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. Super-thin superconducting materials, which are only one or a few atoms thick, have unique properties scientists can leverage to produce more compact, scalable, and efficient quantum devices. But these fragile materials degrade so rapidly in air that they are difficult to study or manufacture. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-air-stable-ultrathin-superconductors-scalable.html Superconductivity Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:00:01 EDT news705161101 East Africa's shrinking mountain glaciers on three peaks in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will soon be no more. The 2025 State of the Climate in Africa report (page 13) estimates that the ice areas on Mount Kenya, the continent's second-highest peak, have shrunk 96% in the past 115 years. The ice cap will cease to exist in three to five years, says the report. Rainer Prinz, who studies climate-glacier relationships, explains the intricate processes behind the retreat and what the consequences will be. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-east-africa-iconic-peaks-good.html Earth Sciences Tue, 04 Aug 2026 19:20:01 EDT news705063361 Researchers at the 4th Physics Institute of the University of Stuttgart and the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Milan have demonstrated a new mechanism for directing light in a naturally hyperbolic van der Waals material without conventional nanofabricated waveguides. The discovery opens new possibilities for integrated photonics, on-chip optical communication and future quantum technologies. The paper is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nano-optics-mechanism-channeling-natural.html Nanophysics Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:40:03 EDT news705065941 Hundreds of firefighters were battling strong winds Friday as they fought a wildfire in southwestern Turkey. High winds stoked a new blaze, complicating efforts to bring the fires under control, a minister said. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-turkey-wildfires-tourist-coasts.html Environment Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:00:05 EDT news704645993 Immune cells protect and heal the human body. In medicine, they are specifically activated through biochemical reactions to treat certain diseases. Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, ETH Zurich, Humboldt University of Berlin, Charité Berlin and Inselspital Bern have now discovered that immune cells also respond to the surface structure of materials—without chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nanopores-human-cells-biochemical.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:00:03 EDT news704030701 A team of NASA-sponsored scientists and engineers has developed a novel approach to observing high-energy particles in the near-Earth space environment, incorporating miniaturized sensors into a compact, multiview particle-detection instrument unlike any before it. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-compact-instrument-enables-high-fidelity.html Space Exploration Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:00:08 EDT news703850222 With their ability to use tools, remember faces and even learn how to communicate with humans through sign language, nonhuman primates are considered to be among the smartest creatures on Earth. However, some concepts—geometry, for instance—have traditionally been thought of as beyond the abilities of humanity's closest cousins. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-children-monkeys-common-geometry.html Plants & Animals Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:00:11 EDT news703766521 Electrical interconnects may very well be the unsung heroes of modern microchips. These tiny wires—typically made of copper due to its high conductivity—string together the billions of transistors that drive our computers and electronic devices. But as the technology advances and additional transistors are piled on, the components must shrink to the nanoscale. And that's when copper begins to fail. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-thinner-wires-faster-electrons-quantum.html Nanomaterials Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:40:01 EDT news703497286 A new study published in Quaternary Science Reviews dates the dramatic collapse of one of the largest glaciers ever documented in the Himalayas. The findings overturn a long-held assumption about what sustains wet-climate (monsoon-dominated) glaciers. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ancient-kilometer-himalayan-glacier-india.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:00:01 EDT news702809752 It was a journey to the center of the Earth, if only for the briefest of moments. But rather than tunneling thousands of miles from Earth's surface, researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and several universities used the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to recreate the extreme temperature and pressure conditions of Earth's inner core. This enabled the first-ever simultaneous measurement of iron's dynamic strength at relevant temperatures and pressures. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-iron-motion-earth-core-conditions.html Condensed Matter Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:30:03 EDT news702648393 Fraunhofer ILT in Aachen has developed a highly complex laser-optical system for a quantum computer currently under construction at the 5th Institute of Physics at the University of Stuttgart. This system enables 2,000 Rydberg atoms to be positioned with submicrometer precision in the computer's highly compact vacuum chamber. To do this, the system projects an array of 2,000 individually controllable laser beams into the chamber. These beams act as optical tweezers and hold the trapped Rydberg atoms precisely at the distance required for them to interact with each other. The computer's quantum logic processes are based on these interactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-laser-optical-full-rydberg.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:20:02 EDT news702562728 Dust devils are a regular feature on Mars. Just like those found on Earth, these mini whirlwinds form when parts of Mars are warmed by the sun, causing air above the surface to swirl upward and carry dust with it. But in Mars' lower gravity (38% that of Earth), these devils grow much larger, reaching up to 8 km (5 miles) in height and speeds of up to 45 meters per second (150 feet per second). They are also a major part of Mars' meteorological cycles, playing a key role in distributing dust across the planet. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-mars-captures-dozens-devils-valley.html Planetary Sciences Sun, 05 Jul 2026 13:00:02 EDT news701955284 When a high-intensity laser interacts with plasma, the charged particles typically oscillate back and forth like waves on the ocean. But what if the laser itself could twist like a whirlpool? Researchers have now demonstrated a rotating, spring-shaped laser pulse, opening new possibilities for fusion energy, particle acceleration, astrophysics and beyond. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-kind-laser-avenues-plasma.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:00:07 EDT news701962082 Scientists have extracted and analyzed the first-ever ancient proteins from the fossils of Homo naledi, revealing a potential all-female burial site. The study, published in the journal Cell, raises the possibility that South Africa's famous Rising Star Cave system could represent the first known example of a sex-specific burial site by a non-Homo sapiens species. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ancient-proteins-hint-female-homo.html Evolution Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:00:06 EDT news701518295 The European Space Agency's Mars Express has captured part of Mars's Mamers Valles, a fascinating valley system speckled with brief, tornado-like whirlwinds known as dust devils. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dozens-devils-caught-swirling-mars.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:20:02 EDT news700914890 A new technology allows metal circuits floating on water to be transferred directly onto any desired surface. A South Korean research team has introduced a novel technique capable of transferring ultra-fine nanocircuits onto plant leaves and fruits, as well as curved automotive surfaces and robot exteriors, all without causing any damage. This technology could be widely used across industries, including smart agriculture, wearable health care and bioelectronics. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-based-nanoprinting-metal-delicate-3d.html Nanomaterials Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:40:06 EDT news700735801 A KAIST research team has succeeded, for the first time, in synthesizing the core raw material for fabricating asymmetric MXene, a so-called "Janus-faced" nanomaterial that can perform distinct functions because of differing atomic compositions on its two sides, paving the way for the development of multifunctional materials with applications such as removing radioactive pollutants and shielding electromagnetic waves. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-janus-nanomaterials-pave-capturing-radioactive.html Nanomaterials Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:00:10 EDT news700391943 Researchers at Kanazawa University, in collaboration with Diamond and Carbon Applications (Germany), have developed a buried-growth process for nitrogen–vacancy (NV) centers in diamond using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). By employing nitrogen-radical selective etching, which simultaneously enhances metal-mask durability through nitridation, the team enabled a continuous etching–growth sequence within a single MPCVD process. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-growth-enables-2d-arrays-position.html Plasma Physics Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:40:09 EDT news700228921 Unfortunately, there's more bad news to report on the clear skies front. A new paper, available on the arXiv preprint server from researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center, reports that 73.3% of images the agency's new SPHEREx space telescope collected between May and September of last year were contaminated by at least one artificial satellite trail. And it's only going to get worse from here. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-space-telescopes-overwhelmed-satellite-trails.html Astronomy Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:20:02 EDT news700207261 Metal cluster molecules are discrete compounds containing multiple metal atoms held together by metal–metal and metal–ligand bonding. They serve as excellent candidates for catalysts, biosensors, and even for drug development. Developing atomic-level molecular editing methods for such metal clusters remains an important challenge and represents a promising strategy for expanding their structural and functional diversity. Such approaches can enable structure-specific properties, high near-infrared (NIR) photoluminescence quantum yields, and unique reactivities and electronic structures. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-asymmetric-alloying-generation-luminescent-materials.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:00:04 EDT news699791041 Researchers in Japan have created some of the world's smallest semiconducting nanotubes, structures 100,000 times thinner than a human hair. By growing molybdenum disulfide inside protective tubes of boron nitride, the researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, produced highly uniform tubes just 1 nanometer wide, a scale at which it's difficult to make stable nanotube structures. The work confirms decades-old theoretical predictions about how these ultrafine materials behave and could also provide a new route toward miniaturized electronic devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ultrathin-nanotubes-nanometer-path-smaller.html Nanomaterials Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:00:12 EDT news699784622 Nearly 5,000 years ago, respiratory infections, possibly including tuberculosis, were ravaging the children buried at Camino del Molino (CMOL), Spain. The massive circular burial cave carved into rock is Europe's largest Copper Age mass burial, containing over 1,300 individuals, and has been the subject of years of excavation and analysis. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-europe-largest-copper-age-tomb.html Archaeology Sat, 30 May 2026 08:40:01 EDT news698927145 Imagine taking out a 12-inch ruler and finding that the number 12 is on the left side and the number 1 is on the right side. For most native English speakers, this would be disorienting. We are used to seeing the numbers move from smallest to largest, from left to right. When this layout flips, people struggle because the numbers are now in the "wrong" place. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mind-isnt-universal-people-language.html Social Sciences Wed, 20 May 2026 14:40:04 EDT news698499991 In the HiPEQ project, a consortium of industry and research partners has developed new laser-based approaches to enable miniaturized, robust beam sources for quantum technology. Among others, the consortium also used lasers to grow novel optical insulator crystals. The project achieved significant progress from November 2021 to July 2025. Fraunhofer ILT in Aachen played a key role by co-developing the laser processes needed. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-laser-enable-robust-miniaturized-sources.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 19 May 2026 17:40:04 EDT news698424181 Gold nanoparticles, which are about one-thousandth the width of a human hair, can convert light they receive from a laser into heat. This capacity, known in medicine as photothermal therapy, is effective at destroying cancer cells without harming the surrounding healthy tissue. It's one of the techniques the scientific community is exploring in depth as an alternative chemotherapy, as it is less aggressive. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-shell-gold-nanoparticles-laser-longer.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 19 May 2026 15:00:08 EDT news698415541 Scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have uncovered new information suggesting a potential connection between Homo erectus and modern humans, while also developing new, less invasive paleoproteomics methods of fossil research. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-fossil-teeth-china-uncover-year.html Evolution Wed, 13 May 2026 11:00:01 EDT news697822390 As modern technologies shrink to the nanoscale, surfaces increasingly dictate how materials deform, yield, and fail. Yet probing this regime has long been hindered by the challenge of preparing and controlling surfaces with true atomic precision, particularly at the outermost atomic layer. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atomic-stepterrace-enables-unprecedented-precision.html Nanomaterials Wed, 13 May 2026 09:09:37 EDT news697882141 Using a new technique that can create vacancies at any site across a material and then shrink it to about 1/2,000 of its original volume, MIT researchers have designed nanotechnology devices that could be used for optical computing and other applications involving the manipulation of visible light. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-implosion-3d-photonic-devices-visible.html Nanophysics Tue, 12 May 2026 10:40:08 EDT news697796401 Enzymes called proteases act like molecular scissors for proteins in the body and play a role in therapies to stop viruses from replicating and to kill cancer cells. The development of these medicines, however, has been slowed by the difficulty of predicting how individual proteases will behave. Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas have now developed a machine-learning model that analyzes how proteases have evolved over time to predict whether a specific protease will carry out an intended task before testing it in the lab. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-protein-method-exact-cancer-treatments.html Biotechnology Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:30:01 EDT news695917622 In a major advance, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have devised a method to grow high-quality 2D magnetic materials (2D-MMs) over centimeter-scale wafers. Earlier approaches in the field were limited to growing micrometer-sized flakes. This advance paves the way for their integration into next-generation electronics and spintronics materials used in hard drives and sensors. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-wafer-scale-2d-magnetic-emerge.html Nanomaterials Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:00:09 EDT news695573455