Phys.org news

Phys.org / Ancient genome duplications laid the foundations of complex brains, research suggests

New findings, published in Nature, help answer the riddle of how vertebrates evolved the diverse array of brain cells that distinguishes them from other animals. It appears that a dramatic expansion of the genetic toolkit ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Acoustic environment may explain why some bird songs outlast others

From melodic morning choruses to territorial songs that echo through forests and grasslands, birds rely on vocalizations to communicate, attract mates and defend valuable habitat. For songbirds, these vocal displays are not ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Microbial alliances, not mitochondria alone, may have built first eukaryotic cells

All cells in animals, plants, fungi, and protists share a fundamental characteristic: they are eukaryotic cells—complex cells with specialized internal compartments. The cells that make up our bodies are no exception.

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Giant kelp's microscopic light antenna could inspire innovative climate solutions

New research reveals the microscopic machinery that helps giant kelp turn sunlight into energy, providing inspiration for innovative climate solutions. The study, published in Nature Communications, mapped one of the tiny ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Retreating glaciers increase iceberg sightings and reshape deep-sea habitats

The number of icebergs in the Arctic has increased sharply since the 2000s. This is due to the destabilization of large glaciers in northeast Greenland and parts of the Russian Arctic, as well as the increasing mobility of ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Acidic nanoparticles target Parkinson's at cellular source

Inside every human cell, a tiny structure called a lysosome acts like a recycling center, breaking down toxic waste, clearing damaged proteins and helping keep the cell functioning properly. When that recycling center stops ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / How Argonaute, a key protein for RNA therapeutics, becomes activated

RNA therapeutics have emerged as one of the most promising new classes of medicines. Eight small interfering RNA (siRNA) drugs have already been approved worldwide for the treatment of genetic diseases, yet scientists have ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Deep sea an untapped 'evolutionary engine' as dataset yields 500 million unique genes

The deep sea is a unique "evolutionary engine," with one of the richest and most unexplored sources of genetic diversity on Earth, according to a major new study that assessed its potential to transform biotechnology and ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Radar data can help protect birds from wind turbines

Wind turbines generate climate-friendly electricity, but they can pose a danger to migratory birds. A study led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) published in Nature Sustainability ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / JWST reveals dawn-dusk atmosphere split on ultra-hot exoplanet WASP-121 b

Astronomers have revealed distinct differences in atmospheric conditions between the morning and evening transition zones of the ultra-hot gas planet WASP-121 b, which separate day from night, commonly called terminators. ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / To discover new physics, AI may need to 'unlearn' the old one

A study in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics explores how a machine-learning strategy known as transfer learning could dramatically reduce the computational cost of searching for new physics beyond the standard ...

Jun 10, 2026
Phys.org / Stretchy, soft, and sticky: Advancing the next generation of wearable and implantable sensors

Wearable and implantable biosensors have the potential to revolutionize health care by diagnosing, monitoring, and even treating a wide range of health conditions. Recent innovations in the lab of Wei Gao, professor of medical ...

Jun 10, 2026