Phys.org news

Phys.org / Compromise drives shared risky decisions, but biased blame and credit can break teamwork

Relationships are all about compromise. From deciding on where to eat dinner with a friend to negotiating chore lists at home, we often experience situations that require some flexibility. But what happens when we must work ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / New biosensor reveals rare lipid gathers in membrane hotspots during cell stress

Inside every cell are lipid molecules that make up cellular membranes, helping organelles communicate and respond to stress. Researchers have struggled to observe lipids in action because current detection tools lack sufficient ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Hunting behavior drives the evolution of spider eye arrangements, study finds

Vision shapes how many animals find food, avoid danger and navigate their world. In animals with two eyes, eye placement is often linked to lifestyle: predators such as lions tend to have forward-facing eyes that help them ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / MOF thin films reveal hidden dense packing, challenging decades of porous assumptions

Due to their high porosity, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are regarded as promising materials for innovative applications, which is why the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in 2025 for their discovery. They are used, ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Austin neighborhood tap water tests uncover lead and arsenic in homes

For more than a decade, residents of Austin's Colony, a neighborhood in an unincorporated area of southeast Austin outside the city service area, have voiced concern about their tap water's intermittent discoloration and ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Beyond the dust: Families describe daily health challenges near the Salton Sea

A study examining air quality and respiratory health in communities surrounding the Salton Sea in Southern California shows how environmental conditions, poor housing quality and structural inequities combine to place children ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Deliberate slow growth could explain bacteria survival strategies

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are mostly harmless bacteria that live in the intestines of animals and humans. They are the most well-studied bacteria and, often, when scientists discover something about E. coli, they extrapolate ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Microtubules in ovarian cell bridges may be key to fertility

Female fertility depends on the successful growth and maturation of eggs (oocytes) within ovarian follicles. Within these follicles, the oocyte is surrounded by granulosa cells that supply nutrients, signaling molecules and ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Light flips bacterial signaling enzyme between two shapes, unlocking how signals travel

Researchers at the University of Bayreuth and Forschungszentrum Jülich have demonstrated that specific light-sensitive enzymes—so-called sensor histidine kinases (SHKs)—transmit their signal through a light-controlled change ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / How much do friends influence teens' mental health? What a new study can (and can't) tell us

During adolescence, young people become especially sensitive to peer influence—more so than at any other time in life. So how does this affect their mental health?

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / More colorful songbirds face higher extinction risk

In the humid jungle of Vietnam, Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela and Monte Neate-Clegg spent hours patiently waiting to spot the rare "Halloween bird." Officially known as the collared laughingthrush, this songbird has striking orange, ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Harsh UVB bursts leave tadpoles with more DNA damage than longer exposure

Sunburn is a serious problem in the Southern Hemisphere, where depleted ozone provides less protection from UVB. Tadpoles are at particular risk because they are growing rapidly, making them vulnerable to UVB DNA damage. ...

Jul 2, 2026