Phys.org news

Phys.org / 'Basketball Mathematics' help children boost math skills without extra class time

A dribble and a jump shot, followed by a fractions task. That is what physical education classes looked like for a group of pupils, and the pupils not only found the lessons more engaging than usual—they also became better ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Antiviral soil compound disrupts phage infection cycle before viruses can reproduce

Bacteria also produce molecules that have an antiviral effect. Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Jülich Research Center (FZJ) have examined the antiviral molecule daunorubicin and decoded its ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Hurricane rainfall and landslide risk are on the rise in Southern California

Climate change could make historically rare tropical storms in Southern California produce significantly more precipitation in the next few decades, and when they strike, landslides are likely to become a bigger risk across ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Newfound 'whale necropolis' reveals 5.3 million years of seafloor life

Whale falls form when whale carcasses sink to the seafloor, creating localized concentrations of biodiversity in the deep ocean. Besides playing a role in long-term carbon sequestration, whale falls help scientists understand ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Microbial alliances, not mitochondria alone, may have built first eukaryotic cells

All cells in animals, plants, fungi, and protists share a fundamental characteristic: they are eukaryotic cells—complex cells with specialized internal compartments. The cells that make up our bodies are no exception.

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient genome duplications laid the foundations of complex brains, research suggests

New findings, published in Nature, help answer the riddle of how vertebrates evolved the diverse array of brain cells that distinguishes them from other animals. It appears that a dramatic expansion of the genetic toolkit ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Cells have a secret power line: How the nucleus gets its own private energy supply from mitochondria

For decades, biologists assumed a cell's energy simply diffused to wherever it was needed. It turns out the most important destination of all has a private delivery line.

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Novel catalyst design boosts solar-driven ammonia production under mild conditions

Sunlight, water, air and metal-organic catalysts—that could be all it takes. TU Wien has shown how catalyst design can be advanced for solar-driven NH3 synthesis. Without this chemical technology, feeding the world as we ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / DNA tetrahedrons unlock sharper cancer targeting with vitamin E tweak

Conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, often lack specificity and can damage both cancerous and healthy cells, leading to severe side effects. With this in mind, researchers at Indian Institute of Technology ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / A meteorite impact may have once rained gold on Western Australia

We're used to a lot of different natural things falling out of the sky. These can include snow, rain and sometimes even frogs (yes, really). All of these relate to weather phenomena.

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Small optical component could change how telescopes view the sun

A new telescope technology—measuring just 6 millimeters (0.24 inches) in diameter—could improve how future space missions study and monitor the sun while simplifying onboard hardware and reducing costs.

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum witness technique reveals spinons in quantum spin liquid candidate

Physicists at University College Cork have developed a new approach in the search for a quantum spin liquid, a long-sought state of quantum matter resembling a magnetic liquid whose quantum properties mean it never freezes. ...

Jun 10, 2026