Phys.org news
Phys.org / MOF thin films reveal hidden dense packing, challenging decades of porous assumptions
Due to their high porosity, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are regarded as promising materials for innovative applications, which is why the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in 2025 for their discovery. They are used, ...
Phys.org / Austin neighborhood tap water tests uncover lead and arsenic in homes
For more than a decade, residents of Austin's Colony, a neighborhood in an unincorporated area of southeast Austin outside the city service area, have voiced concern about their tap water's intermittent discoloration and ...
Phys.org / Hunting behavior drives the evolution of spider eye arrangements, study finds
Vision shapes how many animals find food, avoid danger and navigate their world. In animals with two eyes, eye placement is often linked to lifestyle: predators such as lions tend to have forward-facing eyes that help them ...
Phys.org / Beyond the dust: Families describe daily health challenges near the Salton Sea
A study examining air quality and respiratory health in communities surrounding the Salton Sea in Southern California shows how environmental conditions, poor housing quality and structural inequities combine to place children ...
Phys.org / Deliberate slow growth could explain bacteria survival strategies
Escherichia coli (E. coli) are mostly harmless bacteria that live in the intestines of animals and humans. They are the most well-studied bacteria and, often, when scientists discover something about E. coli, they extrapolate ...
Phys.org / Microtubules in ovarian cell bridges may be key to fertility
Female fertility depends on the successful growth and maturation of eggs (oocytes) within ovarian follicles. Within these follicles, the oocyte is surrounded by granulosa cells that supply nutrients, signaling molecules and ...
Phys.org / Light flips bacterial signaling enzyme between two shapes, unlocking how signals travel
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth and Forschungszentrum Jülich have demonstrated that specific light-sensitive enzymes—so-called sensor histidine kinases (SHKs)—transmit their signal through a light-controlled change ...
Phys.org / How much do friends influence teens' mental health? What a new study can (and can't) tell us
During adolescence, young people become especially sensitive to peer influence—more so than at any other time in life. So how does this affect their mental health?
Phys.org / More colorful songbirds face higher extinction risk
In the humid jungle of Vietnam, Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela and Monte Neate-Clegg spent hours patiently waiting to spot the rare "Halloween bird." Officially known as the collared laughingthrush, this songbird has striking orange, ...
Phys.org / Harsh UVB bursts leave tadpoles with more DNA damage than longer exposure
Sunburn is a serious problem in the Southern Hemisphere, where depleted ozone provides less protection from UVB. Tadpoles are at particular risk because they are growing rapidly, making them vulnerable to UVB DNA damage. ...
Phys.org / TESS just found a planet in a new way—and more may be hiding in its eight years of data
For the first time, NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission has identified a planet orbiting a distant star thanks to its warping of space-time. Unlike the star-hugging transiting planets TESS regularly ...
Phys.org / DNA-based nanoswitch can flip in milliseconds and stay in one state for days without continuous forcing
Scientists have engineered a nanoscale switch using DNA "origami." Inspired by macroscale mechanical switches, the device achieves long-term functionality without the continuous forcing mechanism that past versions required ...
