Phys.org news

Phys.org / Challenging a 300-year-old law of friction

Researchers at the University of Konstanz have uncovered a new mechanism of sliding friction: resistance to motion that arises without any mechanical contact, driven purely by collective magnetic dynamics. The study, published ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Microwave quantum network shows resilience against heat-related disturbances

Quantum communication systems are emerging solutions to transmit information between devices in a network leveraging quantum mechanical phenomena, such as entanglement. Entanglement is a quantum effect that entails a link ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Clearing circular RNA from cells extends lifespan, C. elegans study reveals

Cells in our bodies produce RNA based on genetic information stored in DNA, and RNA serves as a blueprint for making proteins. Researchers at KAIST have discovered a new phenomenon: Removing "circular RNA" that accumulates ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Most mass spectrometers can process just a few molecules at once: Reengineered prototype does a billion simultaneously

Mass spectrometry is already a powerful tool for determining what kind and how many molecules are present in a given sample. But most instruments still analyze their molecules one or just a few at a time, an approach that ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Some 'designer' crossbreed dogs may have more problem behaviors than pure breeds

In a new, survey-based study of three kinds of "designer" crossbreed dogs, cockapoos, cavapoos and labradoodles, all three showed more undesirable behaviors than at least one of their purebred progenitor breeds, with cockapoos ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / NASA's Hubble unexpectedly catches comet breaking up

In a happy twist of fate, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope witnessed a comet in the act of breaking apart. The chance of that happening while Hubble watched is extraordinarily minuscule. The findings are published in the journal ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Terahertz spin waves can be converted into computer signals, study shows

What will the computers of tomorrow look like? Chances are good that spintronics will play a decisive role in the next generation of computers. In spintronics, the intrinsic angular momentum of an electron (the spin) is used ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / A 'consortium' of bacteria cooperates to eat phthalate plasticizers that single microbes can't stomach

Plastic trash has reached the world's most remote locations, from the bottom of the Mariana Trench to the summit of Everest. Hundreds of plastic-eating microbes that could help us clean up have been discovered over the past ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Seals risk death by polar bear for a varied meal, study finds

As climate change reshapes Arctic food webs, ringed seals will swim into risky polar bear territory if the menu is varied enough. This is the central finding of a new study published in Ecology Letters. UBC researchers tracked ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / New DNA base editor minimizes bystander edits while maintaining high efficiency

The trajectory of base editing has been remarkable, progressing from the laboratory to patient care, treating debilitating or terminal illnesses, in less than a decade. A type of gene editing that makes chemical changes to ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient climate records reveal a wetter Levant that may have guided early humans out of Africa

For modern residents of the Levant, the "Red Sea Trough" usually brings a brief, dusty transition between seasons. But 127,000 years ago, this same weather pattern may have been the literal key to human history. A new study, ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Integrative archaeogenetics reveal how Southern Andean communities adopted farming and endured crises

An interdisciplinary study published in Nature reconstructs over 2,000 years of population history in Argentina's Uspallata Valley (UV), a southern frontier of Andean farming spread in ancient times, with broader lessons ...

Mar 18, 2026