Phys.org news

Phys.org / Engineers discover 'unexpected motion' in drug-delivery robots

One day, tiny swimming robots may travel through the human body to deliver drugs. The medication would target only areas of need—chemotherapy drugs for a tumor, for example—avoiding healthy tissue and minimizing side effects. ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Detecting neutron sources by borrowing inference tools from cosmology

Neutron sources can be directly identified from measured spectra rather than proxies using inference tools adapted from cosmology, according to a University of Michigan Engineering study published in Physical Review Applied. ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Fighting the world's deadliest infection with PAC-MAN and AI

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is the world's deadliest single-agent infection, responsible for 1.23 million deaths in 2024, according to the World Health Organization. The bacterium's ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Electrical imbalances at grain boundaries help explain solid-state battery failure

Next-generation batteries that use new electrolyte materials could achieve far higher energy density than today's lithium-ion batteries, without many of the safety concerns. But advanced batteries, such as those that use ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Neighbors shape plant life more than expected, scientists find

Scientists at Leiden University have discovered that plants are strongly influenced by their neighbors, not just above ground but also through hidden networks in the soil. Their findings challenge long-held ideas about how ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / The evolutionary pressure behind sexual asymmetry revealed in yeast cell study

A major transition in evolution is the shift from asexual to sexual reproduction in early organisms. But why would a yeast cell, which usually reproduces asexually, choose to mate with a very different partner in times of ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists discover smart way to supercharge soft robotics and better support rehabilitation patients

Researchers have found an ingenious way to make soft robots and wearable technology more than three times more powerful by harnessing the surface tension of a tiny liquid metal droplet smaller than a raindrop.

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Soil thickness controls landslide occurrence, study finds

Researchers at University of Tsukuba analyzed high-resolution topographic data from airborne LiDAR to examine the relationships among landslide area, depth, and slope gradient.

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / New workflow tool gives scientists a clearer view of how DNA is regulated

Researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at NUS have developed a new method that allows scientists to better understand how DNA is organized and regulated inside cells. The study, published ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Neutral lipids enable precision control over supramolecular polymerization

The formation of supramolecular polymers within living cells is an emerging strategy for regulating cellular functions, and lipid droplets (LDs) are promising environments for such processes. LDs are cellular organelles composed ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Molecular nanostructures can be activated using ultrasound

Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have taken an important step toward developing intelligent molecular materials. The team headed by Dr. Bernd M. Schmidt (Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Sea stars offer rare view of how embryonic tubes become complex organs

Biologists have long puzzled over how organs develop into their final shapes, and the nearly transparent bodies of young sea stars may offer a unique window into the organ development process.

Jul 6, 2026