point source of accelerated protons for proton radiography.

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / New deep-sea measurements show how the ocean floor forms

The first-known direct observations of a seafloor spreading event at a mid-ocean ridge in the Indian Ocean are presented in Nature. The observations offer insight into how new oceanic crust is created.

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Caddisfly silk gene evolves quickly without losing adhesive power

Caddisflies are among nature's master underwater builders, capable of spinning sticky silk that they use to form protective cases and webs in freshwater streams. Scientists like the University of Utah's Russell Stewart have ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Primordial mini-moons may explain meteorite composition

A new Southwest Research Institute-led study proposes a solution to a longstanding puzzle in planetary science: What caused the concentration, assembly, and preservation of millimeter-sized, spherical mineral grains within ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny 60,000-neuron ant brains reveal how parental care evolved from feeding circuits

Long before the dawn of modern parenting, animals laid eggs and moved on, leaving their progeny to fend for themselves. Now, a study published in Nature uncovers one of the elegant ways evolution transformed neglect into ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Astronomers dig deep to find tiny dangerous space debris

In a new study, published in the Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, Warwick researchers led an international effort to uncover some of the faintest debris in geosynchronous orbit ever observed, finding fragments as small ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Wavelength-multiplexed diffractive optical storage enables massively parallel image retrieval

The explosive growth of data generated by artificial intelligence, cloud computing and modern digital infrastructure is placing increasing pressure on existing information storage technologies. Although magnetic storage systems ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Decoding of one of nature's largest enzymes reveals electron flow behind biological methane production

A research team at Marburg University has investigated one of the largest enzyme complexes found in nature to date and deciphered its remarkable structure. Under the supervision of Dr. Jan Schuller, Ph.D. student Sophia Paul ...

Jul 8, 2026