Phys.org news

Phys.org / Synchrotron X-rays uncover hidden protein binding sites, enabling two new functions

Using bright X-rays from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), researchers pioneered an innovative approach to designing proteins with targeted ...

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / Climate change increases spillover risk of rodent-borne arenaviruses, study warns

Climate change is likely to drive rodent-borne arenaviruses into parts of South America that have never faced these diseases, putting new communities of people at risk, finds a study from the University of California, Davis. ...

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / Hidden risk pushes 459 Northwest communities higher on wildfire danger scale

A new wildfire risk assessment tool that takes social vulnerability into account indicates that more than 400 communities in the Pacific Northwest are at greater risk than previously thought. However, researchers at Oregon ...

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / Mathematical framework solves asteroid route planning exactly for first time

A new publication from Bielefeld University sets a benchmark in optimization research. Together with an international team, Professor Michael Römer from the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics has developed a ...

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / Electric double layer unlocks molecular switch behind battery and hydrogen reactions

From smartphone charging to hydrogen production, the fundamental principles of energy technology have been revealed. Korean researchers have, for the first time, identified how molecular structures change within the ultra-small ...

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / Eucalyptus bark points the way to cleaner water and air

Eucalyptus bark, usually stripped from logs and treated as waste, could be repurposed to help clean polluted water, filter dirty air and capture carbon dioxide, according to new research from RMIT University. Researchers ...

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / A quiet Alaska fault is missing the fluids scientists expected, and it's changing what we know about earthquake zones

Not all earthquake faults behave the same. Some stick and snap, causing earthquakes. Others move slowly over time.

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / No more guesswork in drug design—atomic-resolution method exposes what trial and error keep missing

Drug discovery still too often relies on expensive trial and error. Researchers from ICTER show there is another way—building molecules step by step and observing their behavior at atomic resolution. This approach could significantly ...

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / Louisiana's shrinking coast may offer world early guide to climate adaptation

A Tulane University-led team of interdisciplinary researchers says coastal Louisiana's climate-driven land loss and population shifts could position the state to become a global leader in planning for climate adaptation.

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists uncover beetle transport system for newly identified 'towering' nematodes

In 2025, Konstanz scientists looked very closely at rotting fruit in local orchards, and observed what no one had before—worms, hundreds of them, twisting skyward into self-assembled living structures known as "towers." It ...

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / Climate change is rewriting winter lakes in a way that looks completely backward at first glance

Climate change undoubtedly affects lakes and the functioning of their ecosystems, but seasonal impacts are not always straightforward. An international team of researchers from York University in Canada, the Finnish Environment ...

May 4, 2026
Phys.org / The Big Bang of plant life: Discovery sheds light on how cells form walls

Cell walls are a crucial structure of plant life, protecting cells from damage, giving plants shape, and containing energy-rich nutrients. And yet the process of how the walls begin to form remains mysterious.

May 4, 2026