Phys.org news

Phys.org / How atmospheric dryness limits increases in typhoon rainfall

Under global warming, scientists have widely expected tropical cyclones (including typhoons and hurricanes) to bring more intense and frequent rainfall. The underlying physics seems intuitive: Rising temperatures allow the ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Glacier retreat could promote the spread of diseases among bees

A study conducted in the Swiss Alps by the University of Lausanne and the University of Milan shows that glacier retreat and changing vegetation could influence the spread of certain pathogens between honeybees and wild bees.

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Mechanical memory helps explain how cells adapt their movement to changing environments

Cells in our bodies squeeze through dense tissue channels, thread past neighboring cells and navigate every nook and cranny within the extracellular matrix—the mesh-like network that surrounds and supports cells. How well ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Dry landscapes and newly fallowed fields may raise California Valley fever risk

Researchers at UC San Diego and UC Berkeley have found that certain landscapes surrounding California communities are associated with differing rates of Valley fever, a fungal respiratory infection caused by inhaling spores ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Ball milling enhances the antiviral activity of inexpensive inorganic materials

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, developing surfaces that can inactivate viruses upon contact has become an important goal in public health care. Ideally, such surfaces would work on their own without requiring chemical disinfectants, ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Can satellites detect when forests lose resilience?

For years, scientists have been using a method called "temporal autocorrelation (TAC)" to measure forest resilience using satellite data. However, scientists have not used TAC uniformly, and its use as a resilience indicator ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / The superconducting gap of an ultrathin nickelate defies expectations

Superconductors are materials that carry electrical current with zero resistance below a specific critical temperature. In conventional superconductors, the transition to superconductivity generally occurs at very low temperatures.

Aug 23, 2026
Phys.org / Oldest human brain cells grown in lab 'recorded passage of time'

Peppercorn-sized clumps of human brain cells grown in a lab for a record seven years aged similarly to those inside our heads, suggesting they "recorded the passage of time," scientists said Wednesday.

Aug 23, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum computer microscope is set to significantly improve electron microscopy

Electron microscopes are used wherever particularly small details need to be imaged. But from a strictly physical point of view, every electron in a conventional electron microscope represents a missed opportunity: If all ...

Aug 23, 2026
Phys.org / Protein degradation rate helps explain why humans develop more slowly than mice

Humans develop at a slower rate than other mammalian species, like mice, but scientists are still trying to understand the molecular basis of these differences. Now, researchers from the Ebisuya Group at EMBL Barcelona and ...

Aug 23, 2026
Phys.org / Collaborative drawing offers new insights into how strangers become friends

The closer two people grow, the more alike their brains work—or so the assumption goes. Two ETH Zurich studies challenge this idea by examining the brain activity of younger and older adults who drew together over several ...

Aug 23, 2026
Phys.org / Blowing in the wind, humble balloon gets green makeover

A global symbol of parties and celebrations but an environmental headache, the humble balloon is undergoing a green revolution thanks to U.K. researchers.

Aug 23, 2026