Phys.org news

Phys.org / Why plastic lingers: Water chemistry slows nature's cleanup

Scientists have long known that sunlight helps break down plastic. So, why do plastic products linger for decades and even centuries in rivers, lakes, and oceans—even when bathed in direct sunlight? Northwestern University ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / P53's five-hour rhythm may let resonance target gene networks on command

Can networks of genes be stimulated using resonance? Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute are investigating whether the protein p53, which activates a range of different genes, can be induced to communicate with the body's ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Stretchy, soft, and sticky: Advancing the next generation of wearable and implantable sensors

Wearable and implantable biosensors have the potential to revolutionize health care by diagnosing, monitoring, and even treating a wide range of health conditions. Recent innovations in the lab of Wei Gao, professor of medical ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Retreating glaciers increase iceberg sightings and reshape deep-sea habitats

The number of icebergs in the Arctic has increased sharply since the 2000s. This is due to the destabilization of large glaciers in northeast Greenland and parts of the Russian Arctic, as well as the increasing mobility of ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / One storm pushed world's rarest great ape closer to extinction in Sumatra

Climate change-fueled landslides wiped out nearly one in 10 remaining members of the world's rarest great ape species on Indonesia's Sumatra island, scientists said Wednesday.

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Borneo's ferret badger is found nowhere else on Earth

A collaborative study has provided the most comprehensive assessment to date of the endangered Bornean ferret badger (Melogale everetti). Weighing only around one kilogram (2.2 pounds), the Bornean ferret badger is a small, ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Giant kelp's microscopic light antenna could inspire innovative climate solutions

New research reveals the microscopic machinery that helps giant kelp turn sunlight into energy, providing inspiration for innovative climate solutions. The study, published in Nature Communications, mapped one of the tiny ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / X-rays reveal how platinum oxidizes in real time inside hydrogen devices

Electrolysers produce hydrogen. Fuel cells, in turn, generate electricity from hydrogen. Both technologies are considered key building blocks of the energy transition, offering well-established solutions for storing, transporting ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / How ice-age sea-level falls may have turned seafloor volcanoes into ocean fertilizer

Ice-age sea-level declines may have turned seafloor volcanoes into natural iron fertilizer for plankton, potentially enhancing ocean carbon storage, Boston College researchers report in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Acidic nanoparticles target Parkinson's at cellular source

Inside every human cell, a tiny structure called a lysosome acts like a recycling center, breaking down toxic waste, clearing damaged proteins and helping keep the cell functioning properly. When that recycling center stops ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / How bacteria organize themselves to 'hitchhike' across large distances

While scientists have studied how bacteria move toward food using a chemical radar known as chemotaxis, they have only watched single species swim in isolated environments over distances of only a few centimeters.

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / What happens when cartoon villains have an accent? Research reveals impact on kids

When kids watch cartoons, they're absorbing much more than a plot. Thanks to the use of foreign accents in shows, they're also learning a shorthand for moral character, new research from the University of Toronto Mississauga ...

Jun 10, 2026