All News
Phys.org / A molecular brake that keeps muscle architecture in check
Every movement we make, from blinking to sprinting, depends on the ability of muscle fibers to contract in a rapid and coordinated way. Achieving this precision requires an intricate internal membrane network known as the ...
Phys.org / AI automates the creation of custom functional materials atom by atom
Imagine a construction site where the bricks are individual molecules and the "cranes" are microscopic needles so sharp they can feel a single atom. For decades, building at this scale was a laborious, time-consuming task ...
Phys.org / Tracing the legal history of the kiss—from property and contracts to consent
Is a kiss just a kiss? Or is it a sign of love, affection, a biological urge, a contract or even an assault? Law, history, evolution and anthropology show that it can be all those things.
Phys.org / Centuries of child labor left lasting spinal damage in Dutch children, study finds
Children in the postmedieval Dutch workforce worked so hard that their spines became worn and deformed, with some children affected before they even had a chance to lose their baby teeth, a new study published in the International ...
Phys.org / Young sunlike system reveals comets may carry water toward forming planets
Astronomers at Lund University in Sweden have found evidence of exocomets—comets in other solar systems—orbiting a young star similar to our sun. The observations point to a possible mechanism for how water might be transported ...
Medical Xpress / Stress proteins actively sustain joint inflammation in osteoarthritis, study finds
Why do some joints remain chronically inflamed in osteoarthritis and other rheumatic diseases? Researchers have taken an important step toward answering this question. Their findings, published in the journal Cell Death & ...
Medical Xpress / GLP-1 use among young children with obesity in US remains rare but is rising rapidly
Although the number of U.S. children under age 12 with obesity who are prescribed the weight-loss drugs Saxenda, Wegovy and Zepbound remains low, it was 310 times higher in June 2026 than in 2019, when the drugs were first ...
Medical Xpress / New Zealand approves use of party drug MDMA to treat trauma
Two psychiatrists in New Zealand won approval Friday to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to people with severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
Phys.org / How plastic welds retain a molecular 'memory' of their former surfaces to strengthen pipe joints
Welding plastic is a critically important part of everyday engineering—especially for preventing leaks in underground water and gas pipes. For decades, engineers have understood that a properly welded joint in polyethylene ...
Phys.org / How El Nino is choking the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal will restrict the number of vessels transiting the crucial waterway from Friday for only the second time because of drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon.
Phys.org / El Niño set to bring warmer spring to NZ and Australia
El Niño is firmly established and will intensify into a very strong event in the coming months, with major impacts on rainfall and temperature patterns and associated risks of floods, drought and extreme heat, according to ...
Phys.org / Global road map tracks four years of infrastructure change using AI
The United Nations considers well-developed and safe roads an important part of infrastructure in its Sustainable Development Goals. Until now, however, there has been no benchmark for the condition and state of road networks ...
