Phys.org news

Phys.org / Existing drug could treat invasive canine oral tumors

A benign but invasive canine oral cancer is often mistaken for a similar malignant one, leading to misdiagnoses in close to a third of cases. But a new diagnostic tool can now distinguish between the two, according to a new ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Most mammal species discovered in the Global South since 1990 end up in Northern collections

According to a study by Brazilian scientists published in the journal npj Biodiversity, most new mammal species described over the past 35 years are housed in institutions in countries of the so-called Global North, even ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Loud snoring—simulation reveals the physical mechanism that keeps so many of us awake at night

Anyone who has had to share a room—or worse, a bed—with a loud snorer knows the effect unchecked snoring can have on sleep, sanity and emotional stability. An entire industry of products, technologies and treatments claims ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Structural snapshots reveal key steps in switching on DNA replication

Every time a cell divides, it must accurately copy its entire genetic instruction manual. Before this process can begin, cells load their DNA-copying motor—a complex of six subunits known as the MCM2-7 helicase—onto DNA. ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Deep-learning approach rapidly predicts where metals bind within proteins

In the living world, roughly a third of all proteins we know rely on metals to function. Zinc helps enzymes break down molecules, iron helps carry oxygen in the blood, calcium helps relay signals in cells and potassium flows ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Building real-time control for engineered biological systems

Scientists can engineer living cells to perform useful tasks, from producing medicines and sustainable chemicals to detecting disease. Unlike traditional engineered systems, living cells are constantly changing as they grow, ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Double spiral inside narwhal tusks may explain their resistance to bending

The narwhal's impressive tusk has long been the subject of myths. In the Middle Ages, they were sold as unicorn horns believed to possess magical powers. Now, an international team of researchers led by Aarhus University ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / An African bat overlooked for two centuries is confirmed in Europe

An African bat whose presence in Sicily had remained an unresolved zoological mystery for almost two centuries has now been documented on Pantelleria Island. A study published in Global Ecology and Conservation reports the ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / How only a few tree species drive Amazon forest recovery

When a destroyed section of the Amazon rainforest begins to recover, nature deploys only a few tree species that can withstand poor soil conditions and blazing sun and grow rapidly, a Brazilian study has shown.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Fifteen years of data link plastic pollution to seabird population losses

Every year, about 50 million metric tons of plastic is dumped into the environment. This waste entangles, chokes and poisons wildlife worldwide, including sable shearwaters living on the remote Australian island of Lord Howe. ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / AI and 8 million digitized plant specimens reveal how the climate is changing nature in large parts of the world

AI optimists will be encouraged by a recent report on the state of the world's plants and fungi by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Yellowstone's past droughts may signal less geyser activity and more wildfires

A study led by a Montana State University research professor reveals how climate and hydrothermal activity have shaped the vegetation, wildfire and aquatic ecosystem histories of the Yellowstone Plateau over the past 15,000 ...

Aug 18, 2026