Phys.org news

Phys.org / How oak trees outwit their predators

Spring in the forest: Many insects, particularly caterpillars, hatch just when the trees' nutrient-rich leaves are still young and soft. This means they find a table laden with food and can start eating straight away. If ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Bigger, faster, but still outfoxed: How prey escape predators

Predators are typically larger, faster, and more powerful than the animals they hunt. Yet in nature, most attacks fail. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, by researchers from the ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Slower access, faster chemistry: Nanoreactor design improves catalysis by balancing molecular flow

A new study by a team at Tohoku University, published in Chemical Engineering Journal, has shown that more isn't always better when it comes to nanoscale chemical reactions. One might think that giving reactants completely ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Widespread genetic exchange in disease-causing parasites revealed

Mississippi State University biologist Matthew W. Brown is part of an international research team whose latest findings, published this spring in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are reshaping scientific ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / The way a cell fails to divide after copying its DNA can determine its fate

Cell division is one of the most fundamental and complex processes underpinning life. In human cells, thousands of molecules coordinate with one another in highly precise steps, all within a fraction of a second. But things ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Under crushing hypergravity, fruit flies adapt—and recover

Expose an animal to extreme physical stress, and the expectation is simple: It will break down. But when UC Riverside scientists subjected fruit flies to forces many times stronger than Earth's gravity—a condition called ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / How photosynthetic bacteria pass light along: Two major energy pathways identified

RIKEN researchers have found out how light energy harvested by pigments besides chlorophyll is transferred to the molecular site where photosynthesis occurs in cyanobacteria. The work is published in the journal Plant and ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Mechanochemistry simplifies synthesis of challenging conductive organic molecules

Mechanochemistry is a growing field for chemical reactions that proceed in the solid state in the absence, or with minuscule amounts, of solvent added. For decades, solvents have been considered conventional for the progression ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / How genetic information helps cells resist chaos and stay alive

A Moffitt Cancer Center researcher has introduced a new model that addresses one of biology's most fundamental questions: How does genetic information keep living systems organized and therefore alive?

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Stealth switch in tuberculosis enzyme could open route to drug-resistant treatment

Recent research published in Communications Biology marks an advance in structural biology by enhancing understanding of protein regulation mechanisms in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), a global health threat. The team ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / Living near a gas station raises childhood cancer risk, study shows

Childhood cancers are devastating. Even when the disease is not fatal, its long-term effects can be severe. Not enough is known about the risk factors. "Research suggests that only 5% to 10% of childhood cancers are attributable ...

May 1, 2026
Phys.org / When the Schuylkill swallowed the city: Lessons from Hurricane Ida's historic flood

New Penn research shows that Hurricane Ida wasn't a once-in-a-century anomaly but a preview of how climate change, urbanization, and aging infrastructure are rewriting flood risk.

May 1, 2026