Phys.org news

Phys.org / Organocatalytic strategy provides a metal-free route to antiviral candidates

A research team led by Prof. Sun Jianwei has achieved an advancement in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry by developing an air-stable chiral phosphine-catalyzed enantioselective approach to synthesize enantioenriched ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Finding order in disorder: New mechanism amplifies transverse electron transport

For decades, it has been widely believed that electrons move most efficiently in materials that are clean and highly ordered. Much like water flowing more easily through a smooth pipe, conventional wisdom has held that electrical ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Is nectar naturally spiked? What widespread low-level ethanol could mean for pollinators

As bees and hummingbirds flit from flower to flower, greedily sipping nectar in exchange for pollination, the animals often get another treat: alcohol. In the first broad analysis of the alcohol content of flower nectars, ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Combining algae and oyster shells for biodiesel born in the bayou

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel and offers a sustainable and potentially carbon-neutral alternative to petroleum products. Yet production costs remain a hurdle to its widespread use. Now, researchers have developed an inexpensive ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Past CO₂ emissions may drive far bigger future economic losses

The economic damage yet to come from carbon dioxide emitted decades ago far exceeds the harm it has wrought so far, according to a new Stanford University study. The research, published in Nature, puts a dollar value on the ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Dancing to invisible choreography, quantum computers can balance the noise

Large-scale quantum computers are waiting in the wings. One of the main reasons we don't have them yet is because quantum hardware is so noisy. This isn't the type of noise you'd want to shush in a crowded theater. When it ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Protein modification discovery opens cancer therapy possibilities

A research team led by Purdue University's W. Andy Tao has discovered a new type of protein modification related to cellular mutation that impairs a crucial enzyme's ability to help drive energy processes. Their discovery, ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / DNA origami precisely positions single-photon emitters for quantum technologies

An international research team led by scientists from Skoltech has developed a method to position molecules on the surface of ultrathin materials with unprecedented precision using molecular DNA self-assembly, enabling the ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Importance of sublimation for the Rocky Mountain snowpack highlighted in study

This past winter, the Rocky Mountains experienced an historic snow drought, a worrying development for the tens of millions of people in the arid American West who depend on snowmelt for water. Now, a new study in the journal ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Using 'imaginative' AI to survey past and future earthquake damage

Researchers have used artificial intelligence to develop a new tool for assessing earthquake damage, a leap that could ultimately help first responders in making critical rescue decisions, suggests a new study. The team's ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Low-cost sensor system could warn farmers of salt stress in plants

Soil salinity is a critical concern in agriculture when excessive soluble salts restrict a plant's water uptake, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hindering crop growth and reducing yields on roughly 30% of ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / A forest cleanup crew at risk? What hotter Amazon lowlands could mean dung beetles

Dung beetles remove feces from wild animals in forests and thus inhibit the spread of parasites. They work the dung into the soil and thus supply nutrients to plants. They fulfill this task both in European commercial forests ...

Mar 25, 2026