Phys.org news

Phys.org / MIZ-ing in action: How much of Antarctic sea ice is affected by waves?

Using old satellite radar techniques, scientists have developed a new way of measuring the true extent of an understudied and crucial region of the Antarctic sea-ice system for the first time. The Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) ...

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 / 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 / Electrical 'knob' can switch light on, off and tune intensity at the nanoscale

Physicists from Emory University have led work to develop a microscopic, nonlinear light source that can be switched on, off or tuned to a particular intensity by an electrical "knob." The paper is published in the journal ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Deep beneath Utah, rare mantle earthquakes reshape seismic hazard questions

Nearly 50 years ago, a puzzling earthquake beneath northern Utah jolted scientists' understanding of how Earth works. Now, research from the University of Utah confirms that the mysterious event was real, and part of a rare ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Italians and Dutch share the same gestural instinct for teaching, research reveals

Italians are famous for speaking with their hands. But a new international study suggests that when it comes to teaching children, adults everywhere instinctively become more expressive with their gestures—even in cultures ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Global food shock model reveals self-sufficiency alone may not prevent crises

Global food systems are fragile. Recent shocks such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have raised prices and exacerbated food insecurity. Governments are increasingly trying to shield ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / 'Diversifying' social feeds can cut exposure to toxic content and preserve enjoyment

A new study from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago offers underlying evidence that the engagement-based algorithms used by major social media platforms amplify intergroup, moralized, emotional (IME) and ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Improved embryo freezing technique could preserve endangered species

The current practice of freezing embryos—used to assist reproduction in humans or animals or to conserve endangered species—routinely causes ice to form within the cells, ripping through cell membranes, changing the way proteins ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Plants exhibit remarkable tolerance to protein translation errors

The precise synthesis of proteins is considered essential for cellular function. Now, a team led by LMU biologists Dr. Benjamin Brandt and Professor Hans-Henning Kunz has demonstrated for the first time that plants can cope ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Sensitivity of Antarctic ice to climate change sharply increased after ice age shift, study shows

A new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience by researchers at the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea shows that the Antarctic ice sheet became more sensitive to climate ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Biologists improve biomass mapping tools to better track carbon storage

In the far north regions of Earth, where forests stretch across Alaska and Canada, climate change is unfolding at an accelerated pace. Arctic and boreal regions are warming two to four times faster than the global average, ...

May 28, 2026