Phys.org news

Phys.org / Most compact quadruple star system yet fits within an area the size of Jupiter's orbit

Astronomers have reported observations of a rare star system consisting of one star orbiting a system of three more tightly bound stars. This quadruple star system is described in a new study, published in Nature Communications, ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / Cockroaches that eat each other's wings become exclusive partners

Scientists have discovered that, far from being solitary insects, some cockroaches appear to form an exclusive bond with a partner. And how do they get this relationship off the ground? By eating each other's wings.

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / Astronomers discover TOI-5734 b, a hot sub-Neptune twice Earth's size

Using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern Hemisphere (HARPS-N), an international team of astronomers has discovered a hot sub-Neptune exoplanet ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / Why are cats prone to kidney disease? A study points to unusual fats

Researchers from the University of Nottingham have uncovered a surprising biological quirk in domestic cats that may help explain why they are so prone to chronic kidney disease. Unlike dogs and most other mammals, cats appear ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / Research shows 41 US states are getting warmer, all in slightly different ways

Different regions of the United States are experiencing different patterns of warming climate, requiring region-specific adaptation, according to a study published in PLOS Climate by María Dolores Gadea Rivas of the University ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / New peptide catalyst enables stereoselective head-to-tail macrocycle synthesis

A team at ETH Zurich developed a new peptide-based organocatalyst that handles macrocycle formation from start to finish. Macrocyclic compounds are ubiquitous both in nature and in the chemical industrial setup. They are ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / 'Nano-origami' reshapes liquid droplets into six-pointed stars

For the first time, researchers in France and Israel have observed how an emulsified liquid droplet can transform from a hexagon into a six-pointed star shape in response to rising temperature. Publishing their results in ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / The Maya engineering paradox: Masters of water, prisoners of mercury

Under the supervision of Université de Montréal archaeology professor Christina Halperin, Ph.D. student Jean Tremblay spent six years, from 2018 to 2024, studying how the Mayan city of Ucanal managed its drinking water. ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / One-of-a-kind microscope reveals living cells in unprecedented detail

Stanford researchers have combined two microscopy techniques to create a one-of-a-kind instrument that can show cell structures interacting in real time at an unprecedented 120-nanometer resolution—the highest achieved ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / How moss helped solve a grave-robbing mystery

In 2009, a scandal was exposed at a cemetery just outside of Chicago. Workers at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, were accused of exhuming old graves, dumping the remains elsewhere on the cemetery grounds, and reselling ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / From water splitting to H₂O₂: A new method narrows carbon nitride photocatalyst design

Photocatalysis promises an efficient conversion of abundant solar energy into usable chemical energy. Polyheptazine imides have some key structural and functional twists that make them especially interesting for photocatalysis. ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / What's going on inside quantum computers? New method simplifies process tomography

Quantum computers work by applying quantum operations, such as quantum gates, to delicate quantum states. Ideally, quantum computers can solve complex equations at staggeringly fast speeds that vastly outpace regular computers. ...

Mar 4, 2026