Phys.org news

Phys.org / Ancient DNA reveals 12,000-year-old case of rare genetic disease

Researchers led by the University of Vienna and Liège University Hospital Center have identified genetic variants associated with a rare inherited growth disorder in two prehistoric individuals who lived more than 12,000 ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / From metabolism to disease: Mitochondria's hidden signaling networks unveiled

The structural and functional characteristics of mitochondria shape their role as signaling organelles, with far-reaching effects regarding immune responses, inflammatory processes, and diseases. A research team led by Professor ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Why termite kings and queens are monogamous: Scientists uncover surprising answer

Termites are among the most successful animals on Earth, forming vast societies that can number in the millions. But how did such complex social systems evolve from solitary ancestors that looked much like today's cockroaches?

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / RNA droplets may have accelerated prebiotic Earth's development of complex molecules

The origin of life from Earth's primordial chemistry has long fascinated and perplexed us. Generations of scientists have endeavored to understand how complex biochemistry developed from organic compounds. Researchers at ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Light-based nanotechnology offers potential alternative to chemotherapy and radiation

Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed a new light-based nanotechnology that could improve how certain cancers are detected and treated, offering a more precise and potentially less harmful alternative to chemotherapy, ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / New map of the Milky Way's magnetism offers insights into cosmic evolution

A UBC Okanagan-led research project has given a group of international scientists their clearest view yet of the Milky Way's magnetic field, revealing that it is far more complex than previously believed.

Jan 29, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Real-time imaging captures contact between cells and between a single neuron's extensions

Living organisms are made up of hundreds of thousands of cells that cooperate to create the organs and systems that breathe, eat, move, and think. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a new way to track how and when ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Atomic spins set quantum fluid in motion: Experimental realization of the Einstein–de Haas effect

The Einstein–de Haas effect, which links the spin of electrons to macroscopic rotation, has now been demonstrated in a quantum fluid by researchers at Science Tokyo. The team observed this effect in a Bose–Einstein condensate ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / New satellite method maps 'creeping drought' in Canada's mountain snow

Researchers at Concordia have developed a new method of measuring the amount of usable water stored in snowpacks. The comprehensive technique, known as snow water availability (SWA), uses satellite data and climate reanalysis ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / MXene nanoscrolls could improve energy storage, biosensors and more

Researchers from Drexel University who discovered a versatile type of two-dimensional conductive nanomaterial called MXene nearly a decade and a half ago, have now reported on a process for producing its one-dimensional cousin: ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / NASA researchers probe tangled magnetospheres of merging neutron stars

New simulations performed on a NASA supercomputer are providing scientists with the most comprehensive look yet into the maelstrom of interacting magnetic structures around city-sized neutron stars in the moments before they ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Mapping 'figure 8' Fermi surfaces to pinpoint future chiral conductors

One of the biggest problems facing modern microelectronics is that computer chips can no longer be made arbitrarily smaller and more efficient. Materials used to date, such as copper, are reaching their limits because their ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Physics