Phys.org news

Phys.org / Pain isn't the point: European viper venoms may have evolved to subdue prey

For many people, the fear of venomous snakes is linked to one thing: pain. Yet new research led by scientists at Bangor University suggests that, for Europe's vipers, at least, causing pain may never have been a driving force ...

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / First supernovae may have seeded rocky planet building blocks 100 million years after the Big Bang

The building blocks of rocky planets may have begun forming just 100 million years after the Big Bang—long before the first galaxies even existed—according to new research from the University of Portsmouth.

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / Fast-moving wildfires may prevent western forests from recovering

The severe, drought-fueled fires now burning across much of the American West and Canada may be scorching forests so thoroughly that they cannot recover to the forests they once were, new research shows. A study by Colorado ...

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / Mirage or miracle? JWST finds earliest known 'black hole star' at cosmic dawn

Little red dots have puzzled astronomers since their discovery in James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data from the universe's deep past. Their "powering engines" might resemble a newly discovered phenomenon dubbed a "black ...

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / Sugar swap simplifies production of promising targeted cancer therapies

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a simpler way to produce a fast-growing class of targeted cancer therapies, a discovery that could make the medicines easier to manufacture consistently while ...

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / Single synthetic peptide forms electrically polarized, self-healing hydrogel

Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) and RIKEN Pioneering Research Institute (PRI) in Japan, together with collaborators from the University of Münster, Germany, have developed a new hydrogel ...

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / Ultrafast flash Joule heating significantly reduces MXene manufacturing time

MXenes are two-dimensional materials made of very thin layers of metals, measured on the atomic scale. They conduct electricity well and have surfaces that can easily interact with other materials, making them excellent candidates ...

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / Genetic switch could help tomatoes produce fruit in cold weather

Every tomato begins with a flower. But before a fruit can grow, an intricate sequence of events must happen in perfect order. The flower's male and female organs must develop together, pollen must be released at exactly the ...

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / New frog species discovered in the Amazon's flooded forests

Scientists from Brazil and other countries have discovered a new species of frog in the flooded forests of the western Amazon. They named it Adenomera varcena. This finding significantly advances our understanding of Amazonian ...

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / DNA research highlights the genetic vulnerability of Asian elephants

The DNA of Asian elephants tells a concerning story. Although all four subspecies are under pressure, there are considerable differences in their genetic health. In an article published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution, ...

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / Soil-dwelling myxobacteria reveal five new classes of bioactive compounds

Most antibiotics used clinically are based on natural compounds produced by bacteria and other microorganisms. At the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), researchers are using soil-dwelling myxobacteria ...

Aug 12, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum advantage reassessed: More realistic benchmarks for quantum algorithms

Quantum advantage refers to the point at which a quantum computer solves a clearly defined task faster or more efficiently than any classical computer—or makes it solvable in the first place. For many practical applications, ...

Aug 12, 2026