Phys.org news

Phys.org / Enzymes work as 'Maxwell's demon' by using memory stored as motion

Living cells are sustained by countless chemical reactions that must be carefully regulated to maintain internal order and function. Enzymes play a central role in this process, accelerating reactions that would otherwise ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Tokyo Bay's night lights reveal hidden boundaries between species

A key characteristic of modern human society is rapid urbanization, a process that can reshape natural environments and disrupt the habitats of many organisms. One widespread byproduct of urbanization is artificial light ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / AI-powered platform accelerates discovery of new mRNA delivery materials

Integrating AI with advanced robotics to create self-driving labs (SDL) is a promising approach to tackling molecular discovery. A new SDL system, called LUMI-lab, combines large-scale molecular pretraining, active learning, ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / AI develops easily understandable solutions for unusual experiments in quantum physics

Researchers at the University of Tuebingen, working with an international team, have developed an artificial intelligence that designs entirely new, sometimes unusual, experiments in quantum physics and presents them in a ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Targeted climate policies are successfully cutting carbon, study shows

Countries with stricter and better-targeted climate policies cut carbon emissions faster, according to a major new study by researchers in the UK and EU. The study draws on the most comprehensive climate policy dataset ever ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Shorter early-life telomere length could predict survival in Arctic seabirds

A study published in Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology reveals a surprising link between cellular aging markers and survival in black-legged kittiwakes (members of the gull family). In the work titled "Who's coming home? ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Mate choice: How social trends influence mate diversity

Whether people follow a general trend when choosing a partner or consciously decide against it has a noticeable impact on the diversity of phenotypes to choose from. This is shown by a new study by the University of Würzburg.

Feb 24, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Ice Age erosion may explain Appalachians' smoother northern peaks

Hike north on the Appalachian Trail and the scenery slowly transforms. Rugged, steep ridgelines in Tennessee and Virginia soften into the broad summits and smooth peaks of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. According to new research ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Cannabis essential oils unlock how camphor repels mosquitoes

From summer evenings to global disease prevention, mosquito repellents are a daily defense for billions of people, yet until now, scientists didn't fully understand how mosquitoes themselves perceive these "keep away" signals. ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Nutrient-driven 'death fronts' may explain why some antibiotics fail outside the lab

Antibiotics are medical marvels that have transformed once deadly bacterial infections into manageable conditions. But with a rise in antibiotic resistance that renders existing treatments ineffective, new agents are urgently ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How studying yeast in the gut could lead to new, better drugs

A new study sheds light on the behavior of yeast cells in the gut, paving the way for new lines of yeast that more efficiently produce therapeutic drugs tailored to address specific diseases. The research is published in ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / When smaller means better: How device scaling enhances memory performance

Shrinking ferroelectric tunnel junctions can significantly boost their performance in memory devices, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. The team fabricated nanoscale junctions directly on silicon substrates and ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Nanotechnology