Phys.org news

Phys.org / Decades of deep sea mining research show threat to seafloor creatures

There's increasing interest in deep-sea mining, but the impacts that this will have on the animals that live in the depths isn't fully understood. A new review led by our scientists is giving us our first insight into how ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Super transformer aims to bring order to biology's data under one AI model

Modern biology is awash in data. Scientists can sequence DNA, track gene activity cell-by-cell, map proteins in space, and image tissues at microscopic resolution. However, it is a struggle to put all that information together ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Digitizing microscope slides can uncover billions of fossils for natural history

Approximately 145 million: That's the number of specimens—including plants, animals, minerals, and human artifacts—curators estimate are held in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. However, these estimates ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Relamination: A mechanism that has been shaping continents for billions of years

An international team led by researchers from the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC) has identified a key mechanism that has shaped Earth's continents over billions of years. This mechanism is the deep re-lamination ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Microplastics pass through earthworms without accumulating in body tissues, study shows

As much as 40 million metric tons of microplastics are released into the environment globally every year. These tiny pieces of plastic come from larger plastic items that break down or are shed by products such as clothing, ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Greener process recovers over 96% of rare earths from permanent magnets

Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have developed a solid-phase extraction process that enables the eco-friendly recovery of critical raw materials from NdFeB magnets. The developed method utilizes organic ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Watermelon super-pangenome paves the way for precision breeding

Watermelon is a quintessential summertime fruit, evoking images of warm, sunny afternoons and cookouts with friends and family. You can easily picture its striped, green rind and pink flesh, imagine the delicate crunch as ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Elastic rules may explain why nematic crystals look ordered and disordered at once

Electronic nematicity is a phase of some crystalline solids in which electrons' collective properties, such as charge or spin densities, organize themselves into ordered patterns, lowering the crystal's rotational symmetry. ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists map genetic switches on mosquito reproductive genes, advancing tools to fight disease

Scientists at Keele University have created the first detailed map of the genetic "switches" that control reproduction in disease-carrying insects such as Anopheles gambiae, the mosquito species most responsible for malaria ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / A chemical failsafe can save crops from disease without crushing growth

Salicylic acid, the active molecule in aspirin and some acne medications, is a hormone in plants that is essential for immunity, but it's a double-edged sword: Too much can cause autoimmunity and stunt growth. In a study ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Nutrient imbalance may drive coral disease more than heat stress

Scientists led by the University of Southampton have revealed that an imbalance of nutrients in seawater can cause coral disease—possibly to a greater extent than that from heat stress of warming oceans. New research conducted ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / New 'ecclesiastical' moth named after Pope Leo XIV

Distinguished by its striking colors and a name that carries the weight of a high ecclesiastical office, a new species of moth has been discovered in the rugged terrain of Greece. When researchers from the Tyrolean State ...

May 5, 2026