Phys.org news

Phys.org / Fruit flies turn fleeting scent puffs into directional memories, study finds

When a fruit fly catches a whiff of a ripe peach, it quickly heads toward it. Time after time, it finds the fruit—even from many feet away and even if the scent arrives only as a few drifting, disconnected puffs. How do they ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / AI and quantum chemistry combine to identify efficient blue OLED materials

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have become a standard in modern devices with incredible contrast and sleek designs. While initially an expensive luxury, OLEDs are gradually becoming more financially accessible as the ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / How 'super' enzymes can transform recycling

From microplastics clogging up our oceans to landfills leaching dangerous chemicals, plastic waste is a serious and growing problem for human health and the environment. We need to recycle more and, crucially, recycle better.

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Light-driven chemistry method could create antiviral compound libraries 10 to 100 times larger within weeks

As the world faces new and often untreatable viral threats, Simon Fraser University researchers have found a way to cut years off the time it takes to discover antiviral drugs. The new research enables scientists to quickly ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Reversing soil degradation by 10% could feed 70 million more, global analysis finds

Factors such as erosion, dehydration and soil compaction are jeopardizing food supplies for broad swaths of the world's population, according to a study by the University of Bonn, the University of Minnesota, the University ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Plasma design rules show how to preserve attosecond flashes for observing electrons

Researchers at Skoltech, together with a colleague from the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working within the joint SIOM–Skoltech laboratory, have determined how to select ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / New optical method follows single proteins as they shift shape

Researchers at the University of Twente have developed an optical method that follows the shape changes of a single protein in liquid without attaching anything to it. It reads the protein's structure from its own molecular ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Black coral shapes influence how microscopic cilia move food and oxygen

An international research team led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen and the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) investigated how the shape of black corals ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Physics-based AI could boost biomedical imaging and autonomous vehicle sensors

A research team led by UCLA and the University of Rochester has demonstrated a promising evolution of an imaging system designed to capture details within "complex media," which scatter light, from depicting structures inside ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Even a slight overproduction of tubulin can tip the balance of cellular health, study shows

For cells to function properly, they must produce the right amount of each protein. It is a delicate balance: Both too little and too much can compromise essential cellular functions. A team from the University of Geneva ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Antibiotic-tolerant bacteria rely on a hidden RNA-based survival strategy

Antibiotics are a medical marvel, but many microbes are gaining the ability to resist and tolerate these therapeutics. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have uncovered how S. pneumoniae adapts to antibiotic ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / A longer, hotter reality surrounds marine heat waves, research reveals

Anyone who has boiled a pot of water understands that it takes both time and energy to raise the temperature, so it may come as a surprise to learn that scientists have long treated marine heat waves (MHWs) as isolated events. ...

Jul 22, 2026