Phys.org news

Phys.org / CRISPR speed patterns can identify multiple viruses and variants simultaneously

As the spread of infectious diseases accelerates, technologies that can accurately distinguish multiple viruses in a single test are becoming increasingly important. KAIST and an international research team have developed ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / LHAASO discovers new extreme particle accelerator in the Milky Way

The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has made a breakthrough in exploring the extreme universe. For the first time, the LHAASO collaboration has detected ultra-high-energy (UHE) gamma rays—with energies ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Standardized runoff dataset could improve forecasts of urban microplastic pollution

As rain falls, lurking within stormwater runoff are hidden microplastics, polluting the water sources they drain into. Even though microplastics originate in urban environments such as cities, existing data sets focus on ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Buried in soil, a 100-million-year-old bacterial toxin could reshape pest control and antibiotic discovery

In every backyard, park, and playground on Earth, the ground is teeming with a type of bacteria called Streptomyces—one of the most abundant organisms on the planet. While these dirt-dwelling microbes are known for producing ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Light-activated protein illuminates when embryos can cope with disruptions to cell division

Cell division during the early stage of embryo development is a trade-off between speed and accuracy; the cells need to divide quickly to enable rapid growth, but it's important not to introduce errors that could be fatal ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / RNA-built droplets create customizable organelles inside living cells

Just as the human body relies on organs such as the heart or liver for essential functions, cells depend on their own tiny organs, or organelles, to carry out vital tasks, including transporting nutrients, removing waste, ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Malaria parasite sneaks mRNA into immune cell nuclei, disrupting defenses

RNA technology is regarded as one of the newest frontiers in medicine, but in fact a primordial innovator got there way before we did. The malaria parasite, an ancient single-celled organism, has been using sophisticated ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Kangaroos chart 'upside-down' evolution

New research led by Flinders University argues thick tooth enamel helped kangaroos chart an unconventional evolution story, compared to the animals of other continents. A 50-million-year natural "experiment" among Australia's ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / A hidden food boom across Central Africa is pushing wildlife and rural diets toward a precarious edge

The total annual biomass of wild meat consumed across Central Africa has increased from an estimated 0.73 million metric tons in 2000 to 1.10 million metric tons in 2022. This increase is threatening wildlife populations ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Gene circuits reshape DNA folding and affect how genes are expressed, study finds

When a gene is turned on in a cell, it creates a ripple effect along the DNA strand, changing the physical structure of the strand. A new study by MIT researchers, appearing in Science, shows that these ripples can stimulate ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Fungi utilize ancient antimicrobial proteins to attack hosts and their microbiomes, plant researchers discover

An international research team led by Cologne-based plant scientist Professor Dr. Bart Thomma from the Institute for Plant Sciences, the Collaborative Research Center MiBiNet and the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence for Plant ...

Apr 30, 2026
Phys.org / Superconducting quantum circuit simulates proton tunneling phenomenon in chemical systems

Researchers at Yale, Google, and the University of California-Santa Barbara have created a device that simulates the quantum "tunneling" behavior of protons that occurs in chemistry, a process so common it occurs in everything ...

Apr 30, 2026