Phys.org news

Phys.org / How cyanobacteria developed photosynthetic membranes over the course of evolution

A new study provides the first insights into how thylakoid membranes—the internal compartments where oxygen-producing photosynthesis takes place—emerged during evolution. By comparing the genomes of cyanobacteria with and ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Primordial halo simulations reveal how cosmic storms shaped the universe's first stars

Just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, the universe was a dark and simple place. There were no galaxies like the Milky Way, no planets, and no heavy elements such as carbon or oxygen. Instead, vast clouds of ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Mosquito-borne viruses avoid killing hosts by limiting protein output, study reveals

The increase in mosquito-borne virus infections is a growing public health concern. Diseases traditionally confined to tropical or subtropical regions, like dengue or West Nile virus, are expanding their geographic scope. ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Leaf-based fluorescence test speeds search for plant gene-editing targets

Gene editing of plant DNA has the potential to produce crops with increased performance and resilience, but it can take a long time to achieve these gains. To shorten this process, scientists often use screening tools to ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Algae microbots take aim at bladder cancer

Tiny algae-based robots guided by magnets could improve bladder cancer treatment by boosting delivery of chemotherapy drugs into tumors, researchers say.

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / A minimal model for how a cell takes shape from the inside

Researchers at the University of Twente and Utrecht University have packed rigid, rod-shaped particles into soft lipid containers the size of a living cell and watched the container and its contents reshape each other. The ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Protein-tagging technology maps a hidden communication network between organs

The body's organs are in constant communication. Fat tissue tells the liver when to store or release energy, the immune system signals localized inflammation, and thousands of proteins carry these messages to organs throughout ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Heat stress exposure climbed from 16% to 22% worldwide over 50 years, study shows

The number of people exposed to dangerous heat stress worldwide has risen sharply over the past half-century, propelled by climate change, according to a study released Monday as Europe sweltered through a punishing heat ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Insects exhibit evidence of a daily body clock for humidity

In a novel experiment at the University of Cincinnati, researchers recently isolated kissing bugs, fruit flies, mosquitoes and spider beetles in a climate- and light-controlled environment and found that they responded predictably ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Feeding data to AI to speed up drug discovery

Developing new medicines can require thousands of chemistry experiments to identify the right recipe for a safe, effective and ideally affordable drug.

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Machine learning helps identify six promising solvents for carbon dioxide electroreduction

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a primary driver of climate change in Earth's atmosphere. At the State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook University), Ph.D. researcher Kuldeepsinh Raj, along with principal investigator ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / How AI-generated cartoons reshaped Taiwan's 2024 protests

In spring 2024, more than 100,000 people protested in Taiwan's streets. On Threads, a parallel fight was underway.

Jun 22, 2026