Phys.org news

Phys.org / How sea stars build materials that can see

When engineers think about protective materials, like those used in packaging and support, they usually think about strength, stiffness and durability. But what if those same materials could also sense their external environment?

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / International team says science alone won't save coral reefs

Coral reefs are disappearing at an unprecedented rate as climate change, marine heat waves, pollution and coastal development threaten one of Earth's richest ecosystems. While scientific research has greatly advanced understanding ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Optimizing RNA design with AI and an Ising machine: Encoding matters

RNA has emerged as one of the most promising molecules in modern medicine, enabling advances from mRNA vaccines and gene therapies to genome editing and synthetic biology. However, designing RNA molecules that reliably fold ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Simple treatment strengthens pineapple leaf fibers for sustainable composites

Pineapple leaf fiber has long been valued in parts of Southeast Asia for traditional uses, including basketry in Malaysia and Thailand and textile applications in the Philippines. Its high cellulose content and ready availability ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Making the 'invisible' visible: How high-speed movies could change the way scientists study disease

High-speed movies of microscopic worms may sound like a dull night at the cinema, but this advanced imaging capability could help scientists better understand how diseases begin and progress, track subtle changes in cells ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Researchers uncover the inside story on plant organ growth

Research has shed intriguing new light on the genetics underlying the diverse plant organ shapes seen in agriculture and nature. Despite more than a century of scientific investigation into the role of inner and outer tissues, ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / How cells keep genomic hitchhikers under control

Much of the genome is made up of repetitive DNA sequences that trace back to ancient mobile elements, many of which have lost their ability to copy themselves into new locations but can still cause problems if they become ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Is the state of nature fair? Researchers measure how biomass is distributed in microbial communities

The distribution of income and growing inequality are central themes in public debate. Far less attention has been paid to how resources are distributed in ecological communities, in the so-called state of nature, without ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Traveling protein waves reveal how dividing cells set chromosome-splitting spindle size

When a human cell prepares to split into two daughter cells, it must first construct a tiny internal machine called the mitotic spindle—a structure of protein fibers that physically pulls chromosomes apart and deposits one ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / What powers the Everglades? Study tracks how algae and plant matter fuel the food web

Scientists thought dead plant material was primarily powering the Everglades. Algae says not so fast.

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Metallic rutile oxides break the rules of cooling

Physicists have long puzzled over a strange contradiction inside a family of minerals called rutile oxides. These materials all share the same crystal structure—but while some of them, like titanium dioxide, are firmly insulating, ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / JWST finds the most distant barred galaxy candidate in the early universe

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified what may be the most distant barred spiral galaxy ever discovered, dating to a time less than 1.2 billion years after the Big Bang. The paper outlining its ...

Jul 7, 2026