Phys.org news

Phys.org / Chemists design extra-sticky adhesives that degrade on command

A good adhesive is unequivocally sticky. A great adhesive is sticky until you don't want it to be sticky anymore—a label on cardboard until it's time to recycle it. Medical tape on a cut until the wound heals. A GWAR poster ...

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / AI automates the creation of custom functional materials atom by atom

Imagine a construction site where the bricks are individual molecules and the "cranes" are microscopic needles so sharp they can feel a single atom. For decades, building at this scale was a laborious, time-consuming task ...

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / Global road map tracks four years of infrastructure change using AI

The United Nations considers well-developed and safe roads an important part of infrastructure in its Sustainable Development Goals. Until now, however, there has been no benchmark for the condition and state of road networks ...

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / Young sunlike system reveals comets may carry water toward forming planets

Astronomers at Lund University in Sweden have found evidence of exocomets—comets in other solar systems—orbiting a young star similar to our sun. The observations point to a possible mechanism for how water might be transported ...

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / Harnessing gold nanorods and light for targeted cancer therapy

One of the major challenges in the quest to beat cancer is developing treatments that can selectively destroy cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. With this in mind, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology ...

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / NASA rocket takes first multi-point look inside radio-disrupting clouds

High above Earth, thin veils of metallic haze drift through the edge of space. Known as sporadic E layers, these high-altitude "clouds" form from the vaporized dust of burned-up meteors, earning their name from the unpredictable ...

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / Quick action needed as the world is set to get hotter than we hoped

Global temperature rise is set to cross 1.5°C, likely within the next few years, pushing climate risks and impacts to increasingly dangerous heights. But it is still possible to bring temperatures down and achieve the global ...

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / A new layer of the human genome: Embedded RNA marks may reshape DNA twisting

A new study led by Francesca Storici, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences and faculty member of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, has uncovered an unexpected feature of human DNA ...

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / US politics is not the world's template for polarization, experts warn

Common global narratives about political polarization are skewed because of an overreliance on literature about the U.S., leaving governments unprepared to tackle the problem at home. In new research led by King's College ...

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / Animal-bone records reveal how cattle and sheep fueled medieval England's changing economy

As populations expanded in medieval England, key changes occurred in the uses of cattle and sheep to produce food and materials, according to a study published Sept. 2, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Matilda Holmes of the ...

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / Blue Origin's New Glenn explosion shows infrasound can detect rocket accidents from up to 1,700 kilometers away

When Blue Origin's New Glenn launch vehicle accidentally exploded during a static test fire in May 2026, the explosion generated low frequency soundwaves below the range of human hearing.

Sep 2, 2026
Phys.org / Exotic pines in the Southern Hemisphere grow faster and are more drought-resistant, study reveals

A new study published in the journal Nature reveals that conifers planted outside their native range in the Southern Hemisphere not only grow up to four times faster than those in the Northern Hemisphere but also show greater ...

Sep 2, 2026