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Phys.org / DNA's physical properties may shape which mutations evolution preserves

Nearly every cell in the human body contains essentially the same genetic information, yet different cells activate different genes. For regulatory proteins to reach these genes, DNA must be accessible. This accessibility ...

1 hour ago in Biology
Phys.org / Interstellar travel IV: Solar, magnetic, & directed-energy sails

Welcome back to our series on interstellar travel! In our first installment, we examined attempts to realize nuclear propulsion and how the technology could be used to reach the nearest star. In our second, we examined how ...

3 hours ago in Astronomy & Space
Tech Xplore / Expert comment: New nuclear capacity won't fix today's energy problems

The Fukushima nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011, triggered by a tsunami and leading to multiple reactor meltdowns, shook confidence in nuclear safety well beyond Japan. In Germany, it was a turning point: Chancellor Angela ...

4 hours ago in Energy & Green Tech
Phys.org / RNA droplets may have helped start life on Earth

It's one of the origins-of-life chicken-or-egg problems: How could RNA have helped give rise to the first cells before there were cells to contain it?

5 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Universal pattern revealed in quantum matter

When different materials transition from one phase to another, such as water coming to a boil or a magnet losing its ability to attract metals, something remarkable can happen: They begin to behave identically, following ...

20 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Why isn't the accounting profession more diverse? Research points to the real levers of change

For the past few decades, universities, employers and professional organizations worldwide have invested in mentoring programs, scholarships and student support initiatives to diversify careers such as professional accounting. ...

21 hours ago in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Interworld Slingshot: Exploring a new way to find resources in space

Before people can mine resources on the moon, asteroids or Mars, they need to answer a few key questions: What is there? How much is there? And where can it be found? A team led by SETI Institute research scientist Pablo ...

21 hours ago in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Krypton gas emerges as a new ingredient for quantum computing

To commercialize quantum computing, manufacturers need high-quality superconducting materials for microchips, but they also require a reliable, sustainable nanofabrication process. Tantalum is a corrosion-resistant metal ...

Aug 18, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Mars attacks: How much dust from the red planet is safe to breathe?

NASA has released a report recommending an initial health standard for the Martian dust that astronauts could inhale during future missions. Although sending people to Mars is still years away, NASA needs to establish safety ...

Aug 18, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Tech Xplore / Flash of light creates high-performance materials without heating the surface beneath

A flash of light lasting a fraction of a millisecond could help create better materials for solar energy. Researchers used ultrafast heating at rates of up to 10 million degrees Celsius per second to rearrange the atoms inside ...

Phys.org / New bone analysis challenges long-held theory on farming's arrival in Ireland and Great Britain

New research led by University College Dublin has rewritten a key chapter in Irish prehistory, revealing that bones long thought to mark the beginning of farming in Ireland belong to bear and wild boar, not cattle.

Aug 18, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Dynamic surface reconstruction explains how copper sulfide catalysts tune CO₂ reduction

Copper sulfide (CuS) catalysts continuously reconstruct their surface during electrochemical CO2 reduction, reports a study from the Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan. By uncovering the mechanism behind the dynamic surface ...

Aug 18, 2026 in Chemistry