Phys.org news

Phys.org / New method creates acinar cells involved in formation of pancreatic cancer

Organoids are three-dimensional miniature models of organs, grown in a dish. They have become a valuable tool for studying human development, organ regeneration, function, and disease progression. Organoids derived from patient ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How early cell membranes may have shaped the origins of life

Modern cells are complex chemical entities with cytoskeletons, finely regulated internal and external molecules, and genetic material that determines nearly every aspect of their functioning. This complexity allows cells ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Data-driven analysis reveals three archetypes of armed conflicts

The language used to describe conflicts naturally reflects assumptions about how different forms of violence emerge and develop.

Jan 21, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Natural peptides from cyanobacteria offer eco-friendly solution to marine biofouling

A new CIIMAR study demonstrates that natural peptides produced by cyanobacteria are capable of replacing toxic biocides that dominate the market for anti-fouling paints used in the maritime industry. The use of these peptides ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Fossil shorebirds reveal Australia's ancient wetlands lost to climate change

Flinders University paleontology researchers—with local fossil experts—have discovered how prolific shorebirds, including the Plains-wanderer, once lived across South Australia's South-East during wetter times up to 60,000 ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / World's first high-resolution global leaf chlorophyll map can closely track plant health

A research team led by Profs. Li Jing and Liu Qinhuo from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS) has developed the world's first global, high-resolution map of leaf chlorophyll ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Sculpting complex 3D nanostructures with a focused ion beam

Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and colleagues have developed a new way to fabricate three-dimensional nanoscale devices from single-crystal materials using a focused ion beam instrument. The ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Critical Atlantic Ocean currents kept going during last ice age, microfossils suggest

During the last ice age, the Atlantic Ocean's powerful current system remained active and continued to transport warm, salty water from the tropics to the North Atlantic despite extensive ice cover across much of the Northern ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Looking deep into the eyes of insects

Researchers from the University of Konstanz have studied how insect brains take in complex light stimuli and process them in parallel. They are the first to have found evidence that information is processed in different layers ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Engineered nanobodies improve respiratory defenses in preclinical study

In a multi-institutional study published today in Nature Nanotechnology, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported that engineered bispecific nanobodies successfully strengthened mucosal ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Strategic sex: Alaska's beluga whales swap mates for long-term survival

In the icy waters of Alaska's Bristol Bay, a new study reveals how a small population of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) survive the long haul through a surprising strategy: they mate with multiple partners over several ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / New cryogenic vacuum chamber cuts noise for quantum ion trapping

Even very slight environmental noise, such as microscopic vibrations or magnetic field fluctuations a hundred times smaller than Earth's magnetic field, can be catastrophic for quantum computing experiments with trapped ions.

Jan 21, 2026 in Physics