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Phys.org / 'Switchable' smart gel may pave way for next-gen drug delivery and sensing tech

University of Birmingham scientists have developed a new material that changes from a gel to a liquid-like state under ultraviolet light and can be rebuilt using heat or dismantled by acid.

Aug 18, 2026
Medical Xpress / Patchy brain development may help explain autism's varied traits

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects every individual differently. Scientists have identified more than a thousand genes associated with ASD, yet no single gene accounts for most cases. This has left researchers with a ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / How ancient trees are warning us about the next enormous solar storm

Our sun is capable of storms far bigger than we've ever recorded. Studying the world's oldest trees suggests we could soon be due one of these gargantuan events.

Aug 17, 2026
Medical Xpress / New stem cell treatment improves vision for previously untreatable condition

A new stem cell treatment for ARK (aniridia-related keratopathy) improved patients' vision in a first-in-human clinical trial for this previously untreatable rare genetic eye condition at Moorfields Eye Hospital and University ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient Egyptian tomb shows how burial trends changed over hundreds of years

The Theban Necropolis, opposite Luxor, consists of more than 400 tombs. In a new Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology study, researchers in Spain examined part of one of these tombs—chamber three in tomb TT 209—to reconstruct ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Loud snoring—simulation reveals the physical mechanism that keeps so many of us awake at night

Anyone who has had to share a room—or worse, a bed—with a loud snorer knows the effect unchecked snoring can have on sleep, sanity and emotional stability. An entire industry of products, technologies and treatments claims ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Plants could transform how scientists measure the climate benefits of tidal marshes

Growing up in New Jersey, Emily Wilson regularly passed tidal marshes without giving them much thought. They were part of the coastal landscape—stretches of green and blue she saw from the road.

Aug 18, 2026
Medical Xpress / Brain activity reveals how people juggle changing goals in real time

Nature never sits still, and neither does anything living within it, since paths keep shifting as things move through the world. Decisions work the same way, changing shape as we go rather than settling once and for all. ...

Aug 15, 2026
Phys.org / Double spiral inside narwhal tusks may explain their resistance to bending

The narwhal's impressive tusk has long been the subject of myths. In the Middle Ages, they were sold as unicorn horns believed to possess magical powers. Now, an international team of researchers led by Aarhus University ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Perovskite-based sensor detects ammonia leaks at concentrations as low as 1 ppm

A team led by principal researcher Myungkwan Song of the Energy & Environment Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has developed an ultrasensitive ammonia gas sensor using an environmentally ...

Aug 19, 2026
Phys.org / Who's watching who? Otters turn their attention to humans

For many people, a trip to the zoo is a chance to watch playful otters dart through the water and chatter with one another. But while we may worry that crowds could stress the otter community, a new Australian study shows ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Giant crocodylians dominated the food chain in Miocene South America, fossil evidence suggests

South America was a frightening place during the Miocene. More than 10 million years ago, a vast lake covered much of the continent, home to giant turtles and crocodylians.

Aug 16, 2026