Phys.org news

Phys.org / Study finds 70% of remediated Los Angeles yards still exceed lead limit

Even after one of the largest environmental remediation efforts in California history, dangerous levels of lead persist in residential neighborhoods surrounding a former battery smelter in Southeast Los Angeles, according ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists identify potential new target for disrupting mosquito reproduction

A longstanding mystery in mosquito biology has been solved, opening a potential new path for controlling mosquitoes and the diseases they spread. For decades, scientists believed that juvenile hormone, a chemical signal essential ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Mechanical inputs boost diamond quantum sensor states as Q factor tops one million

Most people think of diamonds as high-end adornments. Not Ania Bleszynski Jayich. The UC Santa Barbara physicist sees diamonds, which she grows in the UC Quantum Foundry, as a potentially powerful foundation for quantum sensors. ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Advancing synthetic cells: A more flexible system to replicate cellular functions

Creating artificial systems that mimic the functioning of cells is one of the goals of what is known as synthetic biology. These models, known as synthetic or biomimetic cells, allow some of the basic processes of life to ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Water-repelling surfaces reveal surprising charging effects

Materials that repel water are used in countless applications, including industrial separation processes, routine laboratory pipetting, and medical devices. When water touches these surfaces, the interface where they meet ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Body size, lifespan and mobility can help predict which species are most threatened as planet changes

How can we predict species' responses to always-arising changes in our world? A long-term ecological study from Yokohama National University researchers suggests the answer may lie in a few small simple biological traits. ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Structural color can now be printed with an inkjet printer

While traditional printer pigments fade and most structural color can't be printed, Kobe University material engineer Sugimoto Hiroshi has been working on nothing short of a revolution in the way color is produced.

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / 'Switch' behind flash drought in Puerto Rico uncovered

In Puerto Rico, drought doesn't always arrive slowly. Sometimes, it appears in days. That speed can leave producers scrambling, reservoirs dropping, and communities facing water restrictions before they can react. In a place ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Robotic floats uncover hidden ocean chemistry in low-oxygen zones

Scientists have found a new way to detect subtle chemical signatures in seawater, revealing previously invisible details about the ocean's chemistry from data continuously collected by thousands of autonomous robotic floats ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / 3D-printed 'spanlastics' could change how cancer drugs reach tumors

University of Mississippi research offers hope that cancer drug therapies packaged in 3D-printed carriers could deliver medication directly to tumors while reducing many of the side effects that cancer patients endure. In ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Longer wildfire seasons pose an increasing threat for species under climate change

Wildfires are becoming more frequent and are ravaging new parts of the world due to global warming. A study led by researchers from the University of Gothenburg shows that this change is increasing the vulnerability of thousands ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / Improving air temperature forecasts one to five weeks in advance without new model simulations

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo and George Mason University's College of Science have developed a new method that improves air temperature forecasts one to five weeks in advance—without ...

Apr 6, 2026