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. In order to build the computers and devices of tomorrow, we have to understand how they use energy today. That's harder than it sounds. Memory storage, information processing, and energy use in these technologies involve constant energy flow—systems never settle into thermodynamic balance. To complicate things further, one of the most precise ways to study these processes starts at the smallest scale: the quantum domain. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-quantum-dots-reveal-entropy-production.html General Physics Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:40:01 EST news689854258 Time crystals, a collection of particles that "tick"—or move back and forth in repeating cycles—were first theorized and then discovered about a decade ago. While scientists have yet to create commercial or industrial applications for this intriguing form of matter, these crystals hold great promise for advancing quantum computing and data storage, among other uses. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scientists-levitating-crystals.html General Physics Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:29:24 EST news689603342 MXene materials are promising candidates for a new energy storage technology. However, the processes by which the charge storage takes place were not yet fully understood. A team at HZB has examined, for the first time, individual MXene flakes to explore these processes in detail. Using the in situ Scanning transmission X-ray microscope "MYSTIIC" at BESSY II, the scientists mapped the chemical states of titanium atoms on the MXene flake surfaces. The results revealed two distinct redox reactions, depending on the electrolyte. This lays the groundwork for understanding charge transfer processes at the nanoscale and provides a basis for future research aimed at optimizing pseudocapacitive energy storage devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-mxenes-energy-storage-versatile.html Nanomaterials Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:00:01 EST news689512268 Hydrogen is expected to play a central role in future clean energy systems, but storing it efficiently and safely remains one of the biggest challenges to its widespread adoption. Solid-state hydrogen storage, in which hydrogen is absorbed into metals, is considered a promising alternative to high-pressure tanks. However, many hydrogen-storage alloys face a fundamental trade-off between storage capacity and material stability. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-magnetism-hydrogen-storage-alloys.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 05 Feb 2026 09:10:06 EST news689504174 Many have spent much of their career studying disasters—how people perceive risk, how institutions communicate, and why preparedness so often falls short of good intentions. But this study forced me to confront something I had not fully reckoned with before: hurricane preparedness is not only a matter of awareness or motivation. It is deeply shaped by the built environment—by where people live, where they work, and how campuses are physically designed. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hidden-role-built-environment-campus.html Environment Mon, 02 Feb 2026 20:20:06 EST news689256965 Europe's ESO star-gazing organization on Monday welcomed plans to call off building a massive green energy project in the Chilean desert which threatened to spoil its telescopes' view of the darkest skies on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-europe-observatory-hails-abandon-polluting.html Astronomy Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:50:05 EST news689258520 Sandstone beneath the North Sea could be used to store carbon dioxide, a study has claimed. The British Geological Survey (BGS) report shows how sandstone beneath the North Sea could assist with the U.K.'s plans for carbon capture and storage (CCS). https://phys.org/news/2026-02-north-sea-sandstone-carbon-dioxide.html Earth Sciences Mon, 02 Feb 2026 07:20:32 EST news689239140 In a breakthrough that could power next-generation electronics, sensors, and energy storage devices, CMU engineers have developed a fabrication technique that arranges MXene nanosheets, each a million times thinner than a sheet of paper, into complex 3D structures in just a single printing step. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-freestanding-3d-mxene-limits-microscale.html Nanomaterials Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:08:34 EST news688928881 Carbon dioxide removal technologies are becoming increasingly important for climate action, but their differing storage times matter for policy design. A new study published in Environmental and Resource Economics by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) provides guidance based on economic principles. While non-permanent carbon storage plays a valuable role as economies transition away from fossil fuels, its contribution is less valuable than permanent storage; this should be reflected in carbon pricing schemes that aim to incentivize the ramping-up of removals. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-analysis-carbon-account-storage-duration.html Environment Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:50:01 EST news688230294 Soils store more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined, with soil microorganisms playing the main role. As a result, the global soil carbon cycle—by which carbon enters, moves through, and leaves soils worldwide—exerts a significant impact on climate change feedback. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ecosystem-productivity-soil-microbes-carbon.html Earth Sciences Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:46:38 EST news688063562 Physicist Davide Bossini from the University of Konstanz has recently demonstrated how to change the frequency of the collective magnetic oscillations of a material by up to 40%—using commercially available devices at room temperature. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-tuning-commercially-devices-room-temperature.html Condensed Matter Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:59:30 EST news687632341 Federally funded Indigenous-led conservation programs are delivering highly effective climate and biodiversity outcomes, aligning with national greenhouse gas mitigation and biodiversity goals, according to a new paper led by Concordia researchers. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-indigenous-efforts-surpass-similar-properly.html Environment Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:35:27 EST news686939701 Hydrogen production through water electrolysis is a cornerstone of the clean energy transition, but it relies on efficient and stable catalysts that work under acidic conditions—currently dominated by precious metals like iridium and platinum. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-molecular-green-hydrogen-catalyst-function.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 23 Dec 2025 13:20:04 EST news685718255 Rats and other rodents and pests can make great archivists. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-rat-rodents-great-archivists.html Plants & Animals Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:00:01 EST news685623022 Researchers have taken a leap in understanding how kangaroos can increase their hopping speeds without incurring an associated energetic cost. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-kangaroos-posture-energy-high.html Plants & Animals Fri, 19 Dec 2025 08:29:21 EST news685355342 MXenes (pronounced like the name "Maxine") are a class of two-dimensional materials, first identified just 14 years ago, with remarkable potential for energy storage, catalysts, ultrastrong lightweight composites, and a variety of other purposes ranging from electromagnetic shielding to ink that can carry a current. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-reinvents-mxene-synthesis-fraction.html Nanomaterials Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:25:43 EST news685297498 Florida State University researchers have created a new crystalline material with unusual magnetic patterns that could be used for breakthroughs in data storage and quantum technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-explore-chemical-boundaries-magnetic-material.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:40:02 EST news684670959 Tiny cavities in energy storage devices form small vortices that help with charging, according to a research team led by TU Darmstadt. This previously unknown phenomenon could advance the development of faster storage devices. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-mini-vortices-nanopores-ion-faster.html Nanophysics Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:44:42 EST news684513841 Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado, have for the first time succeeded in using existing laser technology to continuously vary the magnetic properties of two-dimensional materials. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-laser-magnetic-landscapes.html Condensed Matter Tue, 09 Dec 2025 12:03:33 EST news684504181 As tropical forests experience chronic drying and more extreme droughts due to climate change, some plants are adapting by growing longer root systems to reach water deep within soils, according to a study published in November in New Phytologist. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-climate-tropical-forests.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:39:41 EST news684081541 The world's farms could become one of the most powerful tools in the fight against climate change, according to a new international study led by QUT. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-farms-secret-climate-weapon.html Biotechnology Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:17:29 EST news683381821 A study by Associate Professor Nevin Cohen and colleagues reveals that food waste in U.S. households varies significantly based on behavioral patterns and shopping habits, rather than simple demographics like age or income alone. The work is published in the journal Foods. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-behavioral-patterns-habits-household-food.html Environment Wed, 19 Nov 2025 13:13:03 EST news682780382 Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem discovered that the magnetic component of light plays a direct role in the Faraday effect, overturning a 180-year-old assumption that only its electric field mattered. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-magnetic-component-faraday-effect-centuries.html Condensed Matter Wed, 19 Nov 2025 05:00:10 EST news682687553 Hydrogen fuels represent a clean energy option, but a major hurdle in making its use more mainstream is efficient storage. Hydrogen storage requires either extremely high-pressure tanks or extremely cold temperatures, which means that storage alone consumes a lot of energy. This is why metal hydrides, which can store hydrogen more efficiently, are such a promising option. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ai-reveals-key-atomic-traits.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 17 Nov 2025 19:40:01 EST news682618126 The first-ever audited account of the actual amounts of CO2 stored underground by CCS projects globally has been released. It was created by a new international consortium of scientists and industrial partners, including NTNU. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-global-underground-storage.html Earth Sciences Mon, 17 Nov 2025 16:26:03 EST news682619161 A research team led by the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (A*STAR GIS) have developed a method to accurately and efficiently read DNA containing non-standard bases—a task once thought too complex for conventional DNA sequencers. Their work, published in Nature Communications, combines nanopore sequencing with artificial intelligence (AI) to decode these extra "letters" at high speed and accuracy. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-decoding-dna-letters-advance-medicine.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:28:46 EST news682252122 In Arizona's Willcox Basin, just over an hour east of Tucson, fissures are tearing through the earth, wells are running dry, and strange areas are flooding when it rains. The cause is clear. As large agricultural producers pump more and more groundwater for irrigation, the water table is falling, and the land surface itself is sinking. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-arizona-willcox-basin-fast-due.html Earth Sciences Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:40:01 EST news681654875 California often swings between climate extremes—from powerful storms to punishing droughts. As climate change drives more intense and frequent dry and wet cycles, pressure on California's water supplies grows. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-california-surface-triple-drought-underlining.html Environment Wed, 05 Nov 2025 16:05:58 EST news681581153 Polyoxometalates (POMs) look like tiny, perfectly ordered mandalas—complex molecular cages made of metal and oxygen atoms. Chemists produce these POMs as versatile model systems for catalysis, energy storage and biomedical applications. But their apparent symmetry can be deceptive. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-chemists-atlas-reliable-polyoxometalates.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 04 Nov 2025 13:40:07 EST news681483995 Cover crops, plants grown to protect and enrich the soil, are known to boost soil health and help store carbon. However, the exact mechanisms behind these benefits, especially under Nordic climate conditions, have been unclear—until now. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-crops-key-healthier-soils-norwegian.html Agriculture Mon, 03 Nov 2025 19:00:01 EST news681393171