Phys.org news

Phys.org / Contact lenses can repair themselves with just one hour of UV light exposure

Contact lenses are a great vision correction option for many, but if one of them gets damaged, there is little to do other than throw it away. A team reporting in ACS Applied Polymer Materials has a solution: special polymer ...

Jun 23, 2026
Phys.org / Honeybee metamorphosis map uncovers 842 active DNA switches that drive worker bee development

Researchers have identified "DNA switches" that become active as honeybee larvae grow into worker bees, offering new insight into the development of these important pollinators and the ecosystems they support.

Jun 23, 2026
Phys.org / Local species trends may flag global extinction risk, global study finds

New research from the University of St. Andrews has shown that higher extinction risk is associated with a higher frequency of decreasing local prevalence of species, in an analysis of one of the most comprehensive long-term ...

Jun 23, 2026
Phys.org / Corrected Pantheon+ analysis of supernovae challenges accelerating universe claim

Research led by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, along with Professor Subir Sarkar from the University of Oxford, questions the widely accepted argument that the expansion rate of the universe is accelerating ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Newly described Australian ballista spider builds a spring-loaded snare to catch a single ant species

An international team of researchers has discovered a remarkable new spider species in the rainforest of North Queensland that spins an ingenious and powerful spring-actuated snare to catch a single species of ant—one ant ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / How languages recycle parts of words to avoid confusion

Many languages recycle words, giving them different meanings. For example, in English, "run" can mean to move quickly but also to manage something, like "run a company." In Spanish, "lengua" is both the word for tongue and ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Broken time-reversal symmetry phase in kagome metals may establish conditions for superconductivity

Physicists have long suspected that a peculiar quantum state lurks inside a class of materials known as kagome metals, but proving its existence has been elusive. Now, a team led by Yeongkwan Kim at the Korea Advanced Institute ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Marmoset monkeys adapt their voices to sound more like their social partners, study finds

Many animal species that live in groups are known to adjust their behavior to strengthen their social bonds or increase their coordination with others around them. For instance, humans and some other animals exhibit vocal ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / How oxygen sneaks into a corked wine bottle long before the first pour

The main reason for sealing wine bottles with a cork is to protect the liquid from oxygen. However, it is not an impermeable barrier, and a small amount of air leaks in, which is not always entirely bad news. The gas helps ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Poo emoji, earthworm castings and pasta all obey the same coiling theory, physicists find

Ask a child to draw some poo, and the shape will invariably be the same: a coil, broad at the base and pointy at the top, similar to a spiral swirl of soft-serve ice cream. In fact, the often-used poo emoji has this exact ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Long-dismissed gas emerges as a hidden driver of urban air pollution

Researchers from Tampere University and the University of Helsinki have identified an unexpected chemical process that may influence the formation of air pollution particles in urban environments. The study shows that nitric ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Bird-derived gene tool inserts plant DNA 30 times more efficiently than CRISPR

In a rapidly changing climate landscape, the plants we rely on for food, textiles and more face a multitude of challenges, including rising temperatures, drought and disease. Caltech's Gözde Demirer, the Clare Boothe Luce ...

Jun 22, 2026