Phys.org news

Phys.org / From algae to biofuel: Study opens doors to cheaper, cleaner fuel sources

A researcher's keen eye and spirit of curiosity led to the discovery of a new method for cell engineering—a finding that opens doors to more sustainable sources for everything from fuel to vitamin supplements.

Feb 23, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Breadcrumbs offer fossil fuel–free production of everyday goods

The humble breadcrumb could hold the key to cutting out fossil fuels from one of the chemical industry's most widely used reactions, according to a new study. Scientists have found a one-pot microbial formula that uses waste ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Missing geomagnetic reversals: Earth's past may be incomplete

Several studies have predicted that not all geomagnetic reversals have been discovered, but it was unknown in which periods they might be hidden. Researchers led by the National Institute of Polar Research used a statistical ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / How the echolocation of bats has shaped their skulls

Bats are some of the most highly specialized mammals to have ever evolved. This includes not only the evolution of active flight, but also their echolocation. This ability requires the bats to produce high frequency noises ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Reading the enemy: How genome science is reshaping the fight against wheat stem rust

In 2013, farmers in the highlands of Ethiopia began to notice something unsettling: a familiar variety of wheat was failing in an unfamiliar way. Stems weakened, plants collapsed, and fields that had once held firm against ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Courtship is complicated, even in fruit flies

Love is in the air for the vinegar fly. Drosophila melanogaster has long been a model for understanding how brains translate sensory information into courtship behavior. Male flies perform a multitude of romantic actions—orienting, ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Stretchy plastics conduct electricity via tiny, whisker-like fibers

A stretchy, conductive type of plastic could help power the next generation of implantable biomedical devices, like longer-lasting pacemakers or glucose monitors, according to Enrique Gomez, professor of chemical engineering ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Why laws named after tragedies win public support

When lawmakers name bills after victims of tragedy—such as Megan's Law or the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993—public support surges, but this emotional boost may come at the expense of sound policymaking, ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Language barriers slow down the international diffusion of knowledge, study finds

Rapid technological and scientific advances have fueled a huge wave of innovation over the past decades. The speed of global innovation is known to be dependent on the exchange of knowledge and skills between different nations ...

Feb 22, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Extreme heat waves trigger unexpected nanoparticle formation in air

Tiny aerosol particles in the air play a big role in regulating how much sunlight our planet absorbs or reflects, and how clouds form above us. In a recent study, researchers found that extreme heat waves can trigger new ...

Feb 22, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / 5,000-year-old bureaucracy: Over 7,000 prehistoric seal impressions uncovered in western Iran

In the journal Antiquity, Dr. Shokouh Khosravi published preliminary findings of the largest known corpus of prehistoric seal impressions in the entire ancient world. The corpus, made up of over 7,000 seal impressions, more ...

Feb 22, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Sunray-like ripples emerge on a frozen reaction front

Researchers in Belgium have unveiled a striking chemical reaction in which ripples along a frozen reaction front resemble the rays of a shining star. Publishing their results in Physical Review Letters, Anne De Wit and colleagues ...

Feb 22, 2026 in Physics