Phys.org
Elections 2026Science/Tech / Phys.org
Mental health issues are now the most prevalent cause of sick leave in Finland. It is common for an employee
A study by the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), the National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH) and the University of Alcal
AR and VR glasses once seen only in science fiction may soon be realized not as bulky stacks of lenses but as a single eyeglass-like optical element. That future is now closer to reality.
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide is boosting grass growth in Africa
Offshore wind farms are a key pillar of the energy transition. The European Union plans to expand offshore wind capacity in the North Sea by 2050. A new study by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon indicates that a very extensive expansion could influence regional precipitation patterns: While precipitation over the sea could increase, it could decrease in coastal regions.
Scientists have redefined how the key blood-clotting protein fibrinogen behaves when it contacts air, overturning two decades of scientific consensus on wound healing. It is the culmination of more than a decade of international collaboration by Dr. Richard Campbell of The University of Manchester, Professor Juan Ruso of the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and Dr. Natalia Hassan of the Metropolitan Technological University in Chile.
Slash, aka Saul Hudson, is probably best known as the guitarist for Guns N
All living things have a fleet of tiny copy machines that turn instructions from DNA into RNA molecules responsible for helping build proteins that keep organisms alive. One of those nanoscale machines, called eukaryotic RNA polymerase II, performs a crucial early step required by nearly every biological process. It makes messages, copying and carrying instructions from the cell nucleus to make proteins.
Low concentrations of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) are more efficient than high doses for preparing organic waste for biogas production. This finding increases methane production, reduces reagent consumption and, consequently, diminishes process costs and minimizes the risk of inhibiting the microorganisms responsible for the process.
Researchers from the MPIK in Heidelberg used an atomic gas as a time-dependent lens to shape and spectrally manipulate intense high-frequency laser pulses. This gas-based optical element could pave the way toward better XUV- and X-ray pulse control for applications such as chemical reaction steering, quantum computing, and advanced spectroscopy methods for fundamental science. The paper is published in the journal Science Advances.
As nations race to restore ecosystems and curb climate change, research has shown that letting nature do the work is a cost-effective, viable solution. A study from the University of Queensland and the University of Newcastle found that natural forest regeneration delivered substantial carbon and biodiversity benefits and could be up to 96% cheaper than traditional tree-planting programs. The work is published in the journal Nature Ecology
Inside every cell, thousands of proteins must reach the right place at the right time. Helping coordinate this complex logistics network are centriolar satellites
Researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, headquartered at Florida State University, have designed a new quantum computing architecture that uses magnetic levitation to smooth over design flaws in the intricate components necessary to run a quantum computer.
Certain plants, including legumes, form specialized organs called root nodules, where they establish symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This root nodule symbiosis enables plants to use atmospheric nitrogen for growth, reducing their dependence on nitrogen fertilizers. Applying this characteristic is highly promising for developing sustainable agricultural systems.
Is the universe as stable as we think it is? That
Over the past 230,000 years, the growth and retreat of the Icelandic ice sheet have led to major changes in the seawater chemistry of the North Atlantic, caused by the interaction between volcanism and ice in Iceland. Scientists at the Institute of Environmental Physics at Heidelberg University have demonstrated this using sediment cores from the northeastern Atlantic
The exceptionally hot summer in the Alps has been marked by a record number of rockfalls, some of them fatal, with
A new study published in Communications Earth
In a new study, scientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine report that an experimental mRNA-based platform has the potential to help deliver next-generation mRNA therapeutics, including vaccines to fight infectious diseases, cancer and autoimmune conditions, faster and more efficiently than the industry standard.
A research team led by Yang Lu from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has uncovered the microscopic physical nature of ultralarge elasticity in covalent semiconductors such as silicon and diamond. The discovery provides quantitative guidance for deep elastic strain engineering (DESE), paving the way for the development of next-generation electronic, optoelectronic and quantum devices.
Rice University researchers have developed a way to stabilize diamond during high-temperature and low-pressure processing, creating a strong bulk composite and discovering that high-speed collisions can rapidly transform diamond into graphite. Their study is published in Materials Today.
When we read a news story about a new cancer treatment, an Alzheimer
Do your social media accounts feed you content that reflects your core beliefs and guiding principles? Our new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the algorithms supplying your feeds may be prioritizing content that clashes with your values. That
In the last few centuries, mammals and other animals have been going extinct at least 100 times faster than they did before humans arrived on the scene. So who will be next? Which species are most likely to survive, and which will die out?
A molecular pathway known for controlling cell shape and movement also helps regulate the rhythm by which the vertebrate body is divided into repeated segments, FMI researchers report in the journal Development.
Learning to read and write cursive was once a rite of passage for practically every American schoolchild.
Extreme precipitation events are among the most damaging natural disasters and a major concern in our changing climate. In the U.S., since 1980, the most destructive events alone have caused more than 2,800 deaths and $700 billion in damages. But what is the total area of the country affected by these events each year? And how have these patterns changed over the past several decades? In a recent study in Geophysical Research Letters, led by researchers at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which
Major cosmetics retailers such as Sephora, Ulta and Amazon now feature sections aimed at socially conscious consumers, highlighting products that are sustainable, eco-friendly, cruelty-free or packaged with recycled materials. This shift reflects changing consumer preferences.
Researchers from the University of Osaka have developed a new class of chiral semiconducting polymers that can generate highly spin-polarized electrical currents. The team
A paper published in the journal Science lays out a roadmap for broadening access to the process of discovering molecular tools that can benefit society, including medicines, materials and a wide range of everyday consumer products.
Investors looking for early signs of declining financial reporting quality may want to pay attention to employee turnover in a company
100 million years ago, long before human intervention, ancestors of grasses, including wheat, rice and maize, developed
Lithium titanate (LTO, Li4Ti5O12) is a well-established battery material that in its pristine state is a poor conductor of lithium ions. It develops high ionic conductivity only during charging, when additional lithium ions and electrons are incorporated into the material.
Methane-munching microbes in soil might be more important than previously thought, a new study finds. Soil is an important carbon sink, and scientists are still learning much about the diversity of its microbial communities. They
With the commercialization of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19, research and development into the application of mRNA in vaccines and pharmaceuticals is accelerating. In particular, it is attracting attention not only in vaccines for preventing infectious diseases but also in cancer immunotherapy.
Scientists analyzed the genomes of gut microorganisms from an extensive population of 875 wild house mice (Mus musculus) collected from farms in Germany. They searched for genes responsible for resistance to common antibiotics and correlated the presence of these ARGs in the mice with a range of environmental and host variables, such as land use and farming practices, livestock density for cattle, pigs and poultry, sex and physical condition of the mice, as well as climatic variables.
New behavioral economics research on gender and competition, using bidding experiments, finds no overall gender gap in competitiveness; where a gap does appear, it is women who push hardest for the highest positions.
Thinkers from Plato to Maria Montessori have championed play as one of the most powerful ways that young children learn and grow. American preschool teachers overwhelmingly agree
What happened in the first moments of the universe
Accurately determining fish body size and weight is essential for fisheries resource management and seafood processing; however, measuring large quantities of fish is labor-intensive, and results may vary among operators.
The most prominent difference between human male and female skeletons is the pelvis, which anthropologists often use to determine the sex of ancient remains. Scientists have long believed the human pelvis evolved mainly as a compromise between walking on two legs and giving birth to large-brained babies. This idea is known as the Obstetrical Dilemma Hypothesis.
Selenosugars are the major urinary metabolites responsible for the physiological excretion of selenium. Understanding selenium metabolism relies on accurately detecting and identifying selenosugars. However, research has been hindered by inconsistent terminology used for selenosugars, varying analytical practices and an incomplete understanding of the biological pathway for selenosugar biosynthesis.
The candela, the international unit of light in use for almost a century, forms the basis of photometry. According to a new study, measurements derived from it systematically misjudge the brightness of colored light sources and depart markedly from human perception.
As transistors inside microchips continue to shrink, the metal wiring that connects them is becoming a growing obstacle to faster, more energy-efficient chips. Narrower wires have greater electrical resistance, while smaller gaps between them increase interference between adjacent signals. These effects impede data transfer and raise energy consumption
Researchers at the University of S
When was the last time you bought a loaf of bread?
A new Northwestern Medicine study has uncovered key molecular design principles that could help supramolecular therapeutics cross the blood-brain barrier, a major challenge for this novel approach to treating neurological disorders.

29 C