Phys.org news

Phys.org / How high scores in an online brain teaser made mathematicians lie for three years

It might not yet be the phenomenon that is Wordle, but for hundreds of thousands of players, Digit Party has scratched the itch of a casual brain teaser to break up their day.

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / High magnetic fields revive superconductivity in nickelates

Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States, have uncovered that a class of nickel-based materials known as samarium (Sm)-based infinite-layer ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / AI designs new antibodies that pass blinded laboratory tests

Researchers affiliated with UTHealth Houston, competing under the team name Novamab AI, placed among the top five teams in the international AIntibody Challenge, a blinded, prospective benchmark published in Nature Biotechnology.

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Butterfly-inspired crystals could enable durable, potentially safer glitter

The next time you need to freshen up the paint on your house or apply a bit of cosmetic glitter before heading out for the night, you might want to give a quick nod to the butterflies fluttering in a nearby garden. Taking ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Liquid gallium experiment confirms key flow regime inside rapidly rotating stars and planets

Since we cannot look into the interiors of stars and planets, we rely on lab experiments to replicate the physical processes that occur there. Led by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), an international research ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Machine learning methods move self-driving labs closer to materials discovery at scale

Machine learning doesn't replace human intelligence, but it can outlast human endurance, which makes it a helpful tool for chemistry and materials discovery. Scientists know machine learning models can make predictions based ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Nanoparticles induce neuroregeneration in Alzheimer's disease models

The adult human brain has limited capacity to repair or regenerate neurons lost to Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia. Existing treatments can slow disease progression but do not reverse cognitive decline. ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Virtual reality reveals glassfish synchronize through split-second copying of single neighbors

For centuries, scientists have been fascinated by the remarkable coordinated movements of flocking birds, swarming insects and schooling fish. Researchers have studied these natural phenomena to understand the rules of interactions ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Bat DNA adaptations may connect virus defense, longevity and cancer resistance

Bats are anomalies in the mammalian world—they fly, have long lifespans and rarely get cancer. Scientists now suspect the bat immune system enables them to live longer without disease, according to a new study published today ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / When fruits and veggies are scarce, monkeys hunt for meat

Capuchin monkeys hunt prey when fruits and vegetables become scarce, potentially mirroring the habits of human ancestors, according to a study published in PLOS One by Susana Carvalho (Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique), ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Hidden switch in cell division may point to new cancer treatments

When a cell gets ready to divide, it shuts down its gene-reading machinery almost entirely. For decades, the mechanism behind that shutdown was only partially understood. A new study co-led by Alarcón and Lilian Kabeche, ...

Aug 26, 2026
Phys.org / Does AI shape decisions before we do? Researcher questions what 'human in the loop' really means

Artificial intelligence is often discussed with a simple safeguard in mind: Keep a human in the loop. But what happens when AI is already shaping the information, options and recommendations that inform a decision?

Aug 26, 2026