Phys.org news

Phys.org / New ammonia-making method could upend one of industry's dirtiest processes

As our world's population grows, so does the demand for ammonia—a key ingredient in fertilizer. The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that ammonia production must quadruple by 2050 to feed the increase in global ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists unlock evolution of gigantism in Scottish island wrens

A new study of British wrens has provided new insights into the inner workings of "island syndromes," according to research led by the University of Birmingham. The paper, published in the Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Why the most massive galaxies in the early universe stopped forming stars prematurely

Astronomical observations show that the most massive galaxies in the early universe formed approximately three to four billion years after the Big Bang and stopped producing stars very early in cosmic history, around one ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / A 'Balrog' in the tunnels: Scientists discover a new cave cricket species on the tiny island of Kastellorizo, Greece

Despite the intensity of modern exploration, the eastern Mediterranean continues to yield unexpected discoveries. On the small Greek island of Kastellorizo, researchers have documented a previously unknown cave cricket thriving ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum vibronics research points to future energy and computing technologies

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside are making breakthroughs in understanding how quantum wave functions move across ultra-thin materials—research that could eventually improve solar energy technologies ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / How bacteria survive with almost no oxygen— and why blocking one enzyme could aid new antibiotics

Researchers in Leiden have, for the first time, observed how a specialized enzyme helps bacteria stay alive when oxygen levels are low, and how that process can be blocked. The study, published in Science Advances, opens ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Ultrafast holographic imaging reveals electron and magnetic dynamics inside next-generation materials

An extremely fast microscopy method to research the interaction of light and matter makes it possible to study optical processes on very short timescales. To this end, a German–Italian research team is combining holographic ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Spin wave signals used in computing boosted more than 5,000 times in Z-shaped path approach

A research team from Tohoku University, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has invented a new way to efficiently guide spin waves around sharp corners with minimal loss—representing ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Cobalt honeycombs open a new path to quantum computing

Honeycombs are famous for their elegant design, but now they may have found a new application: quantum computing. To collect knowledge from subatomic particles, quantum computers require carefully designed materials capable ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Shock waves show how baby stars' cradles get their radial shape in 3D simulations

The universe is full of fascinating structures, and some of the most striking take shape inside the giant clouds where stars are born. There, streams of gas appear to converge from all directions toward a dense central hub, ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Forgotten museum fossil helps rewrite part of animal evolution

New research published in BMC Biology helps to fill in questions about the so-called "Furongian gap" from about 497 million to 485 million years ago, when paleontologists previously thought there were far fewer fossils than ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / How do you know a bowhead whale is feeding? It's all in the way it moves, shows study

For years, scientists studying bowhead whales have relied on a simple idea: if a whale makes a long, square or U-shaped dive, it's feeding time. A new study demonstrates that assumption may not hold water.

May 28, 2026