Phys.org news

Phys.org / Chemistry-aware AI can generate millions of plausible new molecules

Finding and developing new molecules is one of the great research endeavors of modern chemistry. From the development of new drugs to the creation of more sustainable materials, everything depends on finding new combinations ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / A skull full of surprises: Discovering the evolutionary secrets of fish brains

A new study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals the surprising neurological landscape of fish brains. Harvard researchers map the internal structures of ray-finned fishes' brains in 3D detail, discovering brain ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Nutrient imbalance may drive coral disease more than heat stress

Scientists led by the University of Southampton have revealed that an imbalance of nutrients in seawater can cause coral disease—possibly to a greater extent than that from heat stress of warming oceans. New research conducted ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Polymer 'bristles' could help repel proteins—and germs—from surfaces in medical settings

A non-toxic coating developed by researchers at University of Toronto Engineering prevents proteins from sticking to surfaces—potentially offering a new tool in the fight against hospital-acquired infections.

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Where was Baltica 616 million years ago? Paleomagnetic data offer revised answer

About 600 million years ago, the continents wandered Earth, yet to settle into their current positions. Their locations during the Ediacaran (as this time is called) have been tough for scientists to pin down. Earth's magnetic ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Super transformer aims to bring order to biology's data under one AI model

Modern biology is awash in data. Scientists can sequence DNA, track gene activity cell-by-cell, map proteins in space, and image tissues at microscopic resolution. However, it is a struggle to put all that information together ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Cryo-EM imaging reveals how the body stops bleeding

For the first time, scientists at University of Leeds reveal a complex mechanism behind blood clotting. The findings, published in Science Advances, visualize a key component of blood clotting—platelet myosin—and how it is ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / New 'ecclesiastical' moth named after Pope Leo XIV

Distinguished by its striking colors and a name that carries the weight of a high ecclesiastical office, a new species of moth has been discovered in the rugged terrain of Greece. When researchers from the Tyrolean State ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Digitizing microscope slides can uncover billions of fossils for natural history

Approximately 145 million: That's the number of specimens—including plants, animals, minerals, and human artifacts—curators estimate are held in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. However, these estimates ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Elastic rules may explain why nematic crystals look ordered and disordered at once

Electronic nematicity is a phase of some crystalline solids in which electrons' collective properties, such as charge or spin densities, organize themselves into ordered patterns, lowering the crystal's rotational symmetry. ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Microplastics pass through earthworms without accumulating in body tissues, study shows

As much as 40 million metric tons of microplastics are released into the environment globally every year. These tiny pieces of plastic come from larger plastic items that break down or are shed by products such as clothing, ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Greener process recovers over 96% of rare earths from permanent magnets

Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have developed a solid-phase extraction process that enables the eco-friendly recovery of critical raw materials from NdFeB magnets. The developed method utilizes organic ...

May 5, 2026