Phys.org news

Phys.org / These 'good' viruses hold up a booming industry—AI just found a faster way to track them

Researchers have developed a new methodology that uses artificial intelligence tools to identify and count target viruses more efficiently than previous techniques. The new approach can be used in applications such as pharmaceutical ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Honeybees pass their math test, upending an animal intelligence debate

We've run the numbers and the verdict is in: Honeybees do have the ability to process numerical information. New research led by Monash University has now addressed recent international debate over whether bees are truly ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / What wild honey from the Philippine jungle reveals about biodiversity

In the Philippines, Indigenous communities have been harvesting wild honey for centuries. A new chemical analysis of this honey now provides insights into the biodiversity of the region. "And an additional reason to protect ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / What's that swirly pattern? It's a moiré, and it has potential power

Just as wave-like patterns can appear on a computer screen when pixels do not align, new research led by Flinders University is investigating atomic-scale "moiré patterns" in the promising field of ferroelectricity. The new ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / How earthquakes stop: Near-fault records uncover overlooked phase

While analyzing strong-motion data close to fault lines, a group of researchers at Kyoto University noticed something unexpected: a negative phase in the waveforms, a pattern that did not conform to the existing interpretations ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / E. coli editing technique expands into a universal toolkit for rewriting bacterial DNA

The ability to precisely edit the genomes of bacteria has long been a goal of microbiologists. Such technology would enable scientists to make new inroads into studying disease, developing sustainable materials, and fighting ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / How an Atlantic island narrowly escaped 'stealthy' eruption

Thousands of earthquakes affecting Portugal's São Jorge Island in the Azores in March 2022 were triggered by a vast sheet of magma (molten rock) rising from more than 20km below Earth's surface and stalling just 1.6km beneath ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / This flower's toxic traits hold clues for safer drugs

The molecules of a highly toxic plant, known for its bell-shaped purple and pink flowers and found in some home gardens, have long been used to regulate human heart muscles.

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / In Eastern Africa, the cradle of humankind is tearing apart

Eastern Africa's Turkana Rift is both a hotbed for fossil discoveries of our earliest ancestors and a literal hotbed of volcanic activity caused by shifting tectonic plates. Now researchers have found that Earth's underlying ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Room to move: Neutron scattering shows how proteins behave in crowded environments

Proteins are essential molecules in living systems. They move, interact and organize themselves to carry out a wide range of functions, from helping cells communicate to forming structures inside the cell. In many cases, ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Amazon River plume: Where microalgae go carnivorous to win

In the vast plume of the Amazon River, microscopic algae adopt a surprisingly flexible survival strategy: They combine photosynthesis with the uptake of organic matter. An international research team led by the Leibniz Institute ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Atomic-level snapshots reveal how a key copper enzyme powers nature's chemistry

Researchers from the University of Liverpool, Japan, and Argentina have captured atomic-resolution images of an important copper-containing enzyme using advanced X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) technology at SACLA in Japan. ...

Apr 23, 2026