Phys.org news

Phys.org / Robotic system synthesizes hundreds of metal complexes to find potential new antibiotic

Researchers have used a cutting-edge robotic system capable of synthesizing hundreds of metal complexes to develop a possible antibiotic candidate—offering fresh hope in the global fight against drug-resistant infections.

Dec 23, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Mysterious, thermally insulating patches at the base of Earth's mantle

With modern seismic tomography, Earth scientists have discovered that above Earth's core-mantle boundary (CMB), about 2,900 kilometers beneath our feet, there is a thin layer about 300 kilometers thick with remarkable structural ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / New tool predicts road expansion, deforestation and disease hotspots

Researchers have developed a tool that reliably predicts where destructive new roads are likely to carve through tropical forests, giving environmentalists and public health officials a head-start in identifying at-risk areas ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Passive adaptation mechanism reveals how cells balance their protein levels

Every cell depends on proteins to function and stay healthy. These proteins are made inside the cell from amino acids, but cannot simply accumulate inside the cell forever. Once they have done their job or become damaged, ...

Dec 23, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / A third path to explain consciousness: Biological computationalism

Right now, the debate about consciousness often feels frozen between two entrenched positions. On one side sits computational functionalism, which treats cognition as something you can fully explain in terms of abstract information ...

Dec 22, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Stardust study resets how life's atoms spread through space

Starlight and stardust are not enough to drive the powerful winds of giant stars, transporting the building blocks of life through our galaxy. That's the conclusion of a new study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, ...

Dec 22, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Anything-goes 'anyons' may be at the root of surprising quantum experiments

In the past year, two separate experiments in two different materials captured the same confounding scenario: the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism. Scientists had assumed that these two quantum states are mutually ...

Dec 22, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Scientists chart over 140,000 DNA loops to map human chromosomes in the nucleus

One of the most detailed 3D maps of how the human chromosomes are organized and folded within a cell's nucleus is published in Nature.

Dec 22, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Two ancient human species came out of Africa together, not one, suggests new study

The textbook version of the "Out of Africa" hypothesis holds that the first human species to leave the continent around 1.8 million years ago was Homo erectus. But in recent years, a debate has emerged suggesting it wasn't ...

Dec 22, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / The simulation hypothesis: Mathematical framework redefines what it means for one universe to simulate another

The simulation hypothesis—the idea that our universe might be an artificial construct running on some advanced alien computer—has long captured the public imagination. Yet most arguments about it rest on intuition rather ...

Dec 22, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Kolmogorov-Arnold networks bridge AI and scientific discovery by increasing interpretability

AI has successfully been applied in many areas of science, advancing technologies like weather prediction and protein folding. However, there have been limitations for the world of scientific discovery involving more curiosity-driven ...

Dec 22, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Toddlers with facial tattoos: How Christianity expanded body art in Nile Valley civilizations

Ancient Nubians who lived between the 7th and 9th centuries tattooed the cheeks and foreheads of their infants and toddlers. This surprising discovery was made during a systematic survey of more than 1,000 human remains from ...

Dec 22, 2025 in Other Sciences