Phys.org news

Phys.org / Human cell map uncovers 90,000 interactions among 4 million gene pairs

How do our genes determine our appearance and our susceptibility to disease? This question is central to biomedical research, and today we can sequence thousands of human genomes to identify these genes. However, genes work ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / LHAASO discovers new extreme particle accelerator in the Milky Way

The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has made a breakthrough in exploring the extreme universe. For the first time, the LHAASO collaboration has detected ultra-high-energy (UHE) gamma rays—with energies ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Twisting water reveals hidden order across four molecular layers at air-water interface

Researchers from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute and Freie Universität Berlin have revealed the arrangement of water molecules at the interface between liquid water and air. Their findings ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Lithium in the Appalachians could replace imports for a century or more, estimates suggest

The southern Appalachians hold an estimated 1.43 million metric tons of lithium oxide, concentrated in the Carolinas, and the northern Appalachians hold an estimated 900,000 metric tons, concentrated in Maine and New Hampshire, ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Snow cover on Greek mountains has more than halved in four decades, study finds

Snow cover in the mountains of Greece—an important water source for communities, agriculture and natural ecosystems during the dry summer months—has more than halved over the past four decades, a study has found.

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / One overlooked mineral may have quietly powered a crucial step toward life on early Earth

Manganese dioxide can convert amino acids into hydrogen cyanide (HCN) without requiring methane, a finding that solves a long-standing puzzle about the origin of this key prebiotic molecule on early Earth. Although HCN is ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Medieval images may have triggered imagined soundscapes, reshaping how viewers experienced saints

In cathedrals, such as Canterbury Cathedral in England, colorful stained glass and illustrated hagiographies tell the stories of saints through vivid visual narratives, inviting viewers into richly detailed scenes. Sometimes, ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / CRISPR speed patterns can identify multiple viruses and variants simultaneously

As the spread of infectious diseases accelerates, technologies that can accurately distinguish multiple viruses in a single test are becoming increasingly important. KAIST and an international research team have developed ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Kangaroos chart 'upside-down' evolution

New research led by Flinders University argues thick tooth enamel helped kangaroos chart an unconventional evolution story, compared to the animals of other continents. A 50-million-year natural "experiment" among Australia's ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / RNA-built droplets create customizable organelles inside living cells

Just as the human body relies on organs such as the heart or liver for essential functions, cells depend on their own tiny organs, or organelles, to carry out vital tasks, including transporting nutrients, removing waste, ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Rare Tyrian purple reveals elite Roman infant burials in York

Two infants buried in Roman York were laid to rest in costly purple cloth normally reserved for emperors and members of the aristocracy, new research reveals. The babies were wrapped in a fine textile of Tyrian purple embellished ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny fossil shells hold two chemical signals that could skew past ocean temperatures

Tiny plankton shells used to reconstruct past polar ocean temperatures may contain two different chemical stories, a new study by iC3 researchers has found. The work shows that Neogloboquadrina pachyderma, a key species in ...

Apr 30, 2026