Phys.org news

Phys.org / Snow flies produce bursts of heat and proteins to avoid freezing, new study finds

In a new study, Northwestern University scientists explored how snow flies—small, wingless insects that crawl across snow to find mates and lay eggs—survive in freezing cold temperatures. They discovered this snow-dwelling ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / The truth of timekeeping lies within: Key developments in understanding circadian rhythms

Almost all living things have an internal 24-hour clock that remains accurate regardless of temperature or other environmental changes. This clock is a highly sophisticated yet simple timekeeping mechanism that is critically ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / GNSS stations reveal fourfold turbulence during Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf melt

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), which include GPS, are traditionally used for positioning, timing, and mapping information. In an open-access study published Feb. 27 in Geophysical Research Letters, MIT Haystack ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / 'Gray-box' AI reveals why catalysts work while speeding discovery

Self-driving laboratories (SDLs) powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly accelerating materials discovery, but can they also explain their results? Researchers from the Theory Department of the Fritz Haber Institute, ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / Special forces study points to emotional intelligence training as a way to boost performance under stress

Emotional Intelligence (EI) training can improve employee well-being and prevent burn-out in high-stress environments, University of Queensland research has found. Dr. Jemma King from UQ's School of Psychology said EI training ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / A complicated future for a methane-cleansing molecule

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is second only to carbon dioxide in driving up global temperatures. But it doesn't linger in the atmosphere for long thanks to molecules called hydroxyl radicals, which are known ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / Genomic test could help stop destructive Asian spongy moth in its tracks

Invasive species cost Canada billions of dollars each year. Now, a team led by UBC researchers has developed a new genomic test that can trace the Asian spongy moth—one of the biggest threats to North America's forests—back ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / Belt-like VO₂(B) single crystals unlock high-sensitivity gas detection at room temperature

An international research team has successfully synthesized oriented belt-shaped vanadium dioxide (VO2(B)) single crystals via a hydrothermal reduction method, using one-dimensional vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanofibers as ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / New imaging technique maps membrane lipids in 3D at nanoscale

Biological membranes of cells and their subunits (organelles) are organized into tiny regions (nanodomains) made up of fats (lipids) and proteins. Those specialized regions carry out important tasks for the cell, such as ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / Magnetic microbots steer quantum sensors inside living cells

Cells are squishy and soft. Tiny nanometer-sized particles such as quantum sensors cannot move freely inside them due to viscous drag, which makes sensing challenging. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / Overlooked microbial network may drive methane production in the seafloor

Deep below the surface in coastal sediments, microorganisms use conductive particles as tiny natural "wires" to exchange electrons. This enables them to convert organic carbon into methane in a way not previously documented. ...

Mar 24, 2026
Phys.org / A much more sensitive fentanyl detection strip, thanks to physics

Following the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, lateral flow assays (LFAs)—the category of test strips in which the presence or lack of a pink line indicates whether a specific molecule, like a drug or a virus, has been ...

Mar 24, 2026