Phys.org news

Phys.org / The sky's hidden ecosystem: Radar reveals an organized, living habitat

When people think about habitats on Earth, they likely picture forests, oceans or grasslands. Few think to look up. Yet the lower atmosphere, or troposphere, may be the largest habitat on the planet. A new study published ...

Jan 15, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Scientists watch cell receptors respond in real time as drugs bind

A research team of the University Medical Center Mainz has succeeded in observing for the first time how G protein-coupled receptors in living cells actually respond to activating substances. The scientists discovered that ...

Jan 15, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / When lightning strikes: Models of multi-ignition wildfires could predict catastrophic events

Multi-ignition wildfires are not overly common. But when individual fires do converge, the consequences can be catastrophic. The largest fire on record in California, the 2020 August Complex fire, grew from the coalescence ...

Jan 15, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Mosquitoes' thirst for human blood has increased as biodiversity loss worsens

Stretching along the Brazilian coastline, the Atlantic Forest is home to hundreds of species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and fishes. However, due to human expansion, only about a third of the forest's original ...

Jan 15, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Long-term pesticide exposure accelerates aging and shortens lifespan in fish

Long-term exposure to low levels of a common agricultural pesticide can accelerate physiological aging and shorten lifespan in fish—a finding from new research led by University of Notre Dame biologist Jason Rohr with potentially ...

Jan 15, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Soil-based method can stop locust swarms from destroying crops

"They're very destructive when there's a lot of them, but one-on-one, what's not to love?" says Arianne Cease. She's talking about locusts.

Jan 15, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Hybrid polymer nanocarriers improve pulmonary mRNA vaccine delivery

An LMU research team led by Professor Olivia M. Merkel, Chair of Drug Delivery at LMU, has developed a new delivery system for inhalable mRNA vaccines. Published in the journal Cell Biomaterials, the study presents a novel ...

Jan 15, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Same moves, different terrain: How bacteria navigate complex environments without changing their playbook

Just like every other creature, bacteria have evolved creative ways of getting around. Sometimes this is easy, like swimming in open water, but navigating more confined spaces poses different challenges.

Jan 15, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Monitoring beer fermentation at the single-cell level with a novel Raman method

Breweries typically monitor fermentation by analyzing broth composition. Alcohols, esters, acids and residual sugars are quantified via chromatography-based assays. While reliable, these tests are time-consuming and only ...

Jan 15, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How cholera virulence is activated: A long-sought structural explanation

Cholera remains a major global public health challenge, with an estimated 1.3 to 4 million cases and tens of thousands of deaths reported worldwide each year. Caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, the disease spreads primarily ...

Jan 15, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Jupiter's hidden depths: Simulation suggests planet holds 1.5 times more oxygen than the sun

Spectacular clouds swirl across the surface of Jupiter. These clouds contain water, just like Earth's, but are much denser on the gas giant—so thick that no spacecraft has been able to measure exactly what lies beneath.

Jan 14, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Researchers solve mystery of universe's 'little red dots'

Since the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) went into operation, red dots in its images have puzzled researchers around the world. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have explained these enigmatic findings, ...

Jan 14, 2026 in Astronomy & Space