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. Our sun is capable of storms far bigger than we've ever recorded. Studying the world's oldest trees suggests we could soon be due one of these gargantuan events. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ancient-trees-enormous-solar-storm.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:00:06 EDT news706186321 Cells are not isolated units; they continuously exchange proteins, genetic material, and even entire organelles with their neighbors. Intercellular transfer influences how tissues develop, respond to stress, and repair damage. In certain cancers, for example, tumor cells can acquire mitochondria from nearby cells to sustain growth; similar exchanges are also linked to aging processes. However, despite massive advances in gene-editing and molecular-targeting technologies, we still lack the tools to directly and reliably manipulate the cytoplasmic composition of living cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nanotube-injector-cytoplasmic-contents-organelles.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:40:04 EDT news694431001 Scientists have long relied on tree rings to learn about ancient solar storms—rare bursts of high-energy particles from the sun that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communication systems across the planet. When these particles hit Earth's atmosphere, they create a radioactive form of carbon that trees absorb and store in their wood. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-tree-scientists-disruptive-extreme-solar.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 29 Jan 2026 10:16:51 EST news688904161 Using a dual-cation substitution approach, researchers at Science Tokyo introduced ferromagnetism into bismuth ferrite, a well-known and promising multiferroic material for next-generation memory technologies. By replacing ions at both the bismuth and iron sites with calcium ions and heavier elements, they modified the spin structure and achieved ferromagnetism at room temperature. Additionally, negative thermal expansion was observed. This ability to engineer magnetism and thermal expansion in a multiferroic material aids in realizing future memory devices. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-dual-substitution-room-temperature-ferromagnetism.html Condensed Matter Thu, 11 Dec 2025 19:50:01 EST news684690170 Colorado State University researchers have published a paper in Science that describes a new and more efficient light-based process for transforming fossil fuels into useful modern chemicals. In it, they report that their organic photoredox catalysis system is effective, even at room temperature. That advantage could lower energy demands around chemical manufacturing in a variety of instances and could also reduce associated pollution, among other benefits. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-efficient-photoredox-catalyst-enables-greener.html Materials Science Thu, 19 Jun 2025 14:00:03 EDT news669477781 With recent advancements in technology, the Internet of Things and wireless devices are in high demand. However, these innovations also raise concerns about prolonged exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR), which may pose potential risks to eye health. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-mxene-coated-lenses-safer-smarter.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 03 Jun 2025 21:00:01 EDT news668163961 An international team of scientists has discovered an extreme spike in radiocarbon corresponding to the year 12350 BC during the dusk of the last Ice Age. However, the strength of the event could not be assessed earlier because of the lack of an appropriate model. It has now been identified as the most powerful solar particle storm known to date—a colossal space weather storm that struck Earth 14,300 years ago. This recent finding expands the timeline and intensity of known solar activity and sets a new upper boundary for such solar phenomena. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-reveals-strongest-solar-event-bc.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 15 May 2025 09:32:06 EDT news666520323 The Northern Lights were visible much farther south than usual this year, and pictures of the colorful hues filled social media. Now, imagine an aurora hundreds of times brighter—except no one would be able to snap a photo of it, as the onslaught of particles rushing in from the sun would instantly turn smartphones into bricks. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-probe-ancient-wood-clues-massive.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 21 Nov 2024 06:07:51 EST news651391667 Researchers at Colorado State University have found a new approach for breaking down PFAS—a group of human-made "forever" chemicals commonly used for their water-resistant properties that can carry health risks from long-term exposure. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-based-photocatalytic-pfas-room-temperature.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 20 Nov 2024 11:00:01 EST news651320521 Researchers at the University of Bern have for the first time been able to pin down a prehistoric settlement of early farmers in northern Greece dating back more than 7,000 years to the year. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-succeed-accurately-dating-year-prehistoric.html Archaeology Tue, 21 May 2024 13:33:48 EDT news635517222 The intracellular delivery of proteins is an important technique for unveiling the cellular functions, protein complex structure, and therapeutics. However, conventional delivery methods have several limitations. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-hybrid-nanotubes-cancer-treatment-intracellular.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 20 May 2024 10:34:03 EDT news635420040 An international team of scientists has discovered a huge spike in radiocarbon levels 14,300 years ago by analyzing ancient tree-rings found in the French Alps. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-largest-solar-storm-ancient-year-old.html Astronomy Mon, 09 Oct 2023 03:00:02 EDT news615812445 The movement of cosmic ray particles across space, such as electrons and protons, is influenced by the sun's magnetic field, causing fluctuations in the intensity of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) reaching Earth in response to the solar cycle. During periods of low solar activity, such as the solar minimum, more GCRs have been observed to reach Earth compared to that for periods of high solar activity. This inverse correlation between the GCR-flux and solar activity is known as "solar modulation." https://phys.org/news/2023-06-calorimetric-electron-telescope-calet-captures.html Astronomy Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:11:03 EDT news605459461 Big changes often happen in small steps, and it's not always easy to see how we get from point A to point B. Now, researchers from Japan have found a new step in the process of cell differentiation that leads to the production of fully functional basophils, which are critical cells in the immune system. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-pre-basophils-cell-differentiation-basophil-story.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 07 Jun 2023 11:46:35 EDT news605357191 A University of Queensland study has shed new light on a mysterious, unpredictable and potentially devastating kind of astrophysical event. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-tree-insight-devastating-storms.html Astronomy Tue, 25 Oct 2022 19:00:02 EDT news585932624 By combining technologies originally designed for high-energy particle accelerators and astronomy observations, researchers can now for the first time analyze the elemental makeup of samples without damaging them, which could be useful for researchers working in other fields such as archaeology, reports a new study in Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2022-04-muonic-x-rays-elemental-makeup-samples.html General Physics Tue, 26 Apr 2022 11:17:49 EDT news570190663 Mobility shaped the human world profoundly long before the modern age. But archaeologists often struggle to create a timeline for the speed and impact of this mobility. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the Danish National Research Foundation's Centre for Urban Network Evolutions at Aarhus University (UrbNet) has now made a breakthrough by applying new astronomical knowledge about the past activity of the sun to establish an exact time anchor for global links in the year 775 CE. https://phys.org/news/2021-12-dates-viking-age.html Archaeology Wed, 22 Dec 2021 12:44:01 EST news559399434 On April 30, 2018, on the eastern flank of Hawaii's Kīlauea volcano, lava suddenly drained from a crater that had been spewing lava for more than three decades. Then the floor of the crater, named Pu'u'ō'ō, dropped out. https://phys.org/news/2021-07-laws-friction-collapsing-crater-erupting.html Earth Sciences Wed, 28 Jul 2021 09:52:02 EDT news546684718 The sun constantly emits a stream of energetic particles, some of which reach Earth. The density and energy of this stream form the basis of space weather, which can interfere with the operation of satellites and other spacecraft. A key unresolved question in the field is the frequency with which the sun emits bursts of energetic particles strong enough to disable or destroy space-based electronics. https://phys.org/news/2021-07-tree-newly-extreme-solar-event.html Earth Sciences Tue, 13 Jul 2021 12:42:03 EDT news545398918 Dating archeological objects precisely is difficult, even when using techniques such as radiocarbon dating. Using a recently developed method based on the presence of sudden spikes in carbon-14 concentration, scientists at the University of Groningen, together with Russian colleagues, have pinned the date for the construction of an eighth-century complex in southern Siberia to a specific year. This allows archeologists to finally understand the purpose for building the complex—and why it was never used. The results were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 8 June. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-radiocarbon-dating-pins-date-uyghur.html Archaeology Tue, 09 Jun 2020 07:23:38 EDT news510906215 University of Tokyo researchers have elucidated how Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) binds to pathogen DNA, activating the innate immune system. This discovery is vital for the design of new antiviral, antibacterial, allergy and other drugs targeting TLR9. https://phys.org/news/2015-02-tlr9.html Biochemistry Mon, 09 Feb 2015 11:00:08 EST news342699979 Most galaxies are assumed to have at their heart a supermassive black hole that draws in vast amounts of surrounding matter. As this matter is sucked in, it releases energy in the form of intense x-ray emissions that in some cases can be more intense than the emission from all the stars in the galaxy combined. https://phys.org/news/2014-12-satellite-x-ray-emission-falling-black.html Astronomy Fri, 05 Dec 2014 09:40:03 EST news336993577 (Phys.org)—A nearby short duration gamma-ray burst may be the cause of an intense blast of high-energy radiation that hit the Earth in the 8th century, according to new research led by astronomers Valeri Hambaryan and Ralph Neuhӓuser. The two scientists, based at the Astrophysics Institute of the University of Jena in Germany, publish their results in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. https://phys.org/news/2013-01-8th-century-gamma-ray-irradiated.html Astronomy Mon, 21 Jan 2013 04:48:08 EST news277966075 For the first time, the iPhone is growing even as it slims down. After sticking for five years to the same screen size, Apple on Wednesday revealed a new phone that's taller, with a bigger display. https://phys.org/news/2012-09-apple-iphone-sept.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:33:19 EDT news266679191 In the late eighth century, Earth was hit by a mystery blast of cosmic rays, according to a Japanese study that found a relic of the powerful event in cedar trees. https://phys.org/news/2012-06-tree-japanese-scientists-8th-century-mystery.html Earth Sciences Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:25:27 EDT news258002715 Women are underrepresented and on average perform more poorly than men in introductory physics. But a recent study finds that this gap arises predominantly from differential preparation prior to college and psychological factors, rather than differences in ability. https://phys.org/news/2010-11-gender-gap-physics-exams-simple.html Social Sciences Thu, 25 Nov 2010 14:26:55 EST news209917599 (PhysOrg.com) -- An experiment in 2003 formed what was believed to be a new form of carbon, but the findings were controversial. Now two teams of scientists have used different means to identify a three-dimensional network structure called "bct-carbon," which they say could have been the structure formed in 2003. https://phys.org/news/2010-11-super-hard-carbon.html Nanomaterials Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:50:01 EST news208416365 Spiral galaxies are the glitter of the universe. These systems of stars, dust, gas and plasma are held together by gravity but seem to pinwheel across the darkness of space. They have fascinated nighthawks for hundreds of years and dazzled scientists who use increasingly sophisticated tools to study them. https://phys.org/news/2006-06-discovery-clues-milky.html Astronomy Mon, 05 Jun 2006 13:42:03 EDT news68733723