Phys.org news

Phys.org / Eyes that photosynthesize: Scientists plant a cure for dry eye disease

What if eyes could use light to heal themselves? Drawing inspiration from how plants harness sunlight, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) are pioneering a revolutionary treatment for dry eye disease. ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / 370 billion crickets are farmed for food every year. Scientists have discovered they may feel pain

You're cooking dinner, distracted, and your hand brushes a hot pan. Nerve signals race to your spinal cord and back to yank your arm away in a fraction of a second, with no thought required.

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / MatterChat model helps AI to 'see' the language of atom-scale physics to sharpen materials predictions

From writing emails to generating computer code, much of the artificial intelligence prevalent in our daily lives has succeeded by mastering one domain: text. However, this leaves a major blind spot in the physical sciences, ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Elongated canopy gaps may best support the natural regeneration of oak forest

As climate change intensifies, one of the key challenges facing forestry is how to balance efficient timber production with the preservation of forests' climate-regulating functions, biodiversity, and resilience. The growing ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Even after adopting cattle, early east African herders kept hunting and gathering for 1,000 years

Eastern Africa's earliest livestock herders continued fishing, hunting and gathering for centuries after livestock were first brought to the region. The first pastoralists in eastern Africa didn't suddenly switch to a diet ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Learning physics can derail some students: New research shows the best way to keep them on track

For many undergraduate students, exploring the complexities of physics for the first time, from wading through advanced mathematics, to absorbing information in a large lecture format, can be a daunting endeavor—one that ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Professional chess analysis reveals faster decisions correlate with higher quality moves

In chess, faster decisions are on average of higher quality. This is the conclusion of a study that has just been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The team of researchers, which, in ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / You are what you eat: Cichlid fish reveal how food sources drive evolution of digestive system

Different beak and jaw shapes are illustrative examples of how animal species have adapted to different food sources. In a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers now show how diet itself shapes the composition ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / Worker bumble bees help determine which baby bee will become queen

Every bumble bee colony has a queen, but a new study led by researchers at Penn State suggests the process of determining which baby bee reigns supreme may be less monarchal than the royal title suggests. The study, published ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / How wasted infrared light could boost solar panels, night vision and 3D printing

Researchers at UNSW Sydney have developed a nanoscale device that converts low-energy infrared and red light into higher-energy visible light, a breakthrough that could eventually improve solar panels, sensing technologies, ...

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / New economics study finds that ICE activity has upended the US childcare workforce

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations come to town, it can create a landscape of fear, chilling commerce and school attendance, and now, new research shows that it affects childcare workers.

May 18, 2026
Phys.org / This single mother must learn quickly—or her colony won't survive

Being a single mother of 20 is no joke, especially if the survival of a whole species depends on it. A queen bumblebee faces this very challenge when she lays her first eggs in the spring: She is utterly alone, with no worker ...

May 18, 2026