Phys.org news

Phys.org / Rope, twine and thread: Invisible technologies of the Stone Age

When an abstract-looking ivory artifact emerged from the Hohle Fels cave in southern Germany in 2015, archaeologists didn't know quite what to make of it. Previously, the same cave had yielded what may be the world's oldest ...

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / AI model predicts peptide bitterness and enables novel flavor design

During the production of fermented products such as kefir, Parmesan, or mountain cheese, as well as in the production of protein powders, bitter-tasting peptides can form, which impair the taste and thus the acceptability ...

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / X-ray method predicts anion behavior, opening path to longer-lasting batteries and AI-assisted chemistry

A new way of measuring how materials interact at the atomic level could help scientists develop better-performing, longer-lasting batteries.

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / A tiny chariot fitting reveals Egyptian glass reached Iron Age Britain

At the end of last year, curators from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford came to Diamond to learn more about a 2,000-year-old prehistoric artifact. Using the microfocus beamline at I18, researchers unlocked new insights into ...

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / Microcrystal electron diffractometer brings hidden hydrogen into focus

Hydrogen—the lightest atom—does the heavy lifting when it comes to important chemical reactions. It can be stored and released as clean fuel, and its movements help catalysts build medicines, fertilizers and materials. One ...

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / Bacteria-killing polymers—a new class of antibiotic?

Swimming in the blood, sweat, cells and tears of every human are small proteins known as peptides. Many peptides can kill bacteria on contact, yet the bacteria never seem to evolve resistance to them. Mass-produced peptides ...

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / Emissions from the past decade have made Europe's recent heat waves worse

Recent heat waves in Europe have been intensified by the greenhouse gases emitted since nations committed to limiting global warming under the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to a Sep. 22 study published in Geophysical Research ...

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / Iron complex breaks down stubborn pollutant using light-powered reaction

The molecular culprit behind harmful algal blooms and some groundwater contamination is the same thing that has kept civilization fed for millennia: a stable form of nitrogen called nitrate.

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / Newly discovered orange killifish in the Brazilian Amazon may already be endangered

Researchers have discovered a new species of brilliantly colored fish from a network of forest streams in the Brazilian Amazon and have already recommended it for listing as Endangered because of the pressures facing its ...

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / A 42-light-year X-ray tail links a pulsar to previously 'orphan' gamma rays

Understanding the origin, acceleration and propagation of high-energy cosmic rays has been a century-old mystery in astrophysics. Recently, joint observations from China's Einstein Probe (EP) satellite and the Large High ...

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / Gold nanoplasmonic chip tracks L-DOPA response in Parkinson's 'mini-brains'

Researchers have developed an organoid-on-a-chip technology that verifies the efficacy of Parkinson's disease treatments in real time. The technology combines a stem cell–derived "mini-brain" with a nanoplasmonic sensor engineered ...

Sep 22, 2026
Phys.org / Liquid crystal takes page from steel in surprising phase transition

A type of transformation best known for hardening steel and enabling shape-memory alloys may also occur in a much softer class of materials, according to new research from Rice University. Researchers in the departments of ...

Sep 22, 2026