Phys.org news

Phys.org / Melting Svalbard glaciers may flush ancient methane from rocks beneath the ice

Meltwater rivers flowing from Svalbard glaciers are carrying ancient methane from rocks beneath the ice into the open air, new research published in Nature Communications shows.

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / AI model decodes cell signaling fingerprints across diverse cell types

As an embryo develops from a small cluster of stem cells, those once "blank slate" cells begin to take on more specialized roles like brain, liver or muscle cells and organize themselves into three-dimensional structures ...

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Worm's radical transformation shows metamorphosis can change the functions of cells

A squishy worm that starts its life as something of a floating head in the Pacific Ocean is changing what scientists know about metamorphosis at the cellular level.

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Super-resolution imaging reveals that cohesin prevents local mixing of compact, active genome domains

The human genome is about two meters (6.6 feet) long, yet it is folded inside a cell nucleus only about 10 micrometers in diameter. To fit into this tiny space, DNA is wrapped around histone proteins to form nucleosomes, ...

Sep 8, 2026
Phys.org / Stripped-down LSD reveals structural features linked to hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects

University of California, Davis, researchers have stripped down LSD to the base features responsible for its hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects.

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / What happens when you flush? Study reveals how toilet aerosols reach the breathing zone

Researchers from Flinders University have found that flushing toilets can release aerosols and bioaerosols into the surrounding air, with some studies detecting particles at heights corresponding to adults' breathing zones.

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / Entangled particles revive a 35-year-old test of the Standard Model

Physicists at the BESIII Collaboration have breathed new life into a decades-old test of one of the Standard Model's most important ideas, using a technique that had gone almost untouched by experimenters for 35 years.

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / Rare pulsar unleashes 114 giant pulses in a single hour

Astronomers have detected extreme, never-before-seen behavior from a rare kind of pulsar and stumbled on a surprising link to one of astronomy's biggest current mysteries. Using 174 hours of radio observations, researchers ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / Three quantum phases in chromium-based material hint at a spin-triplet superconductor

Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity without electrical resistance when cooled below a specific critical temperature. These materials have proved promising for the development of various technologies, including ...

Sep 7, 2026
Dialog / Early Earth's auroral belts may have formed a natural ion-beam reactor for prebiotic chemistry

We usually think of auroras as beautiful lights in the night sky. I see them as visible traces of a connection between the sun, Earth's magnetic field and the atmosphere. This led me to an origin-of-life question: Could the ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / 'Heel-strike' may have allowed early humans to walk farther—at the cost of high-impact forces

The average person takes thousands of steps each day, instinctively walking heel-to-toe. Although they hardly register them, those consistent heel-first strides are more distinctive to humans than previously thought and allowed ...

Sep 7, 2026
Phys.org / Excavations at Prado Vargas now span 140 square meters of a Neanderthal layer

The 2026 field season at Prado Vargas Cave, located in the village of Cornejo in the northern province of Burgos, Spain, within the Ojo Guareña karst complex, has expanded the excavation of Neanderthal sublevel 4D by 32 square ...

Sep 7, 2026