Phys.org news

Phys.org / Magnetic fields slow carbon migration in iron by altering energy barriers, study shows

Professor Dallas Trinkle and colleagues have provided the first quantitative explanation for how magnetic fields slow carbon atom movement through iron, a phenomenon first observed in the 1970s but never fully understood. ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Birding enthusiasts can help songbirds avoid Salmonella epidemics

UCLA biologists are developing a tool to predict when deadly Salmonella outbreaks are likely to happen in wild songbird populations so that people can protect their feathered friends by taking down bird feeders at the right ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Possible Black Death mass grave discovered near Erfurt, Germany

An interdisciplinary research team from Leipzig has discovered strong evidence of a Black Death mass grave near the deserted medieval village of Neuses, outside Erfurt (Germany). It represents the first systematically identified ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Phages and bacteria accumulate distinctive mutations aboard the International Space Station

In a new study, terrestrial bacteria-infecting viruses were still able to infect their E. coli hosts in near-weightless "microgravity" conditions aboard the International Space Station, but the dynamics of virus-bacteria ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
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 / Uncovering a hidden mechanism in Met receptor activation

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, in collaboration with Osaka University and the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, have uncovered a previously unknown ...

Jan 13, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / New tool lets anyone audit a country's methane claims

For years, countries have told the United Nations how much methane they emit using a kind of bottom-up bookkeeping: Count the cows and oil barrels, estimate the volume of trash, and multiply by standard emission factors.

Jan 13, 2026 in Earth
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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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