Phys.org news

Phys.org / Plankton-linked vapors could speed cloud seed formation over cold oceans

For nearly 50 years, scientists have suspected that microscopic marine plankton play a role in cloud formation over the oceans. Now, an experiment led by the University of Helsinki suggests that it may be more important than ...

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Fossils upend catastrophist narrative that flowering plants flourished only after dinosaur extinction

A unique cache of plant fossils from volcanic deposits in New Mexico contradicts the common narrative that flowering plants were minor players in Earth's forests until dinosaurs disappeared 66 million years ago.

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Artificial 'leaf' powers wireless biomedical device

Plants convert light into energy efficiently through photosynthesis—an ability that scientists and engineers still struggle to match with electronic devices. Recently, researchers have looked beyond traditional semiconductor ...

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Trios of quantum particles form checkerboard layouts when particle density hits sweet spot

Trions form when three particles, like quarks or electrons, come together. This formation occurs in quantum particles in nuclear physics, semiconductors and magnets, and understanding its behavior can be challenging. Rice ...

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Fossil fish tooth chemistry uncovers Southern Hemisphere role in Earth's ice age shift

To understand where Earth might be headed, it's important to know where it has been. Throughout its existence, especially over the past couple of million years, Earth has experienced periodic cold and warm intervals, known ...

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists develop predictive roadmap to boost performance in next-gen spintronics

Chiral 2D metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are among the most promising materials for future technologies that exploit the spin of electrons in spin-based optoelectronics, or spintronics, but getting them to perform consistently ...

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Check politics at the door? Not at many workplaces, researcher says

When people think of workplace segregation, they usually think of race or gender. Yet Americans are also sorted at work by something employers rarely measure: how they vote.

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / New insight into how cells move copper out of the mitochondrial matrix could guide novel treatments

Copper is essential for life. Our cells need the metal to make energy and stay healthy, but if it is in the wrong place or present in excess, copper can be deadly. Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have identified a ...

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Sponges may cut methylmercury contamination in marine food webs by more than 50%

Marine sponges may play an important, previously underestimated role in reducing methylmercury contamination in marine food webs. In a new modeling study, researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon showed that sponges can significantly ...

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / AI reads 3D tooth microwear to reconstruct diets of early human ancestors

The study of dental microwear allows the analysis of the microscopic marks that foods leave on the surface of tooth enamel during mastication. In paleoanthropology, this methodology helps reconstruct the diet of fossil primates ...

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Turtles may migrate using Earth's magnetic field

New research indicates that sea turtles seem to navigate across hundreds of miles of open ocean using Earth's magnetic field. Previous experimental studies suggested that sea turtles use geomagnetism to navigate, but this ...

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Antibiotics trigger bacterial teamwork, boosting survival through shared proteins

When bacteria are under antibiotic attack, it is not "every man for himself." Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and colleagues from collaborating institutions have discovered that bacterial populations work as a team ...

Jun 25, 2026