Phys.org news

Phys.org / Ultrasound-activated 'nanoagents' kill superbugs hiding in biofilms

Scientists have designed nanoagents that act like smart drug-delivery capsules—carrying an antibiotic deep into bacterial infection sites and releasing it only when activated by gentle ultrasound. Delivering antibiotics ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Tech upgrade reveals even finer transcription detail inside cells

In 2021, a technology developed at the University of Michigan, called Seq-Scope, revolutionized the ability to map gene activity within intact tissue at microscopic resolution, enabling researchers to measure all expressed ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Smart fluorescent molecules provide cheaper path to sharper microscopy images

Multiphoton microscopy is used in biomedical research to study cells and tissues. Today, so-called two-photon microscopy is used to study processes within cells, but the technique has limitations in terms of image resolution. ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Scared of spiders? The real horror story is a world without them

Members of the arachnid class—think spiders, scorpions and harvestmen (daddy long legs)—are often the targets of revulsion, disgust and fear. Yet, they are crucial for ecosystems to thrive. Given the crash in worldwide ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How to train your catalyst, one atom at a time

How do you keep a copper catalyst from losing its oomph? Just add a dusting of platinum, says a new study published in Nature Materials. A team of researchers, including scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Paleontologists investigate how life entered and adapted to the deep sea

The deep sea is a dark, cold place. It's just a few degrees above freezing, subject to immense pressure, and beyond the reach of the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. The life that does survive in such a hostile place must ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Catching light in air: Programmable Mie voids boost light matter interaction

Atomically thin semiconductors such as tungsten disulfide (WS2) are promising materials for future photonic technologies. Despite being only a single layer of atoms thick, they host tightly bound excitons—pairs of electrons ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Antarctica has lost 10 times the size of Greater Los Angeles in ice over 30 years, satellite data reveal

A comprehensive 30-year study led by University of California, Irvine glaciologists has produced a circumpolar ice grounding line migration map of Antarctica. An amalgamation of three decades of satellite data compiled and ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Research reveals cosmic tug-of-war behind the Crab Pulsar's zebra stripes

For the past two decades, scientists have wondered about a bright, distinct striped pattern seen in radio waves emanating from the Crab Pulsar, the remnant of a supernova observed by Chinese and Japanese astronomers in the ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Chemists create complex DNA structures without hydrogen bonds

No "sticky ends"? No problem. A new study by NYU chemists finds that DNA tiles can assemble into 3D structures without the sticky cohesion of hydrogen bonding. This finding, published in Nature Communications, turns a fundamental ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Mott and Kondo insulators—how external stimuli can modify electronic energy bands

A study from the Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) has uncovered a theoretical mechanism showing how the electronic band structures of strongly correlated insulators can be reshaped by spin and charge ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Porpoises can 'turn down the volume' to withstand ship noise

Porpoises are entirely dependent on their hearing for survival. They navigate, hunt, and communicate by emitting rapid click sounds and listening to the returning echoes. However, with increasingly noisy oceans, it is getting ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Biology