Phys.org news

Phys.org / Nuclear war at Ukraine-Russia border could trigger years of global climate disruption and radioactive fallout

Geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe underscore the urgency of addressing the climate and radiological consequences of a regional nuclear conflict. Even a small-scale nuclear conflict at the Ukraine–Russia border could ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / From the Pampas to Patagonia, DNA reveals South America's human history

A new genetic study shows that cultural diversity in the so-called Southern Cone—the roughly triangular southernmost part of South America—was strongly influenced by extensive human migration. An international research team ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / New bioreactor turns stem cells into an immune-cell factory, producing 40 million human macrophages per week

Researchers at Hannover Medical School (MHH) have developed a method for the efficient production of human immune cells, such as macrophages, in medium-sized bioreactors. These immune cells can be derived from induced pluripotent ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / DNA damage just got more complicated: A long-missed weak spot emerges when light and oxygen strike

In everyday life, our genetic material is constantly under attack from many factors. Environmental influences such as light, along with internal processes like inflammation, can generate oxidative stress that damages DNA ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Divergent moral values could make groups more accepting of norm-breaking behavior

Individuals in a morally diverse community tend to believe that the community's norms are looser. In turn, norm violations are more accepted, and there is a reduced willingness to police transgressions, according to research ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists discover how the Twelve Apostles were formed—and their real age

Scientists at the University of Melbourne have uncovered for the first time how Australia's iconic Twelve Apostles were formed, finding tectonic plate movements over millions of years lifted and tilted the giant structures ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Common soil fungus could cut pesticide use while helping tomatoes grow stronger

Trichoderma species—a common fungus found in soils—have varying abilities to promote tomato plant growth and differentially affect the abundance of certain soil bacteria, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State.

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Study shows a widely used antifungal drug works only when its target enzyme is active

Serious fungal infections are on the rise, and many hospital-acquired cases are becoming harder to treat as fungi become resistant to available medications. One of the most widely used therapies, caspofungin, combats Candida ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / We think norms spread by imitation, but one deceptively simple rule tells a more human story

A paper appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers a strikingly simple answer to a longstanding question: How do people learn and settle on shared social conventions, from everyday habits to workplace ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / 3I/ATLAS contains 30 times more semi-heavy water than comets in our solar system

New observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS include the first measurement of the abundance of deuterated water relative to ordinary water in an interstellar object. Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Archaeological digs in Amazon provide clues about Indigenous inhabitants before colonization

Paving roads in the Amazon rainforest has long brought deforestation that threatens the people who live there. The same roadwork, however, has also allowed archaeologists to get glimpses of the region's past long before Europeans ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / What if humans could regrow tissue? New study moves science closer

For centuries, the inability to regrow lost body parts has been considered a defining limitation of humans and other mammals. While animals like salamanders can regenerate entire limbs, humans are left with scar tissue. But ...

Apr 23, 2026