Phys.org news

Phys.org / A multi-lane highway for light: Topology helps build more robust photonic networks

Penn-led researchers have shown for the first time that multiple, information-carrying light signals can be safely guided through chip-based, reconfigurable networks using topology, the esoteric branch of mathematics that ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Ultra-thin MoSe₂ grating traps infrared light in a 40-nanometer layer

Controlling light at the micro- and nanoscale opens up opportunities for a better understanding of the world and the development of technology. As modern electronics approaches the limits of its capabilities, photonics comes ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Durum wheat lines combine freezing tolerance with high pasta quality

Researchers from Skoltech, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico, the Research Center for Cereal and Industrial Crops in Italy, and other international organizations have developed new durum wheat ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Old-growth forests store a lot more carbon than managed forests, study finds

Swedish old-growth forests store 83% more carbon than managed forests, according to a new study from Lund University. The difference is substantially larger than previous estimates and is mainly due to large carbon stocks ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Light-activated medicines may cut side effects: How a switchable beta blocker works

Rendering a drug effective or ineffective in a flash at the appropriate location—this is the focus of research in photopharmacology. The goal is to develop drugs that can be switched on and off with light of a specific wavelength. ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Study uncovers mineral 'sink' that reduced phosphorus in early oceans, potentially delaying Earth's oxygen rise

Scientists have long sought to explain a key mismatch in Earth's early history: oxygen-producing photosynthesis evolved hundreds of millions of years before atmospheric oxygen began to rise during the Great Oxidation Event. ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Invasive grasses may be turning British Columbia's burn scars into the next wildfire

After a wildfire, the flames may fade, but the danger does not. A new study by UBC researchers reveals that burned landscapes remain vulnerable for years, with large areas still bare and at risk of invasion by fast-growing, ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / World Happiness Report highlights social media's negative impact, ranks Finland as happiest country

Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe, according to the World Happiness ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / How a tryptophan-rich allosteric communication network helps activate a major drug target receptor

A multinational research team led by researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo, RIKEN, and the University of Toronto has revealed how a tryptophan-rich allosteric communication network regulates receptor dynamics and activation ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Mosquitoes may hold the key to saving endangered Australian wildlife

Scientists have discovered mosquitoes can act like tiny "flying wildlife surveyors," helping researchers detect elusive and endangered animals in Australia's national parks. A team from Macquarie University and the Department ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Nanodiamonds and beyond: Designing carbon materials with AI at exascale

Carbon forms the graphite in pencils, the diamonds in jewelry and the molecules that make up every living thing. But under extreme conditions—like the heat and pressure of intense explosions—carbon can transform into exotic ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / How an RNA-binding protein detects and responds to non-optimal codon usage in human cells

Human genes are written in long strings of three-letter units composed of four different nucleotides. These units—or codons—specify one of many amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Multiple codons can encode the ...

Mar 19, 2026