Phys.org news

Phys.org / Theoretical framework expands directional light control beyond ordered crystal structures

A research team has developed a new theoretical framework that can suppress light scattering in certain directions while enhancing it in others, even in irregularly arranged materials. The work extends research on controlling ...

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / Mutation hotspots help 'friendly' viruses outmaneuver the bacteria in your gut

Every 15 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a drug-resistant superbug. A few decades from now, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections threaten to become the leading cause of death worldwide, outpacing cancer.

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / How a mystery kept in London led to the discovery of a new Ecuadorian frog

Scientists from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador officially described Pristimantis milpe, an abundant and widely distributed species that had been confused with another species for more than a century. To solve ...

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / What a dry meteorite tells us about water on Mars

Detecting water where none remains today: Neutron and X-ray tomography make it possible. In an international study conducted with the participation of the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, researchers have brought to light macroscopic ...

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / Does your city match your relationship status? New study exposes the hidden costs of urban living

Kids, marriage and commute: A study co-authored by Dr. Mariana Macedo of Constructor University provides new insights into how major life transitions alter how individuals navigate and experience urban environments. Published ...

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / Magnetic mystery in thorium clusters resolved by new study

Scientists from the University of Manchester's Department of Chemistry, Centre for Radiochemistry Research and Photon Science Institute, led by Professor Steve Liddle, have uncovered why a rare class of metal clusters appears ...

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / Fungal age remains elusive as underground networks continually grow, split and recycle

Some of Earth's oldest living organisms may be right beneath our feet: not ancient trees or coral reefs but fungi. Yet despite their ubiquity and importance, scientists still don't know how long most fungi can live—or even ...

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / Tracer exchange reveals ions can speed up or slow down inside battery solids

Understanding how ions diffuse in solid materials is essential for technologies including batteries, electronics and chemical catalysts, but it has been hard for a simple reason: the materials are solids.

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / Uniaxial strain reveals new way to tune electron flow in altermagnet material

Altermagnetism is a new, third type of magnetism of great interest for spin-transport applications like computer memory. If properly harnessed, it could combine the benefits of the two existing types of magnetism, ferromagnetism ...

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / Satellite data reveal tropical forests respond differently to climate across continents

Satellite images can be used to estimate how much carbon forests store as aboveground biomass (AGB) and how biomass varies in different forests. In a study published in the journal Nature, a team of researchers affiliated ...

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / Beyond the algorithm, online negativity takes on a life of its own as users try to stand out

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that social media can trend toward the negative. But it might take one to figure out why. In a new paper in PNAS, professor of psychology Joshua Conrad Jackson and colleagues show ...

Aug 13, 2026
Phys.org / A magnetic path to lower-power computing

From smartphones to data centers, modern electronics rely on billions of tiny switches that consume electricity every time they turn on or off. As global demand for computing continues to grow, so does the energy required ...

Aug 13, 2026