Phys.org news

Phys.org / This tiny organism contracts 200 times faster than we can blink—here's how

A tiny, aquatic, single-celled organism can contract to one-quarter of its body length in less than 5 milliseconds—hundreds of times faster than a human can blink. Researchers have discovered that the organism, Spirostomum ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Synthetic chemical framework can switch magnetic spin states at near ambient temperatures

There is growing demand for smart materials that can change their physical properties in response to various external stimuli such as light, heat, pressure, magnetic fields and electric fields. One such physical property ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Toward experiment-guided AlphaFold: Researchers overcome AI tool's single-conformation limitation

The AI-based program AlphaFold predicts a protein's 3D structure with remarkable accuracy. However, it tends to reduce heterogeneous structures to a single dominant conformation, or shape, and overlooks experimental conditions ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Uncovering the trigger behind slow earthquakes

New research led by the University of New England's Dr. Timothy Chapman has uncovered the trigger behind slow earthquakes, providing valuable answers for those living in disaster-prone areas. The research has been published ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / UV light patterns thermochromic crystals without damage, unlocking color-changing designs

Color-changing mood rings, forehead fever strips and car-shade indicators all change hues as they warm and cool, thanks to a phenomenon called thermochromism. On a smaller scale, thermochromism is used in nanotechnologies ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Switching spin states in manganese ions with light opens new path for molecular memory

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a new way to use molecules as tiny data storage devices with a new manganese-based material. Until now, this was possible only with iron-containing molecular ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Nanopore technology identifies proteins molecule by molecule

Proteins are responsible for most functions in the human body. However, their analysis, which is essential for understanding diseases, developing drugs and discovering new biomarkers, remains highly complex. Using a technology ...

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny DNA 'hitchhikers' may be reshaping life in thawing Arctic soils

Amid the peatlands of northern Sweden, billions of microbes are quietly rewriting their genetic playbooks—and doing so far more often than scientists realized.

Jun 29, 2026
Phys.org / Reanalysis suggests 'Phoebe' is a variable star, not a primordial black hole

A new study debunks a recent claim that astronomers may have detected a lunar-mass primordial black hole. In a reanalysis of observations from the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), researchers found that the star nicknamed "Phoebe" ...

Jun 28, 2026
Phys.org / Shining blue light on gold-graphene nanodots achieves wound healing trifecta

Closing wounds, burns and deep cuts isn't enough to kick-start healing. A wound needs a clean environment, free of bacterial infection and interruption. That calls for three components working together—one to kill bacteria, ...

Jun 28, 2026
Phys.org / Lost megalodon vertebrae resurface, confirming 80-foot size estimate

An associated set of gigantic vertebrae belonging to the iconic extinct megalodon, or megatooth shark, that had been missing in action since the 1980s was discovered, providing new information about the shark's lifestyle. ...

Jun 28, 2026
Phys.org / Off-center stellar death points to wandering supermassive black hole stripped of its own galaxy

Astronomers have uncovered new details about the black hole that ripped apart a star in a tidal disruption event named AT2024tvd. Findings suggest it is a wandering supermassive black hole—the kind that is not located at ...

Jun 28, 2026