Phys.org news

Phys.org / New 4D biofabrication technology holds promise for tissue engineering, wound healing

If you've ever created a snowflake by folding, cutting and unfolding a piece of paper, you've practiced the art of kirigami. Like origami, kirigami has inspired innovations far beyond the elementary school classroom, with ...

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / AI reads centuries-old handwriting to reveal Britain's vast historic shipping trade

Historians have created a first-of-its-kind online interactive map, using data from hundreds of thousands of pages of centuries-old port records to chart Britain's growth into a dominant global trading nation.

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / Normally forbidden emissions from graphene could expose quantum fluctuations in incoming light

Voltage fluctuations, light fluctuations, temperature fluctuations—any fluctuations are troublesome and thus undesirable. They don't just cause discomfort; in engineering and medical applications, they affect the accuracy ...

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / Molecular pendulum shuttles protons to enable rapid hydrogen production in enzymes

Nearly all metabolic processes require protons—positively charged hydrogen atoms. Although these are abundant in the cellular fluid, the biocatalysts involved depend on mechanisms for efficiently capturing protons and transporting ...

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / Oldest animals on Earth found to share a common wormlike ancestor

New research from the University of St Andrews has shed light on the evolution of an important yet thus far poorly understood group of marine invertebrate animals—brachiopods. The work, published in Science Advances, presents ...

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / Frozen in action: Visualizing how a cancer drug scaffold is built

A joint research group led by Ryo Tanifuji and Hiroki Oguri from the University of Tokyo and Yoshikazu Tanaka from Tohoku University has visualized SacC, an enzyme that plays a key role in building the complex five-ring core ...

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / Factoring daily weather extremes into glacier models reveals greater ice loss and faster sea-level rise

A new study led by researchers at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) reveals that glaciers worldwide could lose ice faster than previously projected. Published in Nature Communications, ...

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / New 'hunter-killer' chemistry captures and destroys forever chemicals

They can turn up in a nonstick frying pan, a waterproof jacket, a takeout food wrapper or the foam used to fight fires. Known as "forever chemicals," these substances are ubiquitous in modern society, prized for their extreme ...

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / Smart farming is already proving profitable in some regions, global analysis finds

The use of robots, drones and AI tools in agriculture is already paying off on 42% of the world's cropland. This could increase to 50% in the next 20 years and to as much as 75% if every country tightened environmental regulations. ...

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / 13% of Earth's land identified as biodiversity conservation hotspots

As governments prepare to gather in Yerevan, Armenia, this week for the U.N. Biodiversity Conference (COP17), new research identifies 13% of Earth's land area as hotspots for biodiversity conservation, highlighting where ...

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / Planting trees is not enough: Lasting climate benefits depend on land rights and livelihoods

A new LMU study shows that three-quarters of the estimated global potential for new forests to capture CO₂ is threatened by significant social and institutional challenges.

Oct 19, 2026
Phys.org / Simpler recycling process recovers pure raw materials from acrylic glass without solvents

Large quantities of acrylic glass are used worldwide in a wide range of applications, from windowpanes and car taillights to furniture. The polymer is also known by the brand name Plexiglas. All too often, acrylic glass still ...

Oct 19, 2026