https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Simons Foundation Astronomers have watched a dying star fail to explode as a supernova, instead collapsing into a black hole. The remarkable sighting is the most complete observational record ever made of a star's transformation into a black hole, allowing astronomers to construct a comprehensive physical picture of the process. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-supernova-clearest-view-star-collapsing.html Astronomy Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:00:16 EST news690123883 When a cell divides, it performs a feat of microscopic choreography—duplicating its DNA and depositing it into two new cells. The spindle is the machinery behind that process: It latches onto chromosomes (where DNA is stored) and separates them so they can settle into their new homes. This tricky process can sometimes go wrong, causing infertility, genetic disorders, or cancer. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cell-division-spindles-liquid-crystals.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:09:27 EST news690052141 Physicists have uncovered a link between magnetism and a mysterious phase of matter called the pseudogap, which appears in certain quantum materials just above the temperature at which they become superconducting. The findings could help researchers design new materials with sought-after properties such as high-temperature superconductivity, in which electric current flows without resistance. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-physicists-uncover-hidden-magnetic-mysterious.html Superconductivity Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:00:10 EST news688034297 Scientists have uncovered a new explanation for how swimming bacteria change direction, providing fresh insight into one of biology's most intensively studied molecular machines. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-war-decades-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 09 Jan 2026 12:40:01 EST news687184209 Surprisingly, some of the universe's brightest objects are black holes. As scorching gas and dust flow around and into a black hole, they glow with fierce intensity across the light spectrum. Now, a team of computational astrophysicists has developed the most comprehensive simulations ever made of how black holes create these dazzling light shows. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-simulations-reveal-black-holes-generate.html Astronomy Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:59:42 EST news683985541 In 2023, astronomers detected a huge collision. Two unprecedentedly massive black holes had crashed an estimated 7 billion light-years away. The enormous masses and extreme spins of the black holes puzzled astronomers. Black holes like these were not supposed to exist. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-impossible-merger-massive-black-holes.html Astronomy Mon, 10 Nov 2025 11:01:01 EST news681994849 A decade ago, scientists first detected ripples in the fabric of space-time, called gravitational waves, from the collision of two black holes. Now, thanks to improved technology and a bit of luck, a newly detected black hole merger is providing the clearest evidence yet of how black holes work—and, in the process, offering long-sought confirmation of fundamental predictions by Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-black-hole-einstein-hawking.html General Physics Wed, 10 Sep 2025 11:00:40 EDT news676639833 Astronomers have discovered a previously unknown birthplace of some of the universe's rarest elements: a giant flare unleashed by a supermagnetized star. The astronomers calculated that such flares could be responsible for forging up to 10% of our galaxy's gold, platinum and other heavy elements. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-flares-magnetized-stars-forge-planets.html Astronomy Tue, 29 Apr 2025 09:33:04 EDT news665137981 Trying to predict how bacteria will spread is like predicting the flight of a leaf in a windstorm—it's a complicated and chaotic business. Factor in bacteria's encounters with objects such as corners or surfaces and the calculation gets even more complex. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-analytical-bacteria-obstacles.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 24 Mar 2025 11:09:04 EDT news662033342 Black holes are one of the most enigmatic stellar objects. While best known for swallowing up their surroundings into a gravity pit from which nothing can escape, they can also shoot off powerful jets of charged particles, leading to explosive bursts of gamma rays that can release more energy in mere seconds than our sun will emit in its entire lifetime. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-simulations-reveal-black-holes-inherit.html Astronomy Mon, 18 Nov 2024 12:07:22 EST news651154038 Earlier this year, researchers at the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Quantum Physics (CCQ) announced that they had successfully used a classical computer and sophisticated mathematical models to thoroughly outperform a quantum computer on a task that some thought only quantum computers could solve. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-classical-quantum-game.html Condensed Matter Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:53:04 EDT news649435981 One of the brightest stars in the night sky, Betelgeuse, may not be on the brink of exploding as a supernova, according to a new study of the star's brightening and dimming. Instead, recent research shows that the observed pulsing of the starlight is probably caused by an unseen companion star orbiting Betelgeuse. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-betelgeuse-bright-star-betelbuddy-stellar.html Astronomy Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:22:12 EDT news648742926