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. For scientists, breakthroughs often stem from unexpected turns. A research team led by Oscar Dahlsten, an associate professor in the Department of Physics at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), set out to prove a theoretical limitation, only to discover a quantum solution. The finding breaks traditional physical constraints and introduces a strategy for harvesting energy from fluctuating sources. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-quantum-pathway-entropy-free-energy.html General Physics Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:00:01 EDT news711706981 University of Massachusetts Amherst's Jeff Podos and his former graduate student João C.T. Menezes have identified two contenders for the title of world's loudest bird: the bare-throated bellbird and the red-legged seriema. Their findings also help explain why some birds are so much louder than others. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-biologists-world-loudest-birds.html Plants & Animals Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:00:08 EDT news709804021 For decades, an idea has grown in paleontology that, long before scientists began digging up and reconstructing dinosaur bones, the Indigenous San and Basotho in southern Africa noticed them too, incorporating them into songs, myths and immortalizing them on cave walls. But under closer scrutiny, these claims begin to crumble. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-monsters-werent-dinosaur-tusked-beast.html Archaeology Sat, 19 Sep 2026 10:00:02 EDT news708605303 The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns forced people to find ways to get things done remotely. Companies developed systems that made working from home run smoothly. Educators also had to shift to mobile phones and group video calls to get their lessons across and make sure students didn't lose out on their progress. This exposed the need for education systems to be more resilient and adaptive to local and global disruptions. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-lessons-children-emergency-school-closures.html Education Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:20:08 EDT news708335529 On the surface, posting online reviews looks like a win-win activity. It helps both businesses we like and people who might frequent them. But although posting reviews can benefit others, it can also put us all at risk, according to new research from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. It can inadvertently expose our personal connections and make us and our online friends more vulnerable to cyberattacks. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-length-online-scammers-friends.html Social Sciences Sun, 30 Aug 2026 11:00:02 EDT news706979465 Researchers have captured in real time the "birth moment" when the performance of a next-generation memory material is determined. The key lies in controlling oxygen vacancies, microscopic defects created when oxygen atoms are missing from their normal positions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-oxygen-gaps-generation-memory.html Nanomaterials Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:20:01 EDT news707065262 In his 1927 paper, "A law of comparative judgment," the American psychologist L. L. Thurstone proposed that when people select one option among multiple alternatives, they are picking the one that has the highest value to them, even though they cannot assign a particular number to that choice. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-people-pays-power.html Mathematics Mon, 10 Aug 2026 18:00:02 EDT news705595141 In early 2025, special signals wended their way through a fiber-optic highway strung above the streets and sidewalks of the Maryland suburbs. The arrival of those signals at their destination marks a significant step toward a long-held dream of building a "quantum network." Researchers believe that this emerging technology could someday link quantum devices in ways that supercharge scientific research, enable ultrasecure communications and boost the power of future quantum computers. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-spooky-particles-transit-dc-suburbs.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:30:01 EDT news705164821 Information and communication technologies (ICTs) driven by artificial intelligence (AI) are generating data at an unprecedented rate. Every internet search, AI-generated image, recommendation, scientific simulation and large language model creates and processes enormous amounts of information that must be stored, transferred and analyzed. As AI continues to expand across every sector of society, global demand for data storage and computing is rising dramatically. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-optimized-magnetic-pulses-memory-energy.html Condensed Matter Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news704720412 QUT researchers have overcome a challenge that has limited next-generation energy-harvesting materials for more than two decades, opening the door to more powerful wearable electronics and new ways of turning wasted heat into electricity. The breakthrough centers on carbon nanotubes, which are flexible, conductive microscopic rods that have long shown promise for wearable technologies but have been difficult to control. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-molecules-carbon-nanotubes-clumping-electricity.html Nanomaterials Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:40:06 EDT news703781761 Humans are masters of seeing faces in any old thing—a handbag, TV static, toasted white bread. Scientists want to know why. A few years ago, as the category 5 Hurricane Milton bore down on the Florida coast, the internet noticed something strange. Doesn't the satellite image of the storm look a bit like an angry bald guy? Or a skull? https://phys.org/news/2026-04-clouds-pareidolia.html Social Sciences Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:26:37 EDT news694772735 An international research team has successfully synthesized oriented belt-shaped vanadium dioxide (VO2(B)) single crystals via a hydrothermal reduction method, using one-dimensional vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanofibers as the starting material. This work, published in the journal ACS Sensors, provides a new material platform and design guidelines for the development of next-generation low-power gas sensors capable of operating at room temperature. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-belt-vob-crystals-high-sensitivity.html Nanomaterials Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:20:02 EDT news693581401 Researchers at Kyushu University have shown that careful engineering of materials interfaces can unlock new applications for nanoscale magnetic spins, overcoming the limits of conventional electronics. Their findings, published in APL Materials, open up a promising path for tackling a key challenge in the field and ushering in a new era of next-generation information devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-harnessing-nanoscale-magnetic-limits-conventional.html Nanophysics Fri, 23 Jan 2026 12:38:00 EST news688394208 Highspeed Internet, autonomous driving, the Internet of Things: data streams are proliferating at enormous speed. But classic radio technology is reaching its limits: the higher the data rate, the faster the signals need to be transmitted. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-terahertz-dirac-materials-enable-efficient.html Condensed Matter Thu, 04 Dec 2025 10:56:17 EST news684068161 Modern devices, from fitness trackers and smart garments to Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, require compact and sustainable power sources. In new research published in Scientific Reports, scientists present an energy harvester based on a horizontally mounted vial half-filled with a biodegradable ferrofluid. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-sloshing-ferrofluids-harness-vibration-energy.html Nanophysics Mon, 24 Nov 2025 14:54:02 EST news683218441 Understanding the properties of different materials is an important step in material design. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is an important technique for this, as it reveals detailed insights about a material's composition, structure, and functional characteristics. The technique works by directing a beam of high-energy X-rays at a sample and recording how X-rays of different energy levels are absorbed. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-machine-automates-material-analysis-ray.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 10 Nov 2025 05:00:26 EST news681737221 Is it wizardry? Physicists at the University of Konstanz have succeeded in changing the properties of a material in a non-thermal way with the help of light and magnons. The new process is not only promising for information technology, but possibly for quantum research, too—at room temperature. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-magic-magnons-material-properties-thermally.html Quantum Physics Wed, 16 Jul 2025 10:38:00 EDT news671881074 Scientists from Skoltech, the Institute of Nanotechnology of Microelectronics, RAS, and other research centers have refined the understanding of how plasma treatment of carbon-based electrodes affects the key characteristics of supercapacitors. These are energy storage devices that complement batteries in electric cars, trains, port cranes, and elsewhere. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-nitrogen-argon-plasma-boosts-carbon.html Nanophysics Thu, 03 Apr 2025 11:19:04 EDT news662897941 MIT aerospace engineers have found that greenhouse gas emissions are changing the environment of near-Earth space in ways that, over time, will reduce the number of satellites that can sustainably operate there. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-climate-satellites-safely-orbit-space.html Space Exploration Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:00:01 EDT news660822647 Soilless growing systems inside greenhouses, known as controlled environment agriculture, promise to advance the year-round production of high-quality specialty crops, according to an interdisciplinary research team at Penn State. But to be competitive and sustainable, this advanced farming method will require the development and implementation of precision agriculture techniques. To meet that demand, the team developed an automated crop-monitoring system capable of providing continuous and frequent data about plant growth and needs, allowing for informed crop management. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-vision-tracks-growth-specialty-crop.html Biotechnology Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:51:52 EST news659893899 Researchers successfully developed a multifunctional sensor based on semiconductor fibers that emulates the five human senses. The technology developed in the study is expected to be utilized in a variety of state-of-the-art technology fields, such as wearables, Internet of Things (IoT), electronic devices, and soft robotics. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-gen-fibers-smart-textile-pressure.html Nanomaterials Tue, 21 Jan 2025 12:56:02 EST news656686561 Scientists have developed the first electrically pumped continuous-wave semiconductor laser composed exclusively of elements from the fourth group of the periodic table—the "silicon group." https://phys.org/news/2024-12-electrically-semiconductor-laser-advances-silicon.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 09 Dec 2024 16:55:07 EST news652985695 In high school science class, we learned that plugging a cable into an electrical circuit sets off a flow of electrons, powering everything from our lights to our phones. Traditionally, we've understood how electrons behave in metals and semiconductors through this simple model: electrons are imagined as tiny, independent particles, much like cars on an open highway—each one moving freely, without interacting much with the others. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-viscous-electronics-fluid-electrons-tech.html Nanophysics Mon, 21 Oct 2024 12:33:29 EDT news648732806 One key to making portable devices more compact and energy efficient lies in the precise nanoscale form of energy-storing capacitors. Researchers in Sweden report they've cracked the challenge with a unique 3D printing method. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-3d-method-micro-energy-storage.html Nanophysics Mon, 14 Oct 2024 12:04:03 EDT news648126242 A research team has developed a double-layer dry transfer printing technology that simultaneously transfers light-emitting and electron-transferring layers onto a substrate. This technology is expected to provide a more life-like view in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), greatly enhancing the immersive experience. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-display-technologies-ultrahigh-definition-screens.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 22 Aug 2024 10:22:24 EDT news643540942 Imagine knowing your milk has gone bad without having to open your fridge. A technology called printed electronics could one day make innovations like this possible. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-electronics-material-current.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 19 Aug 2024 11:57:48 EDT news643287465 Speech recognition, weather forecasts, smart home applications: Artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things are enhancing our everyday lives. Systems based on reservoir computing are a very promising new field. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-possibilities-reservoir-topological-magnetic-ferroelectric.html Condensed Matter Wed, 03 Jul 2024 10:03:03 EDT news639219782 Researchers have unveiled a pioneering breeze wake-up anemometer (B-WA), employing a rolling-bearing triboelectric nanogenerator (RB-TENG) that provides a new strategy for low-energy consumption environmental monitoring. The ability of the B-WA to operate autonomously and efficiently in varying wind conditions marks a substantial advancement in the field of sustainable environmental monitoring. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-sensor-minimal-power-advanced-weather.html Nanomaterials Wed, 29 May 2024 16:24:26 EDT news636218664 A research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently successfully achieved lattice-mismatch-free construction of III-V/chalcogenide core-shell heterostructure nanowires for electronic and optoelectronic applications. This breakthrough addresses crucial technological challenges related to the lattice mismatch problem in the growth of high-quality heterostructure semiconductors, leading to enhanced carrier transport and photoelectric properties. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-lattice-mismatch-issue-advance-optoelectronic.html Nanomaterials Thu, 14 Mar 2024 09:44:03 EDT news629628242 A research team led by Professor Wang Cheng from the Department of Electrical Engineering (EE) at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has developed a world-leading microwave photonic chip that is capable of performing ultrafast analog electronic signal processing and computation using optics. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-world-microwave-photonics-chip-high.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 28 Feb 2024 11:00:01 EST news628247695