Phys.org news

Phys.org / How the most widespread parasite on Earth reads its genome

A parasite carried by billions of people worldwide often causes harmful infections during pregnancy and in immunocompromised individuals and is a leading infectious cause of blindness in South America. Once it enters the ...

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / Rare sighting reveals Arctic bobtail squid and egg masses in subzero Greenland fjord

Marine biologists have observed the Arctic bobtail squid in its natural habitat in the North Atlantic Ocean for the first time, including the rare discovery of a mature female with eggs. Dr Paige Maroni, from The University ...

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / Underwater drones discover coral reefs off Benin, long presumed dead, teeming with life

A coral reef, missing and presumed dead, has been found alive and well off the coast of Benin. Surveys in the 1960s, focused on identifying promising fishing areas, flagged a possible deep-water coral reef but assumed it ...

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / Molecules stop carbon nanotubes clumping, unlocking record heat-to-electricity performance

QUT researchers have overcome a challenge that has limited next-generation energy-harvesting materials for more than two decades, opening the door to more powerful wearable electronics and new ways of turning wasted heat ...

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / Ancestral variation, not new mutations, may impact survival of species facing climate change

Research co-authored by an Oklahoma Museum of Natural History curator, her graduate student and an international team of scientists has shed new light on the evolutionary "toolkit" animals use to survive environmental change.

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / Unusual three-way bestows magnetic sense to single-celled organism

How do microorganisms orient themselves to find the optimal habitat? Scientists have thoroughly investigated so-called magnetotactic bacteria, which use the Earth's magnetic field as a biological compass. Some eukaryotic ...

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / What explains gender pay gaps in academia?

Gender pay gaps in academia are well documented. The harder question is why they persist. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences tested several leading answers to that question.

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / Arctic winter sea ice returns to significant decline, ending the temporary slowdown

New analysis shows that a "pause" in Arctic winter sea ice decline seen in the early 2020s has ended following record lows in 2025 and early 2026. The study, led by the University of Southampton in collaboration with the ...

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / Transforming vibrations into clean fuels and chemicals through piezosynthesis

From ocean waves and flowing rivers to the systems used to transport and treat water, vibrations are everywhere. But can vibrations do more than just shake water? Can they split water or drive the production of useful chemicals ...

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / Deep-space CubeSat could stretch solar storm warnings from 15 minutes to 3 hours

Space weather warnings could be received hours before Earth is hit rather than minutes with the help of a miniature UK-built instrument soon to be stationed in deep space. MAGIC (MAGnetometer from Imperial College) is part ...

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / Surfing webcams help demystify Oregon's coastal fog

A summer beach day in Oregon often involves a cool, gray blanket of fog that not only shapes the experience of beachgoers but also affects the coastal and inland environment. Now, commercially available surfing webcams are ...

Jul 20, 2026
Phys.org / Acid-resistant nanocage shows promise for targeted gastric cancer therapy

Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), have developed a swallowable nanoscale delivery platform designed to transport therapeutic enzymes through the stomach's ...

Jul 20, 2026