Phys.org news

Phys.org / Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS reveals no technosignatures in seven-hour radio scan

Scientists at the SETI Institute recently searched for technological signals from 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object observed in our solar system. Using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / Ultrafast laser shrinks to chip scale, potentially lowering costs for diagnostics and atomic clocks

Ultrafast lasers emit pulses lasting only a few hundred femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second). These flashes of light power applications from precision micromachining to eye surgery to optical frequency combs, the Nobel ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / Overarming America: Game theory explores how fear and social pressure drive gun purchases

A Dartmouth College study is the first to map the interplay of personal choice and social networks that has led to the United States being one of the world's most heavily armed countries, with 120 firearms for every 100 people. ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / Brightness 'gap' in ancient star cluster reveals missing red dwarfs

Scientists from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, sought to study one stellar subject and ended up finding something even more exciting. The team's results published today in Astronomy ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / Nanomagnets control diamond qubits, pointing to more scalable quantum hardware

Quantum computing, once only a theoretical possibility, promises to deliver faster, more energy-efficient computers—but only if scientists can build and scale the hardware needed to run the machines. New research from Virginia ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / Chip-scale 'acoustic atom' controls sound waves to imitate atomic energy levels and advance computing

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. What goes up must come down. Physical laws like these govern all of the natural world—except for the tiny internal components of today's microprocessors, which operate ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / We can predict space weather—what if we could also stop it?

The weather on Earth can get pretty messy sometimes. But in space, it can be wild, and the effects can be far-reaching. Solar flares, giant explosions on the sun, can send out streams of energy that block radio communications ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / Why doesn't coffee taste like caffeine?

Though decaf fans might disagree, caffeine is a critical component of a cup of joe. This compound is incredibly bitter on its own, but regular coffee itself is not. A team reporting in the Journal of Agricultural and Food ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / Egypt fossils show modern ocean fish rose rapidly after dinosaur extinction

The extinction that ended the Age of Dinosaurs is best known for clearing the way for the Age of Mammals on land. Scientists have long suspected that the same catastrophe also transformed life in the seas, opening ecological ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / Arctic river deltas face rising climate pressure while holding vast frozen carbon reserves

Many rivers flow into the Arctic Ocean north of the Arctic Circle—including the Lena in Siberia and the Mackenzie River in Canada. The deltas of these large and small rivers store large amounts of carbon, which is bound there ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / Half-ton early bovines roamed 4-million-year-old grasslands in Europe

The first large-sized bovines grew to up to half a ton 4 million years ago in the European Early Pliocene, an early step toward our modern diversity of large-bodied buffalo and cattle, according to a study published June ...

Jun 3, 2026
Phys.org / Real-time fish interaction enlarges young guppy brains, while screen time falls short

Young guppies who were able to see and interact with live fish developed larger brains than guppies who only saw other fish on a screen. This is shown in a new study from Stockholm University, published in Biology Letters. ...

Jun 3, 2026