https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed hollow microspheres made of mucus and polydopamine using a simple and scalable production method. These tiny spheres are intended to serve as packaging for therapeutic substances, for example in joints or on the oral mucosa. Their properties and mode of action can be adjusted by the choice of materials and are also influenced by the surrounding biological environment. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-multifunctional-mucus-polydopamine-spheres-enable.html Cell & Microbiology Sun, 07 Sep 2025 12:30:01 EDT news676293760 Using protein and RNA, scientists have created hollow, spherical sacks known as vesicles. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-protein-rna-hollow-spherical.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 23 Jun 2020 16:31:55 EDT news512148708 Tiny silica bottles filled with medicine and a special temperature-sensitive material could be used for drug delivery to kill malignant cells only in certain parts of the body, according to a study published recently by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology. https://phys.org/news/2019-08-nanoscale-glass-bottles-enable-drug.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 15 Aug 2019 08:20:31 EDT news485075968 Biorefinery facilities are critical to fueling the economy—converting wood chips, grass clippings, and other biological materials into fuels, heat, power, and chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2018-09-synthesis-sugar-sustainable-energy-storage.html Materials Science Fri, 07 Sep 2018 09:29:22 EDT news455531356 A new study from North Carolina State University researchers finds that novel light-weight composite metal foams (CMFs) are significantly more effective at insulating against high heat than the conventional base metals and alloys that they're made of, such as steel. The finding means the CMF is especially promising for use in storing and transporting nuclear material, hazardous materials, explosives and other heat-sensitive materials, as well as for space exploration. https://phys.org/news/2016-03-metal-foam-steel.html Engineering Mon, 28 Mar 2016 10:20:10 EDT news378379186 Antireflective coatings are used to cut surface glare in everything from eyeglasses and camera lenses to solar cells, TV screens and LED devices. Now researchers from Research Institute for Nuclear Problems of Belarusian State University in Belarus and Institut Jean Lamour-Université de Lorraine in France have developed a novel, low-cost, ultra-lightweight material that could be used as an effective anti-reflective surface for microwave radiation based on the eyes of moths. https://phys.org/news/2016-01-sugar-based-carbon-hollow-spheres-mimic.html General Physics Tue, 05 Jan 2016 16:01:56 EST news371232104 Photocatalytic splitting of water uses sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. It is an environmentally friendly way to obtain hydrogen for fuel cells. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Japanese researchers have now introduced a new method for the production of more effective photocatalysts. Their method uses tiny hollow spheres coated with different cocatalysts on the inside and the outside. https://phys.org/news/2013-09-core-shell-photocatalyst-spatially-cocatalysts.html Materials Science Tue, 17 Sep 2013 07:18:16 EDT news298621081 (Phys.org) —Scientists have developed a new type of nanoparticle with potential applications in chemistry, biology and medicine. The findings, published in Science and led by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Bristol, could potentially be used to deliver bioactive molecules, such as drugs, to cells and eventually diseased tissues in the body. https://phys.org/news/2013-04-nanoscopic-cages-big-applications.html Nanomaterials Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:47:06 EDT news285320811 Visitors to Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building may have experienced a curious acoustic feature that allows a person to whisper softly at one side of the cavernous, half-domed room and for another on the other side to hear every syllable. Sound is whisked around the semi-circular perimeter of the room almost without flaw. The phenomenon is known as a whispering gallery. https://phys.org/news/2012-02-nanoshell-galleries-thin-solar-panels.html Nanomaterials Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:04:05 EST news247838624 Producing metallic hollow spheres is complicated: It has not yet been possible to make the small sizes required for new high-tech applications. Now for the first time researchers have manufactured ground hollow spheres measuring just two to ten millimeters. https://phys.org/news/2009-10-hollow-spheres-metal.html Materials Science Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:09:39 EDT news174647075 (PhysOrg.com) -- Sticky is good. A University of California, San Diego bioengineer is the first author on an article in the journal Science that provides insights on the “stickiness of life.” The big idea is that cells, tissues and organisms hailing from all limbs of the tree of life respond to stimuli using basic biological “modules.” For example, the researchers outlined similar strategies across biology for fulfilling the tasks of “sticking together” (cell-cell interactions), “sticking to their surroundings” (cell-extracellular matrix [ECM] interactions), and responding to forces. https://phys.org/news/2009-04-life-bioengineer-publishes-sticky-insights.html Biotechnology Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:59:11 EDT news158594322