Phys.org news

Phys.org / Adult female bark spiders produce superior and tougher silk than males do

Dragline silk or major ampullate (MA) silk, the part of a spider's web that forms the main frame and spokes, is one of the toughest materials known to science. That is, it can absorb massive amounts of energy from a sudden ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / 'Light-bending' material that controls blue and ultraviolet light could transform advanced chipmaking

Researchers from TU Delft and Radboud University (The Netherlands) have discovered that the two-dimensional ferroelectric material CuInP₂S₆ (CIPS) can be used to control the pathway and properties of blue and ultraviolet ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Antarctica's only native insect is already eating microplastics

A global research team led by researchers from the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment has found that Antarctica's only native insect is already ingesting microplastics, even ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Artificial photosynthesis catalyst converts carbon dioxide into fuel using sunlight

A joint research team has developed a highly efficient photocatalyst that can convert carbon dioxide into the high-value-added fuel, methane, using sunlight, while explaining its operating principles. The work is published ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / First human DNA-cutting enzyme that senses physical tension discovered

An international research team has identified a human protein, ANKLE1, as the first DNA-cutting enzyme (nuclease) in mammals capable of detecting and responding to physical tension in DNA. This "tension-sensing" mechanism ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Fast-tracking a natural climate solution by compressing millennia of carbon capture into hours

What if it were possible to take a very slow geological process, one that takes thousands of years in nature, and speed it up so that it happens within hours, in order to slow the rate of global warming?

Dec 9, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Electron-phonon interactions in crystals found to be quantized by a fundamental constant

A researcher at the Department of Physics at Tohoku University has uncovered a surprising quantum phenomenon hidden inside ordinary crystals: the strength of interactions between electrons and lattice vibrations—known as ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / 'Monster Stars' from the cosmic dawn: Astronomers find first direct evidence

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of international researchers have discovered chemical fingerprints of gigantic primordial stars that were among the first to form after the Big Bang.

Dec 9, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Climate extremes trigger rare coral disease and mass mortality on the Great Barrier Reef

University of Sydney marine biologists have identified a devastating combination of coral bleaching and a rare necrotic wasting disease that wiped out large, long-lived corals on the Great Barrier Reef during the record 2024 ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Ocean current and seabed shape influence warm water circulation under ice shelves, research reveals

New research reveals how the speed of ocean currents and the shape of the seabed influence the amount of heat flowing underneath Antarctic ice shelves, contributing to melting.

Dec 9, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / K-DRIFT pathfinder: A compact telescope for observing faint galactic structures

Conventional telescopes are limited in detecting low-surface-brightness (LSB) structures, which are essential for studying galaxy evolution. Now, researchers have developed a new telescope system featuring a confocal off-axis ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Student researcher leads discovery of fastest gamma-ray burst ever recorded

Sarah Dalessi, a fifth-year student in the College of Science at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, is the lead author of a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal ...

Dec 9, 2025 in Astronomy & Space