Phys.org news

Phys.org / Microfluidic device simulates human tissue and offers an alternative to animal testing

Researchers at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) have developed microfluidic technology that can grow cells in three dimensions (3D). The goal is to conduct toxicity tests on new products by ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Why global wind energy may stay steady even as storm tracks shift poleward

Understanding how wind changes in response to global warming is necessary for accurately modeling climate and weather, identifying risks to infrastructure, and assessing global wind power capacity.

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Activated learning-and-memory protein forms growing molecular chains, imaging reveals

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) at Kanazawa University, Kyoto University, SOKENDAI and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences have revealed how CaMKIIα—a key brain protein involved ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Decoding the DNA switches behind gene regulation

Understanding gene regulation may be key to interpreting human disease genetics. Genes are regulated in part by stretches of DNA called enhancers, which define when, where and how strongly each gene is turned on. Mapping ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Wild honeybee populations in the EU are on the Red List for the first time

Populations of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) are under immense pressure in the wild in Europe. New research published in Conservation Science and Practice from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart and Agroscope ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Moles' wide-armed posture reshapes how their shoulder bones carry loads

While the scapula is the primary bone supporting the body in terrestrial quadrupedal mammals, an analysis of internal bone structure in underground moles (family Talpidae) showed a more important role for the clavicle.

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / What ancient Mars rocks reveal about its buried carbonate stores

Carbonate minerals are among the best records of past liquid water on Mars: They form when water carrying dissolved carbon dioxide reacts with rock, and their composition reflects the chemistry of both. Yet Mars has surprisingly ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Amazonian study identifies most effective ways of conserving biodiversity and carbon

As the 2026 El Niño intensifies across the Amazon, new research highlights the urgent need to better protect the region's remaining forests from disturbances.

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Beaver reintroduction improves peatland water storage and drought resilience

A study led by a doctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool has found that beavers may help restore degraded peatlands by keeping landscapes wetter and making them more resilient to drought.

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Endurance running or endurance diving—which came first?

A new study combines paleoanthropology and diving physiology to address a fundamental question in human evolution: Why did humans evolve their exceptional aerobic endurance? Did our ancestors begin endurance running to exhaust ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Handheld scanner delivers lab-quality chemical composition maps using infrared light

Researchers have developed a compact, handheld mid-infrared imaging spectrometer that can produce high-resolution chemical maps of a sample without using stains or labels. With further development, the handheld device might ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Two spike 'keys' work together to let SARS-CoV-2 enter cells, study reveals

To enter cells, the COVID-19 virus fuses its surrounding membrane with the membrane of the target cell. This is where the fusion peptides of the spike protein come into play. These regions function as molecular keys that ...

Sep 17, 2026