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. Mountain permafrost is warming and thawing worldwide due to climate change, with ground temperature being a key control of its mechanical stability. Heat conduction is the dominant mode of heat transfer in frozen ground, and thermal diffusivity governs the rate at which temperature changes propagate through the subsurface. Despite its relevance, there are few field-based estimates of thermal diffusivity. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-qa-method-quickly-mountain-permafrost.html Earth Sciences Thu, 18 Dec 2025 19:20:02 EST news685293515 In recent years, organic semiconductor materials have attracted considerable attention as key components for next-generation photoenergy conversion devices and organic solar cells due to their light weight and mechanical flexibility. A crucial factor determining their performance is how photoexcited excitons migrate between molecules, that is, the process of exciton diffusion. However, previous studies have provided only ensemble-averaged information, making it difficult to directly observe the diffusion behavior within individual crystals or nanostructures. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-scientists-diffusion-behavior-individual-nanostructures.html Nanomaterials Tue, 18 Nov 2025 23:00:01 EST news682695022 When sunlight hits clouds or other atmospheric particles, it scatters and becomes diffuse light. Unlike direct sunlight, diffuse light can reach deeper into shaded plant canopies, where plants have dense, layered leaves. The diffuse-light fertilization effect theory suggests that diffuse light in such environments can promote carbon uptake and influence canopy temperature and evapotranspiration. Prior research suggests that some diffuse light can also boost photosynthesis, but after an optimal point, the overall reduction in total radiation will decrease photosynthesis. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-sunlight-ecosystems.html Plants & Animals Mon, 14 Jul 2025 12:00:01 EDT news671711357 Adatoms are single atoms that get adsorbed onto the surface of a solid material and are known to hop randomly from one spot to another. In a recent study published in Nature Communications, a group of scientists from Germany demonstrated that single atoms can be steered in a chosen direction at near absolute zero temperatures (4 Kelvin), provided the surface being used is magnetic in nature—a discovery that can open up new possibilities for precise control of atomic motion, a sought-after ability in the field of nanotechnology, data storage and functional materials. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-magnetic-surface-enables-precise-atomic.html Nanophysics Thu, 05 Jun 2025 09:40:03 EDT news668334908 Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have found compelling evidence of a dark matter-deficient dwarf galaxy, FCC 224. This ultra-diffuse galaxy is located on the outskirts of the Fornax Cluster, approximately 60–65 million light-years from Earth. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-evidence-dark-free-dwarf-galaxy.html Astronomy Tue, 15 Apr 2025 05:40:21 EDT news663914411 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 Deciphering some people's writing can be a major challenge—especially when that writing is cuneiform characters imprinted onto 3,000-year-old tablets. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-ai-precise-cuneiform-characters.html Archaeology Tue, 04 Mar 2025 13:11:03 EST news660316261 Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers from the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) and elsewhere have observed an ultra-diffuse galaxy known as FCC 224. Results of the observational campaign, published Jan. 18 on the arXiv pre-print server, provide important insights into the properties of this galaxy and its globular cluster system. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-hubble-reveals-unusual-globular-clusters.html Astronomy Wed, 29 Jan 2025 08:20:01 EST news657351185 In biology, the binding of cellular proteins to molecules called ligands produces myriad functions essential for life, including cell signaling and enzymatic action. In biotechnology and medicine, the ability of researchers to alter proteins to refine control over binding affinity and specificity can create tailored therapeutics with reduced side effects, highly sensitive diagnostic tools, efficient biocatalysis, targeted drug delivery systems and sustainable bioremediation solutions. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-redesign-proteins-ligand.html Biotechnology Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:33:04 EST news656699582 Researchers have developed a method to enhance the separation of chemical isomers by controlling molecular diffusion. Utilizing a metal-organic framework thin film, they applied dynamic chemical interactions to adjust pore dynamics and reverse isomer diffusion preferences. Their work is published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-metal-framework-isomer.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 16 Dec 2024 17:15:02 EST news653591701 Astronomers have employed the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to observe an ultra-diffuse galaxy known as VCC 615. Results of the observational campaign, presented in a paper posted Dec. 2 to the preprint server arXiv, yield important insights into the globular cluster system of this galaxy. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-astronomers-explore-globular-cluster-ultra.html Astronomy Tue, 10 Dec 2024 08:33:42 EST news653042016 Evaluating the speed at which viruses spread and transmit across host populations is critical to mitigating disease outbreaks. A study published December 3 in PLOS Biology by Simon Dellicour at the University of Brussels (ULB), Belgium, and colleagues evaluate the performance of statistics measuring how viruses move across space and time in infected populations. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-simulated-outbreaks-evolutionary-approaches-viral.html Evolution Tue, 03 Dec 2024 14:00:01 EST news652371061 On November 26, 2018, NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight) mission landed on Mars. This was a major milestone in Mars exploration since it was the first time a research station had been deployed to the surface to probe the planet's interior. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-figured-martian-soil-crusty.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:02:09 EST news650023321 As global demand for electrochemical electrodes continues to rise, a new trend has emerged, emphasizing the need to maintain ion diffusion efficiency while accommodating ultra-high loadings of active materials to enhance capacity and energy density. In three-dimensional space, structured electrodes with high porosity and low tortuosity have proven effective in improving the performance of various electrochemical energy storage devices (EESDs). https://phys.org/news/2024-09-ion-diffusion-kinetics-interpenetrated-electrochemical.html Nanophysics Wed, 18 Sep 2024 16:22:03 EDT news645895321 Have you ever wanted to make a $150,000 gamble? If you're right, you open a new window to the universe. But if you're wrong, you've just wasted a lot of money and time. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-reveal-enormous-halos-shroud-galaxies.html Astronomy Sun, 08 Sep 2024 14:10:01 EDT news644839690 It is no mystery that light is essential to human life. Since the discovery of fire, humans have developed various artificial light sources, such as incandescent lamps, gaslights, discharge lamps, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The distribution and intensity of artificial lights indoors are important factors that affect our ability to study and work effectively and influence our physical and mental health. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-tunable-ultrasonic-liquid-crystal-diffuser.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 26 Jul 2024 10:31:03 EDT news641208661 A study now published in Nature Communications brings remarkable insights into the enigmatic behavior of supercritical fluids, a hybrid state of matter occupying a unique space between liquids and gases, and arising in domains that go from the pharmaceutical industry to planetary science. The obtained results are at the limit of current experimental possibilities and could only be obtained in a high flux neutron source such as the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL). https://phys.org/news/2024-05-secrets-supercritical-fluids-insights-hybrid.html General Physics Wed, 22 May 2024 12:25:03 EDT news635599501 Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have recast diffusion in multicomponent alloys as a sum of individual contributions, called "kinosons." Using machine learning to compute the statistical distribution of the individual contributions, they were able to model the alloy and calculate its diffusivity orders of magnitude more efficiently than computing whole trajectories. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-simulating-diffusion-kinosons-machine.html Condensed Matter Wed, 15 May 2024 10:04:03 EDT news634986241 Alloying is a key process in creating new materials. By combining metals with desirable traits, scientists can produce alloys with suitable properties. For example, stainless steel, formed by combining iron with chromium, nickel, and other elements in smaller quantities is highly resistant to corrosion. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-exploring-interface-phenomena-durable-effective.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 14 May 2024 16:04:03 EDT news634921441 A research group led by Prof. Yang Yong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the role of neighboring adsorbate and quantum tunneling in the diffusion of hydrogen on a graphene surface, which opens a possible way for ultrahigh precision measurement based on atomic systems, in particular, exploring the existence of a minimum length. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-scientists-reveal-role-neighboring-adsorbates.html Quantum Physics Mon, 04 Mar 2024 14:45:28 EST news628785926 Several recent experiments identify unusual patterns in particle diffusion, hinting at some underlying complexity in the process which physicists have yet to discover. Through new analysis published in The European Physical Journal B, Adrian Pacheco-Pozo and Igor Sokolov at Humboldt University of Berlin show how this behavior emerges through strong correlations between the positions of diffusing particles traveling along similar trajectories. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-role-random-particle-diffusion.html General Physics Fri, 19 Jan 2024 10:21:47 EST news624882105 A recent paper published in the Journal of Cell Biology by the Barral group (IBC) reveals that mitochondria establish diffusion barriers independently of physical separation. Constitutive inner membrane barriers and inducible outer membrane barriers restrict material exchange between compartments. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-reveals-fission-independent-compartmentalization-mitochondria.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:25:02 EST news624536701 A new study published in Financial Innovation has developed a novel quantum model for stock market fluctuations that incorporates economic uncertainty and herding behavior. The study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the origins and implications of stock market anomalies such as fat tails, volatility clustering, and contrarian effects. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-quantum-mechanics-unveils-hidden-patterns.html Economics & Business Tue, 09 Jan 2024 15:50:29 EST news624037826 As you watch Morpho butterflies wobble in flight, shimmering in vivid blue color, you're witnessing an uncommon form of structural color that researchers are only beginning to use in lighting technologies such as optical diffusers. Furthermore, imparting a self-cleaning capability to such diffusers would minimize soiling and staining and maximize practical utility. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-morpho-butterfly-nanostructure-technology-bright.html Nanophysics Thu, 12 Oct 2023 09:46:02 EDT news616322760 Researchers of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the University of Konstanz in Germany as well as of Tohoku University in Japan have been able to increase the diffusion of magnetic whirls, so called skyrmions, by a factor of 10. Their findings are published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-magnetic-pave-energy-efficient.html Condensed Matter Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:38:41 EDT news613647516 For decades, imaging weakly scattering phase objects such as cells has been an active area of research across various fields, including biomedical sciences. One common approach uses chemical stains or fluorescent tags to bring image contrast to weakly scattering objects, but it requires relatively complex sample preparation steps, which can also be toxic or destructive to samples. Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has emerged as a powerful label-free solution to this need, providing non-invasive, high-resolution imaging of transparent specimens without using any external tags or reagents. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-diffractive-networks-enable-quantitative-phase.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 24 Jul 2023 17:03:09 EDT news609436985 Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), astronomers have investigated an ultra-diffuse galaxy known as UGC 9050-Dw1. Results of the study, published June 9 on the pre-print server arXiv, yield important insights into the properties of this galaxy. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-astronomers-explore-properties-ultra-diffuse-galaxy.html Astronomy Wed, 21 Jun 2023 10:30:01 EDT news606561900 The sea slater is an inch-long woodlouse that lives around the high-tide line and is common in the UK and Europe. Sea slaters forage at night and can change color to blend in and conceal themselves from predators. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-pollution-color-changing-coastal-woodlouse.html Plants & Animals Tue, 13 Jun 2023 19:00:04 EDT news605874613 During his Ph.D. with TUoS, ISIS facility development student Innes McClelland developed a cell for testing battery materials during their operation using muon spectroscopy and used it to study an increasingly vital cathode material. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-battery-beamline.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 12 May 2023 11:28:26 EDT news603109703 A new method for analyzing protein crystals—developed by Cornell University researchers and given a funky two-part name—could open up applications for new drug discovery and other areas of biotechnology and biochemistry. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-method-protein-crystals-avenues-drug.html Biochemistry Wed, 10 May 2023 15:54:15 EDT news602952851