Phys.org news

Phys.org / SNOR protein provides 'all-clear' signal for dormant cells to resume normal operations

It's a tough world for microbes. When resources grow limited and environments worsen, microbes have figured out ways to hunker down and go dormant until conditions improve.

May 13, 2026
Phys.org / Laser treatment reshapes MOF pores, boosting CO₂ capture by up to 75%

A research team led by Hee-jung Lee, senior researcher at Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), in collaboration with Professor Sunghwan Park of Kyungpook National University and Professor Mingyu Kim of Yeungnam University, ...

May 13, 2026
Phys.org / A marine-inspired sunscreen ingredient made by E. coli

How do fish survive relentless sunlight in the open waters without getting burned? They make their own natural sunscreen—and now, humans could be one step closer to using it too.

May 13, 2026
Phys.org / Molecular grappling hooks improve cancer drug targeting and effectiveness

Medications are designed to treat diseased tissues while sparing healthy ones, often by attaching the drug to something that helps guide it directly to its target. But drugs also need time to work, which means they need to ...

May 13, 2026
Phys.org / Atomic step–terrace ordering enables unprecedented precision in mechanical testing

As modern technologies shrink to the nanoscale, surfaces increasingly dictate how materials deform, yield, and fail. Yet probing this regime has long been hindered by the challenge of preparing and controlling surfaces with ...

May 13, 2026
Phys.org / Amazon's carbon clock is speeding up, and violent storms may be only part of why

Tropical forests store more than 60% of the world's vegetation biomass and are among the most important ecosystems for regulating the global carbon cycle and climate. However, their regulatory role is greatly influenced by ...

May 13, 2026
Phys.org / The cinema effect: Turning films into a gateway to science

The sci-fi film Project Hail Mary, currently in theaters, is capturing the attention of both audiences and the scientific community for its science-based content. It manages to engage viewers with complex, cutting-edge topics—from ...

May 13, 2026
Phys.org / Gravitational waves from colliding black holes may allow detection of dark matter

Dark matter is thought to make up most of the matter in the universe, but the only way it interacts with its surroundings is through gravity. If two colliding black holes spiral through a dense region of dark matter and merge, ...

May 12, 2026
Phys.org / Work songs can improve team coordination, study finds

Work songs, musical pieces designed to be performed or sung while working, have been widely documented across various cultures and in different historical periods. For instance, people in different nations have been known ...

May 12, 2026
Phys.org / Gravitational wave detectors can now 'autotune' signals to harmonize the heavens

Gravitational wave researchers working on the world's most sensitive scientific instruments have found a way to tune their detectors using a process akin to the pitch-correction used in music production.

May 12, 2026
Phys.org / Engineered exosomes reverse sleep deprivation brain damage in mice

Sleep is a vital physiological process that allows humans and other animals to restore both the mind and body, while also consolidating memories, clearing out toxins and regulating their metabolism. Several past studies showed ...

May 12, 2026
Phys.org / Bright blazar reveals 433-day optical quasi-periodic oscillation across nine years

By analyzing the data from the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT), an international team of astronomers has discovered optical quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in a bright quasar known as 3C 454.3. It is so far one of the ...

May 12, 2026