Phys.org news

Phys.org / Research cautions that sometimes working together can actually spur inequality

Encouraging people to contribute to a common good can have a surprising drawback: a risk that rewards become concentrated among a smaller group, putting the rest at a disadvantage. Put more simply, "equality and cooperation ...

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / Biodegradable implant can deliver targeted cancer immunotherapy while protecting healthy tissue

Scientists at Houston Methodist Research Institute have developed a biodegradable implant designed to deliver cancer-fighting immunotherapy drugs directly into tumors over an extended period, a strategy that could improve ...

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / First 3D views explain how primate cone pigments distinguish red from green

Human color vision depends on three types of cone cells in the retina. Although all three contain the same light-absorbing molecule, 11-cis-retinal, differences in the surrounding protein determine sensitivity to red, green ...

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / Trimming rice genes boosts yields up to 25% and improves drought tolerance

The way to make a plant grow more may be to take something away. Trimming a section off a plant gene raised rice harvests by up to 25% in new tests by University of Chicago scientists. The plants also showed a better tolerance ...

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / Light reveals transient electronic step behind a hidden state in metal-organic framework

A fleeting photoinduced electronic state and the subsequent formation of a photoinduced hidden state in a metal–organic framework were captured in just 30 femtoseconds by researchers at Science Tokyo, Tohoku University and ...

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / Invasive species hit the Global South significantly harder than previously assumed

Invasive alien species are among the world's leading drivers of species extinction. However, previous global assessments of the geographic distribution of this damage suffered from a systematic "research bias": Because significantly ...

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / Hidden DNA copying may give bacteria a faster route to antibiotic resistance

The dangers of antibiotic overuse have become increasingly clear in recent decades. Excessive use accelerates the evolution of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, raising the alarming prospect of infections that no longer ...

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / Christmas in July: Engineers capture gigapixel 3D video of snowflakes

For the first time, researchers can witness nanometer-scale thickness changes across a melting snowflake with a compact, lensless chip that captures gigapixel video at 30 frames per second across centimeter-scale fields.

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / Exploring why societies around the world no longer bury their dead at home

There are countless cultures and societies around the world, spanning thousands of years. One thing they all have in common is that death is a part of everybody's life. Examining how different societies commemorate their ...

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / Saber-toothed cats' spinal tumors suggest inbred species struggled to survive

The fossilized spines of saber-toothed cats in the La Brea Tar Pits reveal evidence of an unexpectedly high prevalence of rare spinal nerve tumors, suggesting that the species became inbred just before extinction. These tumors, ...

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / Biomolecular condensates reveal surprising activity as catalysts

Biomolecular condensates are ubiquitous in living cells, including bacteria, viruses, plants and mammalian systems. These membraneless bodies, or molecular communities made up of DNA, RNA and proteins, are where molecules ...

Jul 27, 2026
Phys.org / New snail species bolster case for protecting Montenegro's biodiversity

The descriptions of the two new additions to the European snail fauna, named Cochlostoma komarnica and Cochlostoma dobrido, have been published in the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal.

Jul 27, 2026