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Phys.org / One snail, five slimes: Collagen and calcium reshape mucus for different jobs

Snails are particularly active after a rain shower. Even on the Max Planck Campus in Potsdam-Golm, common brown-lipped snails (Cepaea nemoralis) leave behind shiny trails of mucus. Researchers from the "Biomaterials" department ...

Aug 7, 2026
Medical Xpress / AI-designed E. coli killer points toward new ways to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria

In science, the suffix "phage" means to devour. Thus, the name bacteriophage might conjure images of tiny creatures that "eat" bacteria. While that conception isn't 100% scientifically accurate, bacteriophages are lethal ...

Aug 8, 2026
Tech Xplore / When security becomes a risk factor—privacy risks of public URL-scanning services

URL scanning services are now a common component of modern security workflows. They help detect phishing websites or malware early and warn users before they visit a URL. However, the practice of some of these services—publishing ...

Aug 7, 2026
Medical Xpress / Alzheimer's-linked tau disrupts mitochondria, reversing electron flow in nerve cells

A protein named tau, which has been strongly implicated in the world's No. 1 cause of dementia—Alzheimer's disease—and several other neurodegenerative disorders, may spur these diseases in a way that differs greatly from ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Researchers demonstrate first fully solution-processed solid-state polariton laser

Researchers have demonstrated a solid-state organic laser microcavity fabricated entirely by solution processing. The device operates in the strong light–matter coupling regime, where light and matter form hybrid states called ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Charting the galaxy: Milky Way Mapper survey releases latest all-sky spectra

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey V (SDSS-V) has announced its 20th public data release (DR20), delivering a dramatic expansion of the Milky Way Mapper (MWM) scientific survey—the most detailed spectroscopic map yet assembled ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Physicists trace solar outbursts that led to historic Mother's Day storms

On Mother's Day weekend in May 2024, Earth experienced its most powerful geomagnetic storm in two decades, spawning auroras—the ribbony bands of light in the nighttime skies in the Northern and Southern hemispheres—that may ...

Aug 7, 2026
Phys.org / Milky Way-like simulation reveals how central galactic structures grow together

Understanding the formation and evolution of the centers of galaxies is one of the most intriguing challenges in astrophysics. The new study aims to unveil the physical processes that led to the formation of two striking ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Just 50°C decides whether an ultrathin magnetic film stays flat or falls apart

Magnetic storage technologies, which store information in the direction of magnetization, play an essential role in modern data storage. Hard disk drives (HDDs) are widely used for long-term storage, while nonvolatile magnetic ...

Aug 7, 2026
Phys.org / A 21-hour dip could help explain Tabby's star's decade-long dimming mystery

Since 2016, an ordinary-looking F-type star called KIC 8462852, nicknamed Tabby's star, has behaved anything but ordinarily. In a new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on July 6, researchers ...

Aug 3, 2026
Phys.org / New models shed light on how an exotic phase of hydrogen in Earth's core may behave

While Earth's core consists mostly of iron, its density implies that lighter elements are also mixed in. Because hydrogen is abundant in the universe and can mix with iron under certain conditions, scientists suspect it makes ...

Aug 3, 2026
Phys.org / Observing key material properties atom by atom for the first time

Many material properties depend on how electrons are arranged inside a material. Their distribution determines, for example, whether a material conducts electricity or displays magnetic behavior. Understanding how electrons ...

Aug 6, 2026