Phys.org news

Phys.org / Using less, living better: Demand-side climate action wins public support

Climate strategies are still judged largely across two dimensions: how much they cost and how many tons of CO2 they save. A new study published in Communications Sustainability argues that this narrow lens overlooks much ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / How cyanobacteria developed photosynthetic membranes over the course of evolution

A new study provides the first insights into how thylakoid membranes—the internal compartments where oxygen-producing photosynthesis takes place—emerged during evolution. By comparing the genomes of cyanobacteria with and ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / How solar wind forecasting will help define heliosphere's boundaries

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists are using a solar wind forecasting method combined with analytic and numerical heliosphere models to find out where the first plasma boundary of the outer heliosphere lies as ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Cats age like humans—could studying their brains reveal healthy aging secrets?

Domestic cats age in remarkably similar ways to humans and show comparable age-related patterns of brain deterioration, according to an international collaboration among the University of Bath in the U.K., Auburn University ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Protein-tagging technology maps a hidden communication network between organs

The body's organs are in constant communication. Fat tissue tells the liver when to store or release energy, the immune system signals localized inflammation, and thousands of proteins carry these messages to organs throughout ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Primordial halo simulations reveal how cosmic storms shaped the universe's first stars

Just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, the universe was a dark and simple place. There were no galaxies like the Milky Way, no planets, and no heavy elements such as carbon or oxygen. Instead, vast clouds of ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / A minimal model for how a cell takes shape from the inside

Researchers at the University of Twente and Utrecht University have packed rigid, rod-shaped particles into soft lipid containers the size of a living cell and watched the container and its contents reshape each other. The ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / The Caspian Sea has lost an area nearly the size of Sicily: Human activities are a major reason why

The Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water on Earth, is shrinking. Not fluctuating, not entering another natural cycle, but shrinking.

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Insects exhibit evidence of a daily body clock for humidity

In a novel experiment at the University of Cincinnati, researchers recently isolated kissing bugs, fruit flies, mosquitoes and spider beetles in a climate- and light-controlled environment and found that they responded predictably ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Feeding data to AI to speed up drug discovery

Developing new medicines can require thousands of chemistry experiments to identify the right recipe for a safe, effective and ideally affordable drug.

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Ordinary enzyme that evolves into 'control switch' reveals tuberculosis weak spot

Researchers at the University of Surrey have identified a protein that acts as a control switch, preventing Mycobacterium tuberculosis from accessing the energy sources it needs to survive. The discovery points to a specific ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Chaotic polymer vibrations may unlock stronger, flexible thermal insulators

University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have demonstrated a possible new avenue for developing flame-retardant and generally low-conductivity (low-heat-transfer) plastics that retain the benefits of being strong and ...

Jun 22, 2026