Phys.org news

Phys.org / Gut bacteria mostly compete—but cooperation finds a way

Understanding how bacteria influence one another is essential for understanding how microbial communities are formed and maintained. Researchers at Umeå University have now systematically mapped interactions between common ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Molecular trick opens the door to a new generation of glass

Researchers at TU Dortmund University, Paderborn University, the University of Duisburg-Essen, and the University of Oxford have developed a new method for selectively modifying the internal structure of specific types of ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Why marine heat waves and acidification strike together

Marine heat waves and extreme ocean acidification events are each damaging on their own. But when both stressors hit simultaneously, their individual effects can be exacerbated.

Aug 24, 2026
Dialog / Blood-clotting protein may be SARS-CoV-2's hidden accomplice, helping it hide from antibodies and reach blood vessels

Fibrinogen, the abundant plasma protein best known for forming blood clots, may play a second and far less benign role during SARS-CoV-2 infection: acting as a molecular bridge that simultaneously hides the virus from neutralizing ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / How chromosomes find their partners

For a long time, so-called satellite DNA was considered largely worthless. Now, ETH Zurich researchers have shown in fruit flies that these repetitive sections of genetic material act as a kind of barcode, enabling the correct ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Supersized quantum sensors make faint photons easier to catch

Our everyday life is flooded with photons, the quantum building blocks of light. For cutting-edge technology, from quantum computing to deep-tissue imaging, detecting every single photon counts.

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / The 'wonder material' graphene can be made using a kitchen blender, a mobile phone and a newspaper

There is something slightly ridiculous about using a kitchen blender to make graphene. This is, after all, the "wonder material" associated with futuristic technologies. You might reasonably expect its production to involve ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Meteorite dust holds records of magnetism that may have helped form the sun

Around 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system was little more than a giant ball of gas and dust. Over the next few million years, this "solar nebula" underwent a huge transformation, flattening into a disk of matter that ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / How fusion reactions can survive flaws—up to a point

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have found that implosions designed for inertial fusion energy (IFE) can tolerate significant imperfections before performance abruptly declines, a finding that ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / How to CT scan a 400-pound crocodile

At 61, Bill had begun showing changes in his health—decreased appetite, weight loss and abdominal bloating. But his bloodwork was normal, leaving the cause of his symptoms unknown. The next step was clear: Bill should get ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Natural gas drilling could raise salt levels, in turn boosting radium in water

Pennsylvania ranks second in U.S. natural gas production, accounting for about one-fifth of U.S. output in 2024, and has one of the most extensive histories of energy extraction in the country. A team of researchers from ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / New study reveals how space rocks become meteorites

What happens to a space rock as it falls through Earth's atmosphere and becomes a meteorite? By studying 75 meteorite falls captured on video and in photographs, researchers identified seven distinct phases in the journey ...

Aug 24, 2026