Phys.org news

Phys.org / Experimental drug turns cancer's favorite fuel against it

Cancer cells have a voracious appetite for sugar—using it to fuel their rapid growth. This is why many scientists have tried to develop drugs that block cancer cells' metabolism by cutting off their sugar supply.

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Harvesting rainwater from rooftops could help cities stay cool and cut the number of heat wave days

Collecting rainwater from rooftops and using it to spray buildings during hot weather could help cities cut air conditioning use, lower urban temperatures and lessen the impact of heat waves, according to new research from ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / As urban tree shade shrinks, mortality rises

As trees disappear from urban neighborhoods, lives may be lost with them. In a new study, Northwestern University scientists tracked death rates and fluctuations in tree canopy cover across an 11-year period in Chicago. They ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Little-known protein helps the body restrain scar-forming signals

U.K. and U.S. scientists have uncovered an important piece of the puzzle in the signaling pathway that causes damaging scar tissue to build up in the body, raising hopes for future treatments. A team from the University of ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Electric field reverses phonon chirality and spin direction in ferroelectric crystal

Chiral phonons are groups of atoms that move in a circular direction when excited by an energy source, such as heat. As the phonons move through a material, they propagate that circular motion, or angular momentum, through ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Diffuse inter-filament gas is likely a key fuel source for massive star formation

Researchers from Kyushu University have discovered that diffuse gas surrounding dense filaments in a nearby stellar nursery plays a much larger role in star formation than previously recognized. By tracking the movement of ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Electrostatic nanocorral offers new control over charged excitons and quantum light

Researchers created an electrically tunable quantum nanoscale corral that traps charged excitons and enables precise electrical control of tiny light sources, including their brightness, color and quantum states, the team, ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Melting sea ice combines with Arctic sea to make clouds

Scientists have uncovered a previously unknown natural process that dramatically increases the number of cloud-forming particles in the Arctic atmosphere—potentially altering cloud cover, sunlight reflection and future climate ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Damaging coastal storm conditions have become twice as frequent at a New Jersey Beach since 1979

Storm conditions capable of causing major coastal erosion at New Jersey's North Beach on Sandy Hook are occurring about twice as often as they did in 1979, according to Rutgers researchers. The finding offers new evidence ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Genomic evidence suggests coral reefs may be rewriting their genetic future in real time

The 2019 heat wave that struck Mo'orea—a volcanic island in French Polynesia—swept through its coral reefs like an invisible wildfire. Colorful, lively corals bleached into ghostly, chalk-white skeletons as soaring ocean ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient armored fish that narrowly avoided meteorite strike reveals life before Earth's largest mass extinction

A rare fossil discovered near South America's largest known meteorite crater has been named a new species. Initially mistaken for a frog by locals, Leolepis matogrossensis is actually a species of ancient ray-finned fish—the ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Well-worn wins: Wild capuchin monkeys prefer stones with a proven track record of cracking nuts

A new study provides experimental evidence that wild capuchin monkeys use more than just physical cues when selecting stone tools; they also rely on visible signs that a stone has previously been used for this purpose.

Aug 5, 2026