Phys.org news

Phys.org / Liquid nitrogen may have recently flowed across Pluto's heart-shaped glacier

A new study led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) provides evidence that liquid nitrogen is rising to Pluto's surface through cracks at the northern edge of Sputnik Planitia, part of the massive heart-shaped glacier ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Bioengineers develop biochemical halo to cloak insulin-producing cells from body defenses

A protein known as interleukin 10 (IL-10) is the lynchpin of a new method to protect transplanted cells from host immune system attacks. Rice University researchers engineered a living factory to produce a localized biochemical ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / First metabolically activated molecular glue degrader may target cancer cells under oxidative stress

Investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have developed a platform for systematically discovering molecular glues that could become protein degradation drug candidates. The platform could help drug developers dramatically ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Earthquake sensors can help forecast how hurricanes intensify

Stanford researchers have shown that instruments primarily used to understand earthquakes can capture key details about hurricanes, helping meteorologists better predict how storms will evolve and intensify.

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Random physics helps model individual ant motion

Ants make up one of the most diverse groups of animals on the planet, with many species boasting remarkable physical abilities and social behaviors, and an overall species richness that far exceeds that of mammals. Various ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Fluorescent nanosensors help distinguish between healthy and diseased immune cells in blood samples

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab have developed a new method to analyze the condition of immune cells in the blood. The method has been tested on patients with atherosclerosis and can distinguish their ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Light-activated nanoparticles could help surgeons find and destroy brain cancer remnants

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of brain cancer. It's difficult to treat because tumor cells infiltrate the surrounding brain tissue, making it hard for surgeons to remove the cancer completely without damaging healthy ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Your next handbag could start with mushrooms

The search for leather alternatives has led researchers somewhere unexpected: fungi. Although traditional leather is durable, producing it requires animal agriculture, which carries negative environmental impacts. Meanwhile, ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Interlocking molecular propellers create stable 'islands' in artificial lipid membranes

Cells are enclosed by a cell membrane, a sophisticated structure mainly made of lipids that is vital for fundamental biological processes. Artificial lipid membranes have many practical applications, such as drug delivery, ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Sizing errors can hide true nanoparticle behavior

Nanoscience, which studies small objects, has a big problem. According to a team of scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the field confronts a pervasive data analysis error that can give ...

Aug 6, 2026
Phys.org / Astronomers catch massive star's death from the first explosive moment

In March 2026, the Einstein Probe detected a brief flash of soft X-rays emitted from a galaxy about 500 million light-years away. The flash, dubbed EP260321a, immediately triggered a worldwide observing campaign. Within an ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny vortices discovered on the sun's surface

Researchers from the U.S. National Science Foundation National Solar Observatory (NSF NSO), the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, and the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) in the U.S. have made ...

Aug 5, 2026