Phys.org news

Phys.org / The broader a fungus's diet, the better it kills insects and helps plants

Many fungi lead triple lives—acting as deadly insect pathogens, decomposers in the soil, and helpful partners living inside and transferring insect-derived nitrogen to plant roots. Scientists have long wondered what allows ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Synchronized infrared lasers control molecular shape changes and expose hidden fingerprints

Researchers from the Molecular Physics and Physical Chemistry departments of the Fritz Haber Institute have shown how two highly synchronized infrared (IR) laser beams can control molecules as they switch between different ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Single ion maps 3D electromagnetic fields above chips with record sensitivity

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a method that uses a single ion to detect electromagnetic fields above a surface and to create a three-dimensional map of them. In the future, this approach can be used to improve ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Massive sturgeon once bred in Britain's rivers, boosting reintroduction hopes

Atlantic and European sturgeon once called Britain's rivers home and could do so again, following research using Natural History Museum specimens. These fish are among the biggest found in Europe and undertake epic migrations ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Spider venoms could stop deadly varroa mites killing honey bees

Spider venoms contain ingredients that could lead to a new treatment to protect honeybees from the deadly Varroa destructor mite, according to a study led by the University of the Sunshine Coast. Researchers identified components ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Simulation reveals how glaciers transported rocks across the Alps 24,000 years ago

Many of the boulders scattered across the Swiss landscape did not originate where they now stand. Instead, they were carried by ice nearly 24,000 years ago. For the first time, researchers at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / How signals in the embryo tell cells what to become: A lab's final discovery

Getting it over the finish line was a labor of love—and now, more than five years after her death, the lab of former Sloan Kettering Institute Developmental Biology Chair Kathryn Anderson, Ph.D., is publishing its final study.

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Last-minute launch problem delays satellite rescue mission for NASA

A rush rescue mission to save a NASA space telescope remains grounded, this time because of a last-minute launch problem.

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Plant DNA harbors virus 'fossils' that reflect 300 million years of evolution

Is it possible to study the history of viruses that emerged several hundred million years ago? An international team of INRAE and CIRAD researchers answered this question by exploring plant genomes to find the molecular fossils ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Coral loss may erase up to $3 billion in Hawaiʻi reef recreation by 2100

Coral reef decline driven by climate change could cost Hawaiʻi residents between $1.8 billion and $3 billion in lost reef-related activities by 2100, according to a new study published in Ecological Economics. The research ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Quiet outings linked to more frequent dangerous wildlife encounters

The more people expand into previously natural areas, the more wildlife and humans step on each other's toes, leading to more interactions that may result in conflict. This includes national parks, where people flock to recuperate ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Scourge of satellites lighting up the sky could be mitigated with help of ultra-black coating

Astrophysicists working to tackle the growing impact of satellite constellations have pioneered a new ultra-black coating as one possible way to mitigate the problem.

Jul 2, 2026