https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Some classical physical systems can explore many configurations over time until their long-term behavior no longer reveals their starting conditions. The sampling of available configurations according to the appropriate statistical distribution is a property called ergodicity. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-quantum-birthmarks.html Quantum Physics Sun, 11 Oct 2026 14:20:01 EDT news710685576 An international team of researchers has uncovered new evidence illuminating the evolutionary origins of one of the defining features of mammals: the ability to suckle and consume milk during infancy. Their findings, published in Nature, suggest that key anatomical structures required for mammalian suckling, swallowing and breastfeeding behaviors evolved nearly 165 million years ago, long before the appearance of modern mammals. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-jurassic-fossil-reveals-ancient-mammals.html Evolution Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:00:04 EDT news710683675 Researchers at the Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences (ACCESS) at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed a new algorithm that can forecast Arctic sea ice extent up to nine months in advance, offering a new way to anticipate changes in the Arctic that can affect the global climate system. The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-algorithm-arctic-sea-ice-months.html Earth Sciences Sun, 11 Oct 2026 09:00:01 EDT news710768267 A spinach leaf can turn light into chemical energy. A struggling heart cannot. Researchers in China have brought part of the leaf's energy-making machinery into rat heart cells to test whether borrowed photosynthesis could help an overworked heart. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-spinach-nanoparticles-rat-hearts-photosynthesis.html Bio & Medicine Sun, 11 Oct 2026 07:40:01 EDT news710599646 When we think about a diamond, we often think about a material whose value comes from its perfection. In my research, however, I am interested in something almost opposite: the tiny imperfections inside diamonds. These atomic-scale defects can give diamonds new optical and electronic properties, and some of them can serve as quantum systems. The challenge is learning how to control these defects without disturbing the others. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ultraviolet-laser-pulses-diamond-defects.html Condensed Matter Sat, 10 Oct 2026 17:20:01 EDT news710677572 Most of us recognize basic phases of matter and their properties: solids maintain their shape, liquids flow freely with constant volume, and gases expand to fill their container. Quantum phases, on the other hand, are much harder to categorize, overturning traditional notions of what a phase even is and forcing physicists to rethink their definitions. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-stability-distinguish-quantum-phases-older.html Condensed Matter Sat, 10 Oct 2026 13:00:02 EDT news710683734 Two cartoon characters appear on a screen. One belongs to a group of three, and the other to a group of two. Which character would you rather play with? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-preschool-boys-favor-bigger-groups.html Social Sciences Sat, 10 Oct 2026 11:20:01 EDT news710765673 From coral reefs in Papua New Guinea to chimpanzees in West Africa, grizzly bears in Canada and albatross colonies off Tasmania, some ecosystems are thriving despite climate change, habitat loss and other environmental pressures. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-odds-ecosystems.html Plants & Animals Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:40:10 EDT news710587380 Some insects, including honeybees and ants, live in highly organized colonies where individuals take on specific roles. In many ant societies, young adult workers typically care for developing young inside the nest before beginning to forage, or search for food, outside it. Some ant species, however, start hunting for food as soon as they reach adulthood, without undergoing a transition period. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-young-ants-early.html Plants & Animals Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:00:06 EDT news710584123 Physicists in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford have used a hybrid quantum computer, made up of qubits and quantum oscillators, to observe the Aharonov–Bohm effect in a quantum simulation. The effect is a quantum phenomenon in which a particle can acquire a measurable phase by traveling around a magnetic flux, even though it never passes through a region where a magnetic field is present. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hybrid-quantum-foundational-effect.html Quantum Physics Sat, 10 Oct 2026 06:57:07 EDT news710834138 Mountains preserve evidence of ancient oceans, moving continents and tectonic processes that have shaped Earth over millions of years. Later deformation, erosion and burial, however, can obscure important parts of this geological record. An international research team led by Istanbul Technical University (ITU) has identified evidence of a previously unrecognized Late Cretaceous continental magmatic arc in northwestern Iran. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-geologists-uncover-evidence-late-cretaceous.html Earth Sciences Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:20:05 EDT news710768259 Every black hole hides a question at its center. Einstein's theory predicts that whatever falls in is crushed into a singularity, a point of infinite density where the theory itself breaks down. Most physicists expect quantum gravity to replace that point with something finite. But the center lies hidden behind the horizon. How could we ever learn what is there? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-quantum-cores-fingerprints-black-holes.html General Physics Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:40:01 EDT news710671667 Drought is written into trees, appearing as narrow bands in their annual growth rings. But aspen may go farther, creating "functional memories" of previous dry years reflected in the chemistry of their leaves, according to new research by University of Utah biologists. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-aspens-drought-year.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:40:06 EDT news710773921 A new study led by Paul Schulze-Lefert from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, in collaboration with Ricardo F.H. Giehl at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben, revealed how Arabidopsis plants adapt their chemical communication with the bacterial root microbiota to maximize the acquisition of bio-unavailable iron from acidic or calcareous soils. The study is now published in Cell. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bacteria-partnership-reveals-roots-access.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:20:07 EDT news710772482 A novel nanovesicle-based platform developed at Institute of Science Tokyo can measure hydrostatic pressure by converting pressure-induced molecular changes into fluorescence signals. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-adjustable-nanosensors-pressure-fluorescent-stiffness.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:00:02 EDT news710771521 The fact that ecosystems change is nothing new. What is new, however, is the speed and scale at which new species communities are emerging as a result of climate change. Processes that once unfolded over centuries or even millennia are now being observed within just a few decades. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-climate-species-combinations-prompting-rethink.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:40:01 EDT news710768941 Cornell researchers have designed a new, faster form of two-photon fluorescence imaging for observing cell metabolism in real time, a method that could enable quicker screening of new therapeutic treatments. The findings were published Sept. 4 in Science Advances. The co-lead authors are former postdoctoral researcher Lu Ling, Ph.D. '20, and doctoral student Jack Crowley, M.S. '22. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-fluorescent-imaging-tracks-metabolism-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:20:01 EDT news710767621 Filmmaker and outdoorsperson Quinn Barabash recently made headlines when he found a swordfish carcass nearly two meters (6.6 feet) long on the remote shores of Haida Gwaii in northern British Columbia. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-swordfish-british-columbia-coast-oceans.html Environment Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:00:01 EDT news710767381 The European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) is a nocturnal migratory bird that travels between Europe and southern Africa each year. However, its wings are not only used for long-distance journeys. When hunting insects, the nightjar must be able to slow down, turn sharply and fly at low speeds. Researchers at Lund University have now shown how this trade-off is reflected in the bird's flight mechanics. The study is published in the journal PLOS Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nightjar-wings-reveal-slowly.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:40:14 EDT news710767261 A Jupiter-sized world just 7.5 light-years away is cloudy, chemically complex and, it turns out, more like home than anyone expected. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, Brittany Miles, assistant astronomer at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory, led a team that spent 11 hours staring at WISE 0855, the coldest known brown dwarf, collecting a spectrum of its light every 15 minutes. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-discovery-variable-clouds-solar.html Astronomy Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:20:12 EDT news710767022 Scientists have created a new family of materials whose behavior can be tuned by changing their metallic "recipe"—opening new possibilities for uses including gas storage and sensing. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-material-properties-tuned-metallic-recipe.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:00:09 EDT news710766722 Finding a single cancer cell in a tube of blood is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. As researchers seek to detect ever-smaller and rarer targets, from viruses to circulating tumor cells in blood, the demand for ultrasensitive, robust sensors that are practical for real-world samples continues to grow. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-method-free-particle-sensor-surfaces.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:40:06 EDT news710766515 When a dying star runs out of fuel and sheds its outer layers, its remaining core can become an approximately Earth-sized, extremely dense stellar remnant called a white dwarf. For a white dwarf that is not strongly rotating or magnetized, there is a well-known upper mass limit of about 1.4 times the mass of the sun, known as the Chandrasekhar limit. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-strong-magnetic-fields-white-dwarfs.html Astronomy Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:20:19 EDT news710766601 For highly fragile quantum information systems, the ability to store quantum information is vital—but also challenging. Quantum information is transported in particles of light called photons, which often must be temporarily paused (or "stored") while other, slower quantum operations catch up. This storage must be performed on microchips as small as 1 centimeter (0.4 inches)—a distance covered by light in a few trillionths of a second. Storing photons for a microsecond would represent a massive leap forward for the capabilities of quantum chips. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-quantum-chip-multiple-photons-path.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:00:10 EDT news710766541 Episodic lava fountaining is a rare volcanic behavior in which repeated, hours-long bursts of molten lava and gas are spewed from volcanic vents, with quiet pauses lasting days to weeks between episodes. These lava fountains have been observed in active volcanoes in places like Hawaii, Iceland and Italy, but researchers still do not fully understand what starts, sustains or stops these individual fountain episodes. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-klauea-summit-scientists-lava-fountain.html Earth Sciences Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:40:08 EDT news710765919 Majestic African antelopes known as gemsbok have been roaming the U.S. Southwest since their introduction in the 1960s and 1970s. Brought to New Mexico as a game species for hunting, gemsbok quickly settled in, expanding more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from their introduction point. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers say that's due to their exceptional adaptations to arid conditions, which they predict will dramatically expand under climate change. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-african-antelopes-mexico-climate.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:20:17 EDT news710765761 Parts of Earth's climate system can change abruptly once warming pushes them beyond critical thresholds. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the Amazon rainforest, coral reefs and major ocean currents are all among the systems containing potential climate tipping points. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-climate.html Earth Sciences Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:40:17 EDT news710762461 Many naturally occurring molecules such as menthol or limonene exist in two mirror-image forms, known as enantiomers, that look almost identical but can differ greatly in smell, taste or effect on the body. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-enzymes-mirror-image-molecules.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:20:01 EDT news710759952 When the COVID-19 pandemic brought human activity to a standstill around the world in the first half of 2020, wildfire incidents also declined by more than 12%. A new study published in Cell Reports Sustainability reveals the complex role humans play in shaping global fire patterns, both as a source of fire and in helping keep fires in check. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-global-wildfires-decreased-covid-lockdown.html Earth Sciences Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:00:40 EDT news710677201 Scientists have discovered a previously unknown microorganism that has the smallest genome ever found and may be able to replicate and express its own genetic information. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-tiny-marine-microbe-genetic-machinery.html Evolution Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:00:12 EDT news710692981