Phys.org news

Phys.org / New 'SMArT' platform makes gene editing in hematopoietic stem cells more efficient and safer

A team of researchers led by Luigi Naldini at the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget) has developed a new strategy to significantly improve the precision and safety of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in human ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / Synthesized peptides can slip into cells to block hard-to-target protein interactions

Many diseases are driven by proteins interacting with each other inside cells. But blocking these interactions with drugs is difficult because typical "small-molecule" drugs often prove to be too small to grip the broad, ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / JWST finds a stellar bar in the early universe that breaks all rules

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have discovered a stellar bar in GN20, a massive galaxy seen just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. The new paper was submitted to the preprint server arXiv on May ...

May 31, 2026
Phys.org / Supermassive black holes could be the universe's biggest planet nurseries

Supermassive black holes are the largest known black holes in the universe, sitting at the center of most large galaxies. They are sometimes described as cosmic monsters because they feed on surrounding gas and dust when ...

May 31, 2026
Phys.org / A kohl bottle from York may hint at an ancient Egyptian in Roman-Britain

Ancient Egyptians are often depicted wearing black eyeliner, known as kohl, which was stored in small containers. While kohl containers are typically found throughout Egypt and Sudan (Nubia), their presence beyond these areas ...

May 31, 2026
Phys.org / Researchers teach brain cells to play 'Doom'

Australian researchers have trained lab-grown brain cells on a silicon computer chip to play the nineties shooter game "Doom" and say they are just scratching the surface of what the neurons could be capable of doing.

May 31, 2026
Phys.org / Parasitic fly 'sacrifices sight' after finding host, study shows

Deer keds—biting flies found across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas—use their eyes and flight to locate a host, typically deer, but occasionally humans or other mammals. Once they land, however, they shed their wings ...

May 31, 2026
Phys.org / Record wildfire losses rocked 2025 even as global burned area neared all-time lows

A new analysis of global wildfire activity in 2025 reveals the world experienced some of the most destructive and deadly fire events in recent history, despite the second lowest area burned since 2002. It highlights a continued ...

May 31, 2026
Phys.org / AI crosses catalyst boundaries to uncover new route for green hydrogen

Discovering new catalysts is one of the central challenges in developing clean-energy technologies such as green hydrogen production. Yet catalyst discovery has traditionally remained confined within individual material families, ...

May 31, 2026
Phys.org / Leaf forces help steer stomata as young plants grow, experiments reveal

Scientists have uncovered how the interplay between cell shape and mechanical stress influences the orientation of stomata (microscopic pores on the leaf surface) during early plant development.

May 31, 2026
Phys.org / Bacteria uncover distinct strategy to import rare sugar polymers, crystal structures show

Even though sugars are often framed as simple sources of energy, they also serve as structurally complex and functionally diverse molecules that mediate interactions between organisms. Among these, β-1,2-glucans, which are ...

May 31, 2026
Phys.org / Why many fungicide-treated soybean seeds may boost harvests but not farm profits

Many soybean farmers use seeds treated with fungicides to ward off disease, but the profits from these increased yields might not offset the cost of the treatment in most cases, according to a study published in Scientific ...

May 31, 2026