Phys.org news

Phys.org / Molecular system can distinguish and neutralize cancer cells, paving the way for 'smart' drugs

How can cancer cells be targeted without damaging healthy tissue? This is one of the major challenges facing oncology today. Using synthetic DNA strands, a team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has created a "smart" ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Cosmic collision of galaxies mapped by Maunakea telescope

An astronomer at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is using data from the Canada–France–Hawaiʻi Telescope (CFHT) on Maunakea to help reconstruct a slow-motion cosmic collision, one that has been unfolding for hundreds of ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / New model shows how behavioral flexibility affects animal evolution

When the environment changes dramatically, animals from mollusks to crows can make big changes in their behavior that enable them to survive. For example, marmots and ground squirrels in California are spending more time ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Hidden features in X-rays could radically change how we measure and understand them

Hidden features uncovered in X-ray signals are set to overturn a key scientific theory and fundamentally change how X-rays are interpreted across fields of physics, chemistry, biology and materials science, new research reveals. ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Wisconsin-sized chunk of Alaskan permafrost is thawing: Geoscientists say climate may never be the same

In a first-of-its-kind study, a team of researchers led by geoscientist Michael Rawlins at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has shown in fine-grained detail what happens when Arctic permafrost thaws. Focusing on a ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Helical liquid crystals can flip light's chirality under ultralow electric fields

The direction in which the electromagnetic field of circularly polarized light rotates can be easily reversed by applying a voltage, RIKEN researchers have demonstrated. This could enable a new generation of optical devices ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Useful quantum computers could be built with as few as 10,000 qubits, team finds

Quantum computers of the future may be closer to reality thanks to new research from Caltech and Oratomic, a Caltech-linked start-up company. Theorists and experimentalists teamed up to develop a new approach for reducing ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Building desktop particle accelerators to unlock new realms of research

Using high-intensity lasers, researchers have taken an important step toward miniaturization of particle accelerators by demonstrating free-electron laser amplification at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths (27–50 nm), with ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Free software lets laptops simulate how aging evolves under selection

Why do some species live for only weeks while others survive for centuries? Researchers at the Leibniz Institute on Aging—Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena have developed AEGIS, a freely available software tool that enables ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Chaos shapes how meandering rivers change over time, research shows

Rivers are rarely the calm, orderly streams we imagine on maps. Over time, their winding paths—called meanders—shift, bend, and occasionally snap off in sudden "cutoff" events that shorten loops and reshape the landscape. ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Stretching metals can tune catalysis: A new method predicts energy shifts

Heterogeneous catalysis—in which catalysts and reactants are of different phases, e.g., solid and gas—is important to many industrial processes and often involves solid metal as the catalyst. Ammonia synthesis, catalytic ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / New microporous aerogel uses van der Waals forces for flexible, moldable shaping

Porous materials are widely used for gas storage, separation, catalysis, and environmental purification. Their functionality arises from nanoscale pores that allow molecules to be selectively captured or transported. However, ...

Apr 1, 2026