Phys.org news

Phys.org / 'Collapsible scissored surfaces' complete trilogy of metamaterial design principles

Over the past decade, Professor L. Mahadevan's Soft Math Lab at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has helped establish how the ancient Japanese paper arts of folding or cutting ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Ultrafast X-rays allow researchers to 'watch' how molecules rearrange during a chemical reaction controlled by light

Since the 1980s, researchers have sought to use laser light to control chemical reactions relevant to photochemistry, catalysis and light-responsive materials. But this technique, known as coherent control, has a blind spot: ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists catch classical space-time crystals moving like Majorana quasiparticles

A research team from Hiroshima University, the University of Colorado, and other collaborators have demonstrated that space-time crystals—exotic structures that, under external drive, loop endlessly through both space and ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Talking edible robot deepens human perception of food culture and ethics

A research group led by Associate Professor Yoshihiro Nakata from the Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering at the University of Electro-Communications, Japan, in collaboration with researchers from Doshisha University ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Plasma approach keeps catalysts working for longer in hydrogen production

Scientists from the University of Manchester have shown how a plasma-based approach, using nonthermal plasma—an electrically energized gas often described as the fourth state of matter—can prevent catalyst deactivation in ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / By making key signaling molecules called β-arrestins into druggable targets, scientists crack long-standing challenge

To function normally, nearly every cell in the human body relies on G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to receive and send signals. That's why GPCRs are targeted by roughly one-third of all FDA-approved drugs.

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Electron buildup at 2D interface reveals how Janus semiconductors form at room temperature

Researchers at Tohoku University have uncovered the long-standing mystery behind the synthesis of Janus two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, paving the way for more precise manufacturing of materials used in future electronics ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Machine learning rediscovers equations governing ocean biogeochemistry

Climate and ocean models use a series of equations to represent complex natural processes. However, the equations used in these models are often derived from limited observations and a series of assumptions.

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Fiber-optic cables detect silent whales off Svalbard by tracking pressure waves

A 100-year-old equation and a fiber-optic cable off the coast of Svalbard led researchers to discover they could detect swimming whales—even if they were completely silent. The discovery broadens the tools biologists could ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Piecing the puzzle of how proteins fit together: Simpler model outperforms leading methods

How the proteins in our bodies bind together to form protein complexes plays a critical role in numerous cell functions—staving off diseases, for instance, or transporting ions across cell membranes. A better understanding ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / How mitochondria build their protein factories could help explain energy‑linked disease

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have mapped key steps in the assembly of the mitochondrial ribosome, offering new clues to how defects in this process can lead to disease.

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Does the Netherlands feed the world? Study challenges a familiar view of Dutch agriculture

The Netherlands is a major agricultural exporter. But look beyond euros to land, animal feed, calories and protein, and a different picture emerges. In a study published in Nature Food, researchers at Wageningen University ...

Jun 24, 2026