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. Optical fibers are already the backbone of global communication systems. Recently, however, physicists have started to explore how their functionality could be boosted further by conveying information via entangled quantum particles—potentially enabling instantaneous exchanges of information across vast distances. Such a system could eventually be the basis of a future 'quantum internet,' offering a level of security and computing power beyond anything possible today. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-physicists-entangle-quantum-memories-km.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:30:01 EDT news706284107 A team of researchers reports that they may have found rock containing some of the earliest forms of microbial life on Earth. Their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describes the biosignatures found in this 3.5-billion-year-old, carbon-rich, layered rock, called chert. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-layered-india-potential-microbial-life.html Earth Sciences Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:30:02 EDT news706270423 Between 29,000 and 19,000 years ago, the planet experienced some of its coldest temperatures and drastic landscape changes at the peak of the Ice Age, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the period of most extensive global ice cover. Humans, despite being unaccustomed to such icy temperatures and surroundings, survived through the age. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ancient-jomon-dna-reveals-hidden.html Evolution Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:40:10 EDT news706266198 Superconductors are materials in which electrical current flows with a resistance of zero, typically below specific temperatures. In conventional superconductors, this state of matter emerges when two electrons bind together at low temperatures, forming so-called Cooper pairs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-unusual-superconductivity-emerge-valley-imbalanced.html Condensed Matter Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:40:03 EDT news706179882 So far, most of the minerals found on Mars tell a story of lava poured out by ancient volcanoes, followed by long stretches in which water trickled through and slowly reshaped the rock. However, some rocks scattered across the Martian surface seem to hint at a different geological history—carrying the same material that forms rubies and sapphires. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ruby-mineral-mars-rover-hints.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:30:01 EDT news706193441 Quantum sensors, devices that collect measurements by exploiting quantum-mechanical phenomena, could potentially detect extremely weak magnetic, gravitational and electromagnetic signals with greater sensitivity than classical sensors. Some quantum sensors leverage entanglement, a phenomenon that prompts distant particles to become so strongly linked that the physical state of one particle dictates the state of the others. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-approach-noise-resistant-quantum-sensors.html Quantum Physics Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:00:07 EDT news705926571 Biologists, zoologists and psychologists have been trying to trace the origins of human language for centuries. One well-known theory, known as the social brain hypothesis, suggests that increasingly complex social lives prompted primates to evolve increasingly larger brains, which in turn led to increasingly advanced communication skills. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-body-size-habitat-vocal-repertoires.html Plants & Animals Tue, 18 Aug 2026 06:20:01 EDT news706188803 A new study published in Science Advances takes a closer look at how AI agents' choices are influenced by their peers. The team found that more advanced models tend to follow the majority when shown other agents' choices, and they maintain stable agreement in groups far larger than those seen in humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-agents-behavior-based-majority.html General Physics Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:40:09 EDT news706188771 Astronomers have discovered the first confirmed dual active galactic nucleus in a Green Pea galaxy, revealing two supermassive black holes growing at the same time inside a compact, intensely star-forming system. X-ray observations with Chandra resolved two actively accreting black holes, while Keck spectroscopy confirmed that both belong to the same merging galaxy. The paper outlining the research was submitted to the arXiv preprint server on July 20. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-pair-supermassive-black-holes-green.html Astronomy Mon, 17 Aug 2026 11:10:01 EDT news706178042 Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by progressive memory loss and a decline in other mental functions. Past studies have consistently linked this disorder to the accumulation of the protein amyloid-β (Aβ) between brain cells, ultimately resulting in the formation of so-called amyloid plaques. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gold-nanoclusters-alzheimer-amyloid-plaques.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 17 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news706177996 Astronomers have discovered that the jet of a distant blazar has been gravitationally lensed by an unseen source of dark matter. Led by Silke Britzen at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany, the team's results could prove especially important for observations of cosmic neutrinos, which are likely produced in abundance alongside a broad spectrum of electromagnetic waves in blazar jets. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dark-gravitationally-lensing-source-cosmic.html Astronomy Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:40:08 EDT news705924819 Insects rely on a wide range of strategies to sense their surroundings and communicate with their peers. Fireflies (Lampyridae) and some related beetles are known for their ability to produce visible light through chemical reactions that take place in specialized light-producing organs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-amber-fossil-reveals-firefly-unprecedented.html Evolution Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:20:05 EDT news705920747 Humans love dogs, but petting them can leave some people sneezing and wheezing. About 15% of the world's population lives with a dog allergy, which can increase the risk of hay fever and asthma. The main culprit is Can f 1, a protein found mainly in dog saliva. Right now, staying away from furry friends or getting regular immunotherapy shots or tablets is the only way to deal with the symptoms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gene-beagles-major-dog-allergen.html Biotechnology Sun, 16 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news705919142 Time-reversal symmetry is an exotic behavior found in systems whose internal physics looks different when running forward versus backward in time. For some time, physicists have searched for this behavior in systems with almost no overall magnetization. Such phases are highly prized for spintronics, where information is carried using the quantum spins of electrons. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-strain-flips-hall-altermagnetic-manganese.html Condensed Matter Sun, 16 Aug 2026 12:00:04 EDT news705839192 Astronomers have linked an X-ray flash discovered by the Einstein Probe to a known type of supernova with unusual features that point to the birth of an ultra-dense, rapidly spinning magnetar. The paper outlining this finding was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on July 22. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-einstein-probe-rare-ray-star.html Astronomy Sun, 16 Aug 2026 10:00:02 EDT news705922882 Theoretical physicists have long predicted the existence of millicharged particles (mCPs), hypothetical particles that carry a very small electric charge. These particles are expected to interact very weakly with ordinary matter and electromagnetic fields; hence, they would be difficult to detect in conventional particle physics experiments. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-centuries-physics-millicharged-particles.html General Physics Sun, 16 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news705918245 Canine sarcoptic mange (scabies) is a skin condition in which microscopic mites (Sarcoptes scabiei) infest dogs' skin. The condition is contagious and zoonotic and can be difficult to detect. If left untreated, it can cause bleeding sores, malnutrition, emaciation and secondary bacterial infections that may eventually lead to a dog's death. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-topical-clove-oil-canine-sarcoptic.html Veterinary medicine Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:40:01 EDT news705918202 Neptune's moon and ring system stand out among the giant planets because of the strange imbalance between its one very large moon and its many tiny moons. Its largest moon, Triton, makes up more than 99% of the mass of all satellites orbiting the planet while orbiting retrograde compared with Neptune's rotation. The predominant theory is that Triton is a captured Kuiper Belt object that caused a major disruption in Neptune's early moon system. Now, a new study published in Science Advances provides spectroscopic evidence to support this theory. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-neptune-tiny-moons-story-triton.html Planetary Sciences Sat, 15 Aug 2026 11:20:01 EDT news704628891 Fusion reactors, devices that generate energy by fusing light atomic nuclei at extremely high temperatures, could contribute to ongoing efforts aimed at producing electricity more sustainably. The extreme environment inside these devices, however, can damage materials that surround the superheated, electrically charged plasma where the nuclear fusion reaction takes place. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tungsten-fusion-reactors.html Condensed Matter Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:40:01 EDT news705839207 In 2016, archaeologists working at the Phaleron Burial Ground, part of the ancient Attica region, uncovered an astonishing sight: three mass graves dating to the 7th and 6th centuries BCE containing the skeletons of 79 adult men. Many were bound together with metal shackles. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-shackled-men-year-greek-mass.html Archaeology Sat, 15 Aug 2026 07:20:01 EDT news705924152 For centuries, scholars have read ancient documents describing the production of brass in 10th-century A.D. China. The problem was that the earliest physical evidence of brass production would be found nearly 600 years later, in the 16th century A.D. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-guangzhou-crucibles-earliest-evidence-brass.html Archaeology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:20:03 EDT news705921784 Astronomers have proposed a new explanation for the mysterious Cygnus Bubble, a vast cloud of ultra-high-energy gamma rays stretching thousands of light-years across the sky. While the bubble has generally been linked to the Cygnus X star-forming region, the new study argues that a microquasar more naturally explains its highest-energy emission. The results were published in a paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on July 21. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mysterious-cygnus-microquasar-astronomers.html Astronomy Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:20:07 EDT news705921760 A host that sheds an abundance of parasites might seem like an obvious disease-spreading threat. But new research suggests that shedding large volumes of parasites does not dictate transmission efficiency—and "super-shedders" may not be the superspreaders of infectious disease outbreaks. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-quality-quantity-super-shedders-superspreaders.html Ecology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:40:01 EDT news705916929 The Huashan rock art landscape in southern China, close to the border with Vietnam, is a remarkable UNESCO World Heritage site. Thousands of images are painted on river cliffs across more than 80 locations stretching 260 kilometers (162 miles). They depict people, musical instruments, boats, animals, weapons and many other figures, and date back at least 2,000 years. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-human-blood-ancient-chinese-art.html Archaeology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news705842919 Latin squares are arrangements of symbols in a grid in which every symbol appears exactly once in each row and column. These symbol arrangements, which were first studied more than three centuries ago, are now widely used to optimize experimental designs and develop secure cryptographic systems, puzzles or other complex combinatorial structures. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-quantum-latin-squares-euler-officers.html Mathematics Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:00:02 EDT news705745989 Meteorites provided a rare but ready source of iron for ancient Bronze Age cultures before smelting became common. A new study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, sheds light on how the ancient Minoan and Mycenaean elite used this extraordinary metal and when its popularity declined. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-forged-meteorites-fashionable-ancient-greek.html Archaeology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 06:40:01 EDT news705839156 For decades, astronomers lumped brown dwarfs into a single category defined by mass alone—too big to be classified as planets but too small to become stars. However, this definition ignores the two very different mechanisms that can form them: the direct collapse of gas clouds and formation within the accretion disks of massive stars. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tess-rare-brown-dwarf-orbiting.html Astronomy Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:00:06 EDT news705841178 Animals struggle to cool down in extreme heat and high humidity, and heat stress is rising in many regions around the world. This is especially true for people in tropical countries, including populous India. In a new paper in AGU Advances, researchers characterize the extent of India's "uncompensable heat stress" and project how the problem could worsen in the future. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-india-uncompensable-stress-monsoon-season.html Earth Sciences Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:20:05 EDT news705839127 Heat waves are not all created equal. While some bring dry heat that rapidly dries out crops, others carry a lot of moisture that can prevent sweat from evaporating off the skin. In new research published in the journal Science Advances, scientists have identified another type of heat wave that they call a "snow-eater." https://phys.org/news/2026-08-category-western-snowpack-faster.html Earth Sciences Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:40:07 EDT news705832968 The Australian redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), a cousin of the North American black widow spider, is known to practice sexual cannibalism, which is somewhat common among spider species. However, the male Australian redback has also been observed facilitating the process with strange moves. Despite the complexity of these behaviors, a new study, published in Biology Letters, indicates that one of these behaviors arises from simple genetics, while another may be more complex. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-complex-suicidal-somersault-behavior-male.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:40:01 EDT news705752783