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. India records the highest number of snakebite fatalities worldwide, between 46,000 and 60,000 annually. A study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases by Imon Abedin at Dibru-Saikhowa Conservation Society in Tinsukia, India and colleagues suggests that climate change-related shifts in the geographic distribution of venomous snakes will increase the risk of snakebites in certain regions. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-climate-contribute-snakebite-hotspots-india.html Ecology Tue, 02 Sep 2025 16:40:42 EDT news676050034 Hydrogels are soft, water-rich polymeric materials that can swell or shrink in response to environmental stimuli. This ability to change shape makes them valuable in miniaturized devices for flexible electronics, microrobotics, intelligent surfaces, and biomedical applications such as drug delivery. For example, hydrogel pores can be engineered to trap and release tiny drug particles on demand. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-origami-strategy-hydrogel-pores-enables.html Polymers Wed, 27 Aug 2025 13:00:01 EDT news675517920 As climate change drives rising temperatures and changes in rainfall, Mexico and the US are in the middle of a conflict over water, putting an additional strain on their relationship. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-wars-historic-agreement-mexico-ramping.html Environment Mon, 28 Jul 2025 12:32:04 EDT news672924721 Researchers will soon be able to study biological changes at scales and speeds not previously possible to significantly expand knowledge in areas such as disease progression and drug delivery. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-optical-tweezers-reveal-cell-dynamics.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 20 Mar 2025 11:35:36 EDT news661689332 Novel protein cage systems can control and visualize orientational changes in aromatic side chains upon ligand binding, as reported by researchers at the Institute of Science, Tokyo. By inducing coordinated molecular changes, this approach enables precise control over protein dynamics while also enhancing fluorescence properties. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-protein-cage-conformational-aromatic-side.html Biochemistry Thu, 27 Feb 2025 11:10:06 EST news659877001 City dwellers avoid exposure to extremely hot weather events by 'ordering in' from food delivery services, a new study shows. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-hot-female-high-income-older.html Environment Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:19:04 EST news655384742 An international team at the world's largest X-ray laser European XFEL at Schenefeld near Hamburg has scrutinized the properties of an important nanogel that is often used in medicine to release drugs in a targeted and controlled manner at the desired location in a patient's body. The team has now published the results in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-european-xfel-elicits-secrets-important.html Nanophysics Fri, 19 Apr 2024 14:51:31 EDT news632757087 Superconductors are increasingly finding applications in several areas, such as medical imaging techniques, drug delivery systems, energy storage systems, levitation processes, and water purification methods. This can be attributed to their awe-inspiring ability of zero resistance, which ensures the passage of a high amount of current through them, making them suitable for revolutionizing power transmission and transportation. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-optimizing-properties-microstructure-bulk-superconductors.html Superconductivity Tue, 06 Jun 2023 15:07:22 EDT news605282839 Whereas the shortest way between two points is a straight connection, it might not be the most efficient path to follow. Complex currents often affect the motion of microswimmers and make it difficult for them to reach their destination. At the same time, making use of these currents to navigate as fast as possible is a certain evolutionary advantage. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-detour-faster-optimizing-microswimmers.html General Physics Fri, 07 Oct 2022 13:26:03 EDT news584367962 About a quarter of children in the United States are born two to three weeks before their due date, which qualifies them as "early term." Pregnancies typically last 40 weeks, so you might think that being born two to three weeks early wouldn't matter. But, children born just two or three weeks early are at slightly higher risks of respiratory problems, like asthma, later in childhood. About one in 10 children in the U.S. are born more than three weeks before their due date, which qualifies them as "preterm" and puts them at higher risks for much worse outcomes. https://phys.org/news/2019-12-pregnant-women-higher-early-unseasonably.html Environment Tue, 03 Dec 2019 08:14:07 EST news494583243 Hydrogels are polymer materials that can absorb a large amount of water, making them flexible like human tissue. They are used in a number of medical applications, including contact lenses, wound dressings, and facial reconstruction. https://phys.org/news/2017-07-stability-dynamics-proteins.html Biochemistry Wed, 05 Jul 2017 14:37:10 EDT news418484220 Scaling back mail delivery from six days a week to five may be the best bet to stem mounting U.S. Postal Service losses, but could still be a gamble, says a University of Illinois economist who has studied the agency's persistent financial decline. https://phys.org/news/2009-11-day-delivery-postal-woes-economist.html Economics & Business Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:10:59 EST news178225816 The Colorado River system supplies water to tens of millions of people and millions of acres of farmland, and has never experienced a delivery shortage. But if human-caused climate change continues to make the region drier, scheduled deliveries will be missed 60-90 percent of the time by the middle of this century, according to a pair of climate researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. https://phys.org/news/2009-04-climate-shortfalls-colorado-river-deliveries.html Environment Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:21:04 EDT news159466841