Phys.org news

Phys.org / Rye pollen's cancer-fighting structure revealed for first time

Nearly three decades ago, scientists found that a pair of molecules in rye pollen exhibited an unusual ability to slow tumor growth in animal models of cancer. But progress stalled for one seemingly simple reason: No one ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Sweetening the deal for sustainability, while removing carbon dioxide

Here's a novel pathway to a more sustainable planet: carbo-loading for the public good. In a new study published in Nature Synthesis, chemists at Yale and the University of California-Berkeley have developed a two-step process ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Key protein can restore aging neural stem cells' ability to regenerate

Researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), have found that a key protein can help to regenerate neural stem cells, which may improve aging-associated decline in neuronal ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Low-platinum catalyst could make hydrogen production cheaper

A new type of catalyst that uses five times less platinum than usual could help make hydrogen production more affordable in the future.

Jan 21, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / A wild potato that changed the story of agriculture in the American Southwest

Starchy residue preserved in ancient stone tools may rewrite the story of crop domestication in the American Southwest, according to research led by the University of Utah.

Jan 21, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Ultrafast light switches use atomically thin semiconductors for rapid optical control

A nanostructure made of silver and an atomically thin semiconductor layer can be turned into an ultrafast switching mirror device that may function as an optical transistor—with a switching speed around 10,000 times faster ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / EAST achieves new plasma confinement regime using small 3D magnetic perturbations

A research group has achieved a new plasma confinement regime using small 3D magnetic perturbations that simultaneously suppress edge instabilities and enhance core plasma confinement in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Kenya's big cats under pressure: Cattle are pushing lions away

In the Kenyan savanna, lions and livestock essentially live in shifts: Cattle graze during the day and are enclosed at night when lions are active.

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Chiral phonons create orbital current via their own magnetism

In a new study, an international group of researchers has found that chiral phonons can create orbital current without needing magnetic elements—in part because chiral phonons have their own magnetic moments. Additionally, ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Positive interactions dominate among marine microbes, six-year study reveals

A six-year analysis of marine microbes in coastal California waters has overturned long-held assumptions about how the ocean's smallest organisms interact.

Jan 21, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Iron Age dental plaque reveals Scythians consumed milk from horses and ruminants

Researchers have deciphered the diet of an important nomadic people in Eastern European history. By analyzing dental calculus, they have provided the first direct evidence that the diet of the Scythians included milk from ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Dredging sand and silt has consequences for the North Sea

Through sand extraction and the disposal of dredged harbor silt, about 200 million tons of sediment are relocated every year in the coastal waters of the North Sea. The Wadden Sea is particularly strongly affected. This is ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Earth