Phys.org news

Phys.org / Tiny frogs prefer concrete apartments over wooden shelters

James Cook University researchers have tested frog housing and nursery preferences in the Wet Tropics rainforest of North Queensland, with frogs finding the thermal regulation of concrete shelters to be the perfect tropical ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / Software package makes gene regulation easier to study—and tweak

Understanding how genes are switched on and off in specific cell types remains one of biology's central challenges. While AI has made major progress in decoding the regulatory logic of DNA, applying these approaches across ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / Graphene 'nano-aquariums' capture atomic-resolution videos of gold atoms in solvents

A team led by scientists at the National Graphene Institute (NGI) at The University of Manchester has developed the first technique capable of capturing atomic‑resolution videos of individual gold atoms 'dancing' across a ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / DNA-binding protein blocks virulence cascade in a diarrhea pathogen outside hosts, study finds

Some pathogens use temperature as a trigger and activate virulence only after entering the warmer environment of a host. A research team from Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, and the University of Münster, Germany, investigated ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / AI turns electron microscopy into materials insights in minutes

An electron microscopy image can capture atoms arranged in a crystal lattice or defects threading through a semiconductor material, but turning that image into materials insight can take weeks of careful analysis. Now, an ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / Microscopic coils and coffee trees lead to new fungal discovery

Yunnan Province in southwestern China is a global biodiversity hotspot, accommodating an incredible variety of plants and animals. It is also the heart of China's coffee industry, with Yunnan accounting for almost all of ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / Unexplained sky flashes from the 1950s: Independent analysis supports their existence

Historical observations from an observatory in Germany have now independently verified evidence for brief, mysterious flashes of light in the night sky, first picked up by an American astronomical survey in the 1950s. Through ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Thirty previously unpublished verses by Empedocles discovered on a papyrus from Cairo

A 2,000-year-old papyrus fragment, discovered in the archives of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, reveals 30 previously unpublished verses by Empedocles, a pre-Socratic philosopher of the fifth century ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Gravitational waves as possible candidates for the origin of dark matter

Gravitational waves could be responsible for the production of dark matter during the early phases of our universe's formation, according to results of a new study by Professor Joachim Kopp from Johannes Gutenberg University ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Lakes forming next to Greenland's melting ice sheet are speeding up glacier flow

A growing network of meltwater lakes at the edge of the Greenland ice sheet is accelerating the flow of major glaciers, potentially increasing the pace of global sea-level rise. Warmer air and sea temperatures have led to ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / High nickel concentrations in Martian bedrock point to potential biosignatures

In 2024, NASA's Perseverance rover found surprising levels of Nickel in the Martian bedrock of an ancient river channel, called Neretva Vallis, which flowed into the Jezero crater. A new study, published in Nature Communications, ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Gravitational waves suggest a 'forbidden zone' for stellar-origin black holes

An international team led by Monash University has uncovered evidence of a rare form of exploding star, helping to shed light on one of the most cataclysmic events in the universe. At the end of their lives, most massive ...

Apr 1, 2026