Phys.org news

Phys.org / Gaia finds hints of planets in baby star systems

Ever wondered how planetary systems like our own solar system form? Thanks to the European Space Agency's Gaia space telescope, we're getting a unique peek behind the cosmic curtain into these dusty environments.

Dec 18, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / 'Speed scanner' can test thousands of plant gene switches at once

Agriculture, from the outset, has been made possible by humans tweaking the genes of plants to make them grow faster, produce more of what we want, and survive drought, pests, and infection. For millennia, we did it with ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Super strain-resistant superconductors: Study narrows down the hidden symmetry

Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity with zero resistance, usually only at very low temperatures. Most superconductors behave according to well-established rules, but strontium ruthenate, Sr₂RuO₄, ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Flat-band ultrastrong coupling between phonons and plasmons observed for first time

Researchers from CIC nanoGUNE, in collaboration with the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) and the Center for Materials Physics (CFM), have experimentally observed and theoretically verified flat-band ultrastrong ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Deep ocean earthquakes drive Southern Ocean's massive phytoplankton blooms, study finds

Stanford researchers have uncovered evidence that deep underwater earthquakes can spur the growth of massive phytoplankton blooms at the ocean surface.

Dec 18, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Interpretable neural networks help reveal the nature of dark matter

A research team from the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (XAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed an interpretable artificial intelligence (AI) framework named Convolutional Kolmogorov–Arnold Network (CKAN), ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New machine-learning models capture the rapid evolution of antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly dangerous problem affecting global health. In 2019 alone, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) accounted for more than 100,000 global deaths attributable to ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Tiny viral 'switch' offers hope against drug-resistant bacteria

As antibiotic-resistant infections rise and are projected to cause up to 10 million deaths per year by 2050, scientists are looking to bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, as an alternative.

Dec 18, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / A new natural sunscreen: Novel compound discovered in thermophilic cyanobacteria

Natural sunscreens shield the skin from harmful radiation, without triggering allergic reactions. In a recently published study, a group of researchers has discovered a novel compound, β-glucose-bound hydroxy mycosporine-sarcosine, ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / A simple spin swap reveals exotic anyons

Researchers from the University of Innsbruck, the Collège de France, and the Université Libre de Bruxelles have developed a simple yet powerful method to reveal anyons—exotic quantum particles that are neither bosons ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Light-controlled cholesterol 'look-alikes' point toward smarter drug delivery

High levels of cholesterol are linked to heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems. However, this complex and vital fatty, water insoluble molecule—a lipid—is found in every cell of the body and is not all ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / DNA caught on old air filters reveals hidden past of ecosystems

DNA captured on air filters and stored since the 1960s acts as an ecological time capsule, according to a recent publication in Nature Communications. The findings show that tiny fragments of genetic material can paint a ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Biology