Phys.org news

Phys.org / Webb delivers unprecedented look into heart of Circinus galaxy

The Circinus galaxy, a galaxy about 13 million light-years away, contains an active supermassive black hole that continues to influence its evolution. The largest source of infrared light from the region closest to the black ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Urban soils get new life by mixing excavated dirt with organic waste

Excavated soil from construction sites usually ends up in landfills, but it has great potential. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) show how excavated soil can be enriched with organic waste so that it ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Myth of Native Hawaiians causing bird extinctions debunked by study

Challenging a 50-year-old narrative about Hawaiʻi's native birds, a new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa found no scientific evidence that Indigenous People hunted waterbird species to extinction. Published ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Western populations endorse support for Ukraine despite nuclear escalation fears, finds study

Most people in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy clearly endorse military support for Ukraine. They overwhelmingly reject Russia's positions on territorial claims and restrictions on Ukraine's ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Organisms in the Atacama Desert soil are remarkably diverse, study shows

A new study shows that resilient and remarkably diverse populations of organisms can persist in the soil despite harsh and extremely dry conditions. An international team led by researchers from the University of Cologne, ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Quantum-dot device can generate multiple frequency-entangled photons

Researchers have designed a new device that can efficiently create multiple frequency-entangled photons, a feat that cannot be achieved with today's optical devices. The new approach could open a path to more powerful quantum ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / A dry surface thanks to fluid physics: Contact-free method gently remove liquids from delicate microstructures

Researchers at the University of Konstanz have developed a gentle, contact-free method to collect liquids and remove them from microscopic surface structures. The method uses vapor condensation to generate surface currents ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Melting glaciers may mix up waters more than we thought

As marine-terminating glaciers melt, the resulting freshwater is released at the seafloor, which mixes with salty seawater and influences circulation patterns. As the oceans warm, it's growing increasingly important to study ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / How the Tibetan Plateau-Himalayan uplift shaped Asian summer monsoons

Research from Monash University reveals the climate history behind Asia's summer monsoon—Earth's most influential climate system. In a new study published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, an international team of ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Massive supernova from Wolf-Rayet star could be precursor to black hole binary

What we know of the birth of a black hole has traditionally aligned with our perception of black holes themselves: dark, mysterious, and eerily quiet, despite their mass and influence. Stellar-mass black holes are born from ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Marine sediments suggest glaciers retreated in sync across both hemispheres

An international team of scientists has uncovered evidence glaciers in the Southern and Northern hemispheres were synchronous during the last ice age.

Jan 13, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Recovering tropical forests grow back nearly twice as fast with nitrogen

Young tropical forests play a crucial role in slowing climate change. Growing trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air, using photosynthesis to build it into their roots, trunks, and branches, where they can store carbon ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Biology