Phys.org news

Phys.org / How methylation sets a parasite in motion to invade host cells

Parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii and the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum depend on rapid, precisely controlled movement to complete their life cycles. To start moving, they must assemble actin filaments at their ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Compound with the potential to treat drug-resistant HIV identified

A large international team has developed a new compound that showed strong antiviral activity against HIV, including some drug-resistant variants.

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Low oxygen could limit insects' uphill escape from climate warming

Reduced oxygen levels and air pressure at higher elevations may limit insects' ability to move upslope to escape a warming climate, with potential consequences for the essential services they provide, like pollination, according ...

Aug 28, 2026
Phys.org / Major polluters are worsening the Western US water crisis: A new way to measure who's responsible

Climate change was once something scientists warned us about, and now it's a reality we are living in. In California's Central Valley, about one-third of climate-related groundwater loss between 2003 and 2024 can be attributed ...

Aug 27, 2026
Phys.org / Deep underground, SuperCDMS begins hunting light dark matter with 24 cryogenic crystals

In the hunt for one of nature's most elusive substances—dark matter, which makes up 85% of all matter in the universe—scientists are going to extremes. Deep underground and chilled to near absolute zero, the Super Cryogenic ...

Aug 27, 2026
Phys.org / Milky Way's own gravity can mimic dark matter clues, stellar stream simulations suggest

Most of the stars in our Milky Way galaxy sit neatly on a flat plane. But the space around our galaxy is much more chaotic. Rogue bands of stars called "stellar streams" orbit the Milky Way much like planets in our solar ...

Aug 27, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient DNA reveals cacao was consumed in present-day Georgia 1,000 years ago

One of the world's favorite sweet treats, chocolate, may have been enjoyed in eastern North America much earlier than previously thought, about 1,000 years ago. New research published in the journal PLOS One suggests that ...

Aug 27, 2026
Phys.org / Going beyond simple models of neural networks: Extended mean-field theory offers a better approach

Physics is most readily applied to relatively simple systems: a pendulum, two electrons colliding or the structure of the solar system. But when systems become complicated—when many particles interact with one another, in ...

Aug 27, 2026
Phys.org / El Niños have been more intense over the last 40 years than in the previous 1,000 years, coral records reveal

As an El Niño of historic proportions is taking shape in the tropical Pacific, a University of Michigan study has found that El Niño events have become nearly 40% stronger in the last 40 years than they were in the preindustrial ...

Aug 27, 2026
Phys.org / Surprising ingredients suggest ancient Egyptian paint was far more complex than previously assumed

Ancient Egypt has left us a wealth of artistic treasures, including wall paintings, wooden coffins and limestone reliefs. Many retain their vibrant colors despite the passage of time, a testament to the ingredients used to ...

Aug 27, 2026
Phys.org / Scented cleaners can create nanoparticles that reach deep into the lungs within minutes, tiny-home experiment finds

What does a clean room smell like? Many people say citrus, pine, or flowers because these fragrances are common in cleaning products. A research team led by Brandon Boor found that scent compounds in cleaning products—conventional ...

Aug 27, 2026
Phys.org / The physics of kiiking, Estonia's extreme sport of swinging

When an athlete swings upside down atop a 7-meter (23-foot) pendulum, it may seem like a feat of strength, courage or technique. A new study suggests it is something more fundamental: a striking demonstration of how intelligence ...

Aug 27, 2026