Phys.org news

Phys.org / Cracking a long-standing problem in high-entropy alloy nanoparticle synthesis

Composed of five or more elements in nearly equal amounts, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have emerged as promising catalysts due to their compositionally complex surfaces that can accelerate chemical reactions. Until now, scientists ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Stem cell embryo model grows yolk sac without hypoblasts or gene editing

For the first time, a stem cell model has produced a structure resembling an early human embryo with a yolk-sac-like structure, from a single starting stem cell population and without direct genetic manipulation. The models ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Why a bizarre Brazil 'pterosaur' fossil is now being reclassified as a fish

Georges Cuvier, the 19th-century French anatomist who first recognized pterodactyls as flying reptiles, wrote that "of all the beings whose ancient existence has been revealed to us, [they are] the most extraordinary."

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Why climate models and ocean observations diverge, and what it means for rain and drought

Scientific models have predicted that climate change will drive oceans in the Northern Hemisphere to warm faster than oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. However, observational data over the last 70 years show the opposite—that ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Two paths to scalable quantum computing: Optical links between fridges and higher-temperature qubits

Superconducting qubits—bits of quantum information—have been widely considered a promising technology for moving quantum computing forward. But there's still much work to be done before they can be brought out of a near absolute ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / AI model accurately predicts the spread of wildfires in real time

USC researchers are developing a computational model that combines satellite data and physics-based simulations to forecast a wildfire's path, intensity, and growth rate. If you've ever been evacuated from your home during ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Madagascar's ancient baobabs store 700 years of climate secrets—what they reveal

Madagascar is home to seven species of baobab trees, of which six are found nowhere else on the planet. Many of the trees have been alive for well over 1,000 years. The ancient trees have become symbols of Madagascar itself. ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Cocaine pollution alters salmon behavior in the wild, study reveals

An international study, led by researchers from Griffith University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Zoological Society of London and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, is the first to demonstrate ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / A protein engineering method may lead to more exact cancer treatments

Enzymes called proteases act like molecular scissors for proteins in the body and play a role in therapies to stop viruses from replicating and to kill cancer cells. The development of these medicines, however, has been slowed ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / How tiny cave shrimps power the underworld of the Yucatan

Beneath the lush rainforests of the Yucatan Peninsula lies a hidden, subterranean world: a vast network of flooded sinkholes and anchialine caves. These unique underwater systems, which mix fresh and saltwater and are influenced ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / Prototype thermal memory stores heat states with tiny voltages for days

Heat is a ubiquitous form of energy that, unlike others, is notoriously difficult to store due to its natural tendency to dissipate. While this property is essential for phenomena like solar energy reaching Earth, it also ...

Apr 20, 2026
Phys.org / A hidden property of light could power future nanomachines

Light does more than illuminate the world—it can also push and twist matter. It was back in the 1870s that James Clerk Maxwell first predicted that light carries momentum and can exert pressure on objects. Nearly a century ...

Apr 20, 2026