Phys.org news

Phys.org / Overlooked molecule points to new treatments for drug-resistant fungal infections

Fungal infections kill millions of people each year, and modern medicine is struggling to keep up. But researchers at McMaster University have identified a molecule that may help turn the tide—butyrolactol A, a chemical ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Stars that die off the beaten path

Astronomers have created a detailed forecast of where they expect to observe future stellar explosions in a nearby galaxy, opening a new window into how exploding stars shape the cosmos. Focusing on M33, a spiral galaxy about ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Urban atmosphere acts as primary reservoir of microplastics, researchers find

Over the past two decades, microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) have been recognized as emerging pollutants, detected across every environmental compartment of Earth's system—the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / You've heard of climate change. What is the climate debt doom loop?

Municipal bonds are a time-honored way to fund roads, schools, bridges and other public projects while paying investors interest, usually at tax-free rates.

Jan 7, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Researchers develop electricity-free chlorine production from brines

Chlorine is a fundamental input to modern industry, yet most of today's supply still relies on energy-intensive electrolysis. In order to reduce energy consumption, researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Sentinel-1's decade of essential data over shifting ice sheets

The extent and speed of ice moving off the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica into the sea—an important dynamic for climate and sea-rise modeling—has been captured over a 10-year period by satellites from the Copernicus ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / How rice viruses manipulate plant defenses to protect insect vectors

Planthoppers and leafhoppers not only feed on rice plants but also act as highly efficient vectors for plant viruses, causing substantial yield losses worldwide. Notably, their persistent ability to evade natural enemies ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Oil residues can travel over 5,000 miles on ocean debris, study finds

When oily plastic and glass, as well as rubber, washed onto Florida beaches in 2020, a community group shared the mystery online, attracting scientists' attention. Working together, they linked the black residue-coated debris ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Molecular switch reveals transition between single-celled and multicellular forms

Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan have identified the genes that allow an organism to switch between living as single cells and forming multicellular structures. This ability to alternate between life forms provides ...

Jan 7, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Direct flights drive multinational firm growth in globally connected cities

Waiting in an airport for a connecting flight is often tedious. A new study by MIT researchers shows it's bad for business, too.

Jan 7, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Ancient clay cylinders provide first foundation text documenting Nebuchadnezzar II's restoration of the ziggurat of Kish

In 2013, two local Iraqis handed over two inscribed clay cylinders to the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. Subsequent analysis and translation of the inscriptions published in Iraq revealed them to belong to King ...

Jan 6, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Jupiter's moon Europa lacks the undersea activity needed to support life, study suggests

The giant planet Jupiter has nearly 100 known moons, yet none have captured the interest and imagination of astronomers and space scientists quite like Europa, an ice-shrouded world that is thought to possess a vast ocean ...

Jan 6, 2026 in Astronomy & Space