Phys.org news

Phys.org / A new class of molten planet stores abundant sulfur in a perpetual magma ocean

A study led by the University of Oxford has identified a new type of planet beyond our solar system—one that stores large amounts of sulfur deep within a permanent ocean of magma. The findings have been published in Nature ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / Planning Titan entry? New lab tests flag nitrogen-driven heat shield debris risks

Heat shields are designed to protect the surface and cargo of a spacecraft as it enters an atmosphere. Aerospace engineers in The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recently observed ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / Why sugar breakdown matters beyond energy—new insights into how it makes cells move

It has long been known that our bodies derive energy from sugar. Researchers at RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau have now discovered that sugar breakdown produces an intermediate product that is also crucial for the ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / Origin of lowest density super-puff planet remains a hazy mystery

A thick layer of haze around the ultra-low-density planet Kepler-51d likely obscures not only the strange planet's composition, but also its origin, according to a new study. A team led by Penn State researchers used NASA's ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / Milk-derived nanoparticles may enable physicians to target aggressive bile duct cancer

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a promising new way to deliver treatment directly to cholangiocarcinoma tumors, a rare and aggressive bile duct cancer with limited treatment options, using milk-derived nanoparticles ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / Q&A: Reevaluating reaction rates to better understand the stars

Thermonuclear reaction rates power the models that explain how stars live, explode and create the elements. A new study co-authored by NC State faculty member Richard Longland provides a comprehensive, statistically grounded ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / High-resolution electron microscopy sheds light on the cellular responses to stress

An international team led by researchers from the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Germany, has used advanced electron microscopy technologies to capture key cellular mechanisms of stress resistance with near-atomic ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / Microbes in Antarctica survive the freezing and dark winter by living on air

Winter in Antarctica is long and dark. Temperatures remain well below freezing. In many places, the sun sets in April and does not rise above the horizon again until August. Without sunlight, photosynthetic life such as plants, ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / Coastal ocean chemistry now substantially shaped by humans

A global analysis of more than 2,300 seawater samples from more than 20 field studies around the globe indicates that human-made chemicals make up a significant portion of organic matter in coastal oceans. The international ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / Gold nanoclusters could selectively recognize chiral biomolecules to help detect certain diseases

An extensive computational study by researchers from Finland's University of Jyväskylä predicts that gold nanoclusters could selectively recognize chiral biomolecules. This property may help in detecting certain diseases ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / Whale song remix: Study shows that humpbacks shift pitch when a neighbor joins in

A humpback whale alters the pitch of its song when joined by a neighboring singer, a finding that opens a new chapter in the ongoing effort to understand whale song, some of the most structurally and acoustically complex ...

Mar 16, 2026
Phys.org / Sugar-processing enzyme has a hidden second job—controlling when cells divide

A metabolic enzyme studied for over seven decades has a hidden second function—it can unwind RNA and promote cell cycle progression, an additional function beyond its role in energy production, according to a new study ...

Mar 16, 2026