Phys.org news

Phys.org / New technique spots hidden defects to boost reliability of ultrathin electronics

Future devices will continue to probe the frontier of the very small, and at scales where functionality depends on mere atoms, even the tiniest flaw matters. Researchers at Rice University have shown that hard-to-spot defects ...

21 hours ago in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Mitochondria can reshape lipid storage in cells by repurposing a protein-insertion complex

A recent study by the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn and the University of Freiburg shows that the mitochondria appear to be able to influence the number of lipid droplets in the cell using a mechanism that ...

21 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Undergrads expand the chemical toolbox for cancer drugs

Thanks to modern therapies, a cancer diagnosis is no longer an automatic death sentence. But many patients still suffer from unwanted side effects and limited efficacy. In a recent Bioconjugate Chemistry publication, William ...

21 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Turning over a new leaf in analyses of natural products

Scientists have developed a new way to help understand what happens in the body when people consume a plant product and the many chemicals it contains. The Journal of Natural Products published the method to quickly analyze ...

23 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Smart materials and drug delivery could exploit lipid molecules that reorganize at drying interfaces

Minor changes in moisture level can promote lipid molecules to reorganize themselves in biomaterial or biomembranes. This can affect how the skin, lungs and tear film protect us from dehydration. This new discovery from Lund ...

22 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Rydberg atoms detect clear signals from a handheld radio

For the first time, a team of US researchers has used sensors containing highly excited Rydberg atoms to detect signals from an ordinary handheld radio. Through a careful approach to demodulating the incoming signals, Noah ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Sea urchin spines inspire self-powered underwater sensors

Nature does it again! The natural world has a knack for giving us the blueprints for some useful technologies, and the humble sea urchin is the latest contributor. Scientists have designed a new class of smart sensors by ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Energy loss triggers quantum thermal Hall-like effect at macroscopic scale

In many quantum materials—materials with unusual electrical and magnetic properties driven by quantum mechanical effects—electrons can organize themselves into Landau levels. Landau levels are essentially quantized energy ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Russian astronomers observe the eruptive behavior of a young star

Russian astronomers from Moscow State University have performed photometric, polarimetric, and spectroscopic observations of a young star designated IRAS 21204+4913. Results of the new observations, which were published February ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Dogs are more like toddlers than cats when it comes to helping humans

Why does your dog rush to "help" when you are searching for something, while your cat seems… eh, less concerned? New research suggests that this difference may stem from deep evolutionary roots—and that, in certain situations, ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Scientists lay out what we do and don't yet know about moths and butterflies

Should you ever find yourself playing a trivia game on the topic of moths and butterflies, here are a few facts that might help. Collectively called Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies account for nearly 10% of all animal ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Human activity is influencing the behavior of Germany's wildcats

A research team led by Dr. Chris Baumann and Dr. Dorothée Drucker from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at the University of Tübingen has found that the European wildcat is increasingly using ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology