Phys.org news

Phys.org / Novel nanoparticle therapy using manganese could improve cancer treatment

A research team led by the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has developed a new type of nanoparticle therapy that could make cancer immunotherapy safer and more ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Gaming monkeys' curiosity: Japanese macaques actively explore moderately uncertain stimuli

The intrinsic information-seeking impulse we call curiosity is independent of extrinsic rewards, such as food or mating opportunities. Curiosity is purely the pursuit of understanding the unknown, driving both humans and ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Every dollar spent on forest fuel treatments saves $3.75 in wildfire damages, study finds

Every dollar spent on forest fuel treatments saves about $3.75 in wildfire damages, according to a new study, led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, of nearly 300 fires in the western United States. The ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Trafficked pangolin DNA reveals hotspots of illegal wildlife trade

Small samples of DNA can reveal hotspots and trade routes in the illegal wildlife trade, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Sean Heighton and Philippe Gaubert of the University of Toulouse ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / How cells 'back up' DNA replication to survive severe damage

Every time a cell divides, it must copy its DNA with extraordinary precision. But this process is constantly challenged by DNA damage. Among the most dangerous lesions are DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), which chemically ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Why plant extinctions may rise by 2100 even if species keep shifting ranges

No matter how fast a species under threat can move, escape can only be successful if the new destination can meet its needs. An ecological modeling study from the University of California, Davis, found that 7% to 16% of global ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Sexual arousal can lead to tunnel vision, blinding people to rejection cues

Sexual arousal can lead to "tunnel vision" that makes it more difficult to recognize when someone is just not that into you, according to new research in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Deforestation lessens Amazon rainfall—and climate change hastens that process, study finds

Climate change makes the southern Amazon's rain increasingly sensitive to deforestation, a new study finds. Clearing large areas of forest can trigger severe and lasting reductions in rainfall regardless of climate, but as ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / How evolution sculpts the facial shapes of birds and mammals

Shapes of beaks and snouts come in an extraordinary range of forms, reflecting adaptations to different lifestyles and environments. Yet beneath this diversity lies a paradox: across birds and mammals, faces are built using ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Tree communities shape hidden energy flows under European forests

Mixing tree species can lead to better growth in the forest—at least above ground. A new study published in Nature shows that mixed forests had lower activity in the complex belowground ecosystems than previously thought. ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Magnetic checkerboard separates microparticles by size and sends them along different paths

A team of researchers from the Universities of Tübingen, Bayreuth, and Kassel, and the Polish Academy of Sciences has developed a method for precisely controlling the movement of magnetic microparticles based on their size. ...

May 7, 2026
Phys.org / Why twisted bilayer graphene stops superconducting near high-dielectric substrates

Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity with a resistance of zero. In so-called conventional superconductors, this occurs at low temperatures when electrons become bound into pairs, known as Cooper pairs.

May 6, 2026