Phys.org news

Phys.org / AI rebuilds molecules from exploding fragments

Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and collaborating institutions recently built a generative AI model that can recreate molecular structures from the movement of the molecule's ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Study reveals hidden 'chemical currency' fueling the ocean's carbon cycle

A new study, led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Columbia University, identifies a diverse set of molecules released by marine phytoplankton that fuel microbial life and help drive Earth's carbon cycle. ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Prodrug lipid nanoparticle could unlock universal immunotherapy for solid cancers

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a new type of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) that could one day serve as a universal immunotherapy for cancers that form solid tumors, including common variants such as ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Colliding dust and the sparks of creation: Carbon-coated grains provide new clue to life's early energy

Two microscopic grains collide and produce a tiny spark. This phenomenon may have provided the energy to kick off life on Earth. But if these solid particles have the same composition, what factor causes the charge to flow ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / White-rot fungi show promise for reducing pharmaceutical residues in biosolids

Antidepressants and other psychoactive drugs are designed to affect the human brain. But after they enter the water system in excrement or unused drugs flushed down the drain, traces of these compounds can enter the environment ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Satellite data reconstruct 2025 LA fires, showing rapid spread in first day

A severe drought, powerful Santa Ana winds and a not-fully-extinguished brushfire combined to create the most destructive wildfire in the history of Los Angeles in early 2025. The Palisades Fire, which fully ignited on Jan. ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Durable dual-atom catalyst enables high-temperature CO₂ to CO conversion

The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into carbon monoxide (CO), an industrial feedstock, has attracted significant attention as a key step for producing synthetic fuels and chemical products. However, because CO₂ is ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / How AI deep learning is helping scientists protect California's coastal ecosystems

Researchers at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability have developed the most high-resolution statewide maps of California's kelp forests to date, giving researchers, conservationists and community members ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Fossilized whale skulls reveal feeding secrets of sharks 5 million years ago

A new study analyzing two fossilized whale skulls from around 5 million years ago has revealed fragments of sharks' teeth lodged inside them. This provides rare evidence of how sharks fed on whales in north European waters ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Why heights and snakes still hit harder: Study tracks fear sweat in 119 people

Fear-eliciting images of modern and ancestral threats are equally likely to evoke physiological reactions, despite their distinct evolutionary origins, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / 3D model predicts mosquito flight paths from sight and CO₂ cues

A mosquito finds its target with the help of certain cues in its environment, such as a person's silhouette and the carbon dioxide they exhale. Now researchers at MIT and Georgia Tech have found that these visual and chemical ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / California's lead-ammo bans are working, but expanding condor ranges undercut gains

Recent data showing an increase in lead exposure and deaths among critically endangered California condors seems to fly in the face of decades of conservation measures, including bans on lead bullets and public-education ...

Mar 18, 2026