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. When they reach the bottom of a soap dispenser, frugal handwashers might try adding water to the bottle to push out the last bit of soap. But usually, the water drills right through the soap and jets out an only slightly sudsy splash. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-physicists-figure-formation-viscous-fingers.html Soft Matter Fri, 22 May 2026 15:40:03 EDT news698670901 Eating healthily can save money and also cause less greenhouse gas emissions than most people's current food choices, according to a new global study that examined food costs, nutrition, and climate impact around the world. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-climate-friendly-nutrition.html Environment Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:52:31 EST news684604321 Materials Science and Engineering Department professor and UConn IMS resident faculty member, Xueju "Sophie" Wang's group has unveiled a simple but powerful way to control liquids: magnetically reconfigurable, multistable ribbons that switch shape on command and then hold that shape without any power. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-magnetically-reconfigurable-ribbons-scientists-liquids.html Materials Science Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:37:03 EST news683221022 To grow and survive, tiny organisms such as yeast must sometimes adapt their nutrient sources in response to changes in the environment. FMI researchers have now found that yeast cells communicate with each other to use less favorable nutrients if they foresee a shortage of their favorite food. This communication is facilitated by secreted molecules that interact with a protein in mitochondria, the cells' energy factories. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-yeast-chit-chat-microorganisms-communicate.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:41:03 EDT news646396861 CRISPR, the gene-editing technology, has been one of the major breakthroughs in biology in the last two decades. And while students learn about the capability to cut, paste, and alter genes, it's rare that they get the chance to understand the technology by using it themselves. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-kit-classroom-crispr-accessible.html Biotechnology Wed, 18 Sep 2024 10:53:05 EDT news645875581 Studying the complex motility patterns of cells and microorganisms is key to understanding their behaviors and biomechanics. However, many conventional microscopes are constrained by fixed lenses and the lack of ability to track organisms over extended periods without manual intervention. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-tracking-microscope-democratize-microorganism.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 14 Aug 2024 12:13:03 EDT news642856381 In a new report now featured on the cover page of and published in Science Advances, Hans Hon Sang Chan and a research team in materials, chemistry and quantum photonics at the University of Oxford generated exactly emulated quantum computers with up to 36 qubits to explore resource-frugal algorithms and model two- and three-dimensional atoms with single and paired particles. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-quantum-chemistry-simulations.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 14 Mar 2023 09:10:01 EDT news598003453 Rarely in nature does less turn out to be more. But that's the case when it comes to the roots of corn dealing with drought conditions, according to a Penn State-led international team of researchers who discovered evidence of the benefits of a "parsimonious" root phenotype in a new study. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-steep-cheap-deep-roots-corn.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Dec 2022 12:19:33 EST news589724370 Perfect hexagonal structures inspired by honeycombs in bee nests are widely used to build everything from airplane wings, boats, and cars, to skis, snowboards, packaging and acoustic dampening materials. https://phys.org/news/2021-07-bees-optimal-honeycomb.html Plants & Animals Tue, 27 Jul 2021 08:57:24 EDT news546595039 Microscopy techniques that incorporate mid-infrared (IR) illumination holds tremendous promise across a range of biomedical and industrial applications due to its unique biochemical specificity. However, the method is primarily limited by the detection range, where existing mid-infrared (mid-IR) detection techniques often combine inferior methods that are also costly. In a new report now published on Science Advances, Inna Kviatkovsky and a research team in physics, experimental and clinical research, and molecular medicine in Germany, found that nonlinear interferometry with entangled light provided a powerful tool for mid-IR microscopy. The experimental setup only required near-IR detection with a silicon-based camera. They developed a proof-of-principle experiment to show wide-field imaging across a broad wavelength range covering 3.4 to 4.3 micrometers (µm). The technique is suited to acquire microscopic images of biological tissue samples at the mid-IR. This work forms an original approach with potential relevance for quantum imaging in life sciences. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-microscopy-undetected-photons-mid-infrared-region.html General Physics Tue, 20 Oct 2020 09:30:03 EDT news522402909 In materials science, conducting and semiconducting materials can be embedded in insulating polymeric substrates for useful biointerface applications. However, it is challenging to achieve the composite configuration directly using chemical processes. Laser-assisted synthesis is a fast and inexpensive technique used to prepare various materials but their applications in the construction of biophysical tools and biomedical materials remain to be explored. In a new report, Vishnu Nair and a research team in chemistry, molecular engineering, physics and atom probe tomography at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, U.S., used laser writing to convert portions of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) into nitrogen-doped cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC). They facilitated electrochemical and photoelectrochemical activity between the two surfaces by connecting the dense 3C-SiC surface layer to the PDMS matrix using a spongy graphite layer. They developed two-dimensional (2-D) silicon carbide patterns in PDMS and freestanding 3-D constructs. Nair et al. established the function of laser-produced composites by applying flexible electrodes for isolated heart pacing and photoelectrodes for local peroxide delivery to smooth muscle sheets. The work is now published on Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-laser-nitrogen-doped-silicon-carbide-biological.html Materials Science Fri, 28 Aug 2020 11:10:01 EDT news517831579 Nature has worked for eons to perfect surface textures that protect, hide and otherwise help all kinds of creatures survive. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-heat-free-technology-metallic-replicas-rose.html Materials Science Thu, 27 Aug 2020 09:27:42 EDT news517739259 In a new study published on Scientific Reports, Mohammad-Hossein Beigi and a research team in the departments of Engineering and Applied Science and Cellular Biotechnology in Canada and Iran described a new method to form biocompatible biomaterials for bone tissue engineering. They engineered web-like, three-dimensional (3-D) Titania nanofibrous coatings using high intensity laser-induced reverse transfer (HILIRT). The team first demonstrated the mechanism of ablation and Titanium (Ti) deposition on glass substrates using multiple picosecond laser pulses in ambient air to compare theoretical predictions with experimental results. They examined the performance of glass samples developed by coating titania nanofibrous structures through varied laser pulse durations, using methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). https://phys.org/news/2019-12-plasma-ionization-based-d-titania-nanofiber-like.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 16 Dec 2019 09:40:04 EST news495710344 Materials scientists aim to use bioinspired soft robots to carry out advanced interactions between humans and robots, but the associated technology remains to be developed. For example, soft actuators must perform quickly with force to deliver programmable shape changes and the devices should be easy to fabricate and energy efficient for untethered applications. In a new report on Science Advances, Zoey S. Davidson and an interdisciplinary research team in the departments of Physical Intelligence, Materials Science and Engineering, and the School of Medicine in Germany, U.S. and Turkey, combined several characteristics of interest using two distinct active materials systems to build soft robots. https://phys.org/news/2019-12-shape-programmable-dielectric-liquid-crystal-elastomer.html General Physics Mon, 09 Dec 2019 09:30:01 EST news495099424 The routine measurement of radiation doses can be clinically challenging due to limitations with conventional dosimeters used to measure the dose uptake of external ionizing radiation. In a new study, Karthik Pushpavanam and an interdisciplinary team of researchers in the departments of Chemical Engineering, Molecular Sciences, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center and Arizona Veterinary Oncology in the U.S. has described a novel gel-based nanosensor. The technology allows colorimetric detection and quantification of topographical radiation dose profiles during radiotherapy. https://phys.org/news/2019-11-topographical-dose-profiles-gel-nanosensors.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 25 Nov 2019 09:30:07 EST news493630552 Biochemists can use electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) on protein single crystals to determine the ultimate electronic structure of paramagnetic protein intermediates and investigate the relative magnetic tensor to a molecular structure. The method is, however, withheld by typical protein crystal dimensions (0.05 to 0.3 mm) that do not provide sufficient signal intensity during protein crystallography. In a new study on Science Advances, Jason W. Sidabras and an interdisciplinary research team in the departments of Chemical Energy Conversion, Photobiotechnology, Institute for Biology and Experimental Physics in Germany presented a microwave self-resonant microhelix to quantify nanoliter samples. The scientists implemented the technique in a commercial X-band (mid-range frequency; 9.5 GHz) EPR spectrometer. The self-resonant microhelix provided a measured signal-to-noise improvement compared to other commercial EPR resonators. The work enables advanced EPR techniques to study protein single crystals for X-ray crystallography, without size-related exclusions or challenges. To demonstrate the method, Sidabras et al. used single crystal protein [FeFe]-hydrogenase (from Clostridium pasteurianum) with 0.3 mm by 0.1 mm by 0.1 mm dimensions. https://phys.org/news/2019-11-electron-paramagnetic-resonance-epr-spectroscopy.html General Physics Mon, 04 Nov 2019 10:33:48 EST news492086010 Our Milky Way is a frugal galaxy. Supernovas and violent stellar winds blow gas out of the galactic disk, but that gas falls back onto the galaxy to form new generations of stars. In an ambitious effort to conduct a full accounting of this recycling process, astronomers were surprised to find a surplus of incoming gas. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-milky-raids-intergalactic-bank-accounts.html Astronomy Thu, 10 Oct 2019 10:20:39 EDT news489921621 Thermoelectric materials technology can convert between heat and electricity within a materials construct, but many existing materials contain rare or toxic elements. In a new study on Science, Wenke He and colleagues reported the temperature dependent interplay between three separate electronic bands in hole-doped tin sulfide (SnS) crystals. The materials behaviour allowed synergistic optimization between effective mass (m*) and carrier mobility (µ), which the research team boosted by introducing selenium (Se). https://phys.org/news/2019-10-high-thermoelectric-low-cost-sns091se009-crystals.html Materials Science Tue, 08 Oct 2019 09:40:01 EDT news489744175 Researchers in the U.S. and China have developed a method to transform a smartphone into a fluorescence microscope. The handheld smartphone-fluorescence microscope (HSFM) device allows complex biomedical analyses both rapidly and inexpensively. Conventional fluorescence microscopes play an important role to detect diverse cells and proteins, but they are bulky and inconvenient for point-of-care diagnoses. Now writing in Light: Science & Applications, Bo Dai and an interdisciplinary research team detailed the use of liquid polymers to create miniature two-droplet lenses dyed with colored solvents. The lenses were compatible across several different smartphone cameras. The low-cost, experimental setup allowed them to observe and count cells, monitor the expression of fluorescently tagged genes and distinguish between normal tissues and tumors. The easily accessible and affordable smartphone technology can contribute to frugal science and will lead to better administration of onsite and economically viable personalized medicine. https://phys.org/news/2019-09-handheld-smartphone-fluorescence-microscope.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:30:01 EDT news486713575 Cell culture plates that are in everyday use in biology can be effectively transformed into microfluidic devices, opening paths for biologists to miniaturize cell-based workflows. In a recent report, Ph.D. researcher Cristian Soitu and co-workers in the departments of Engineering Science and Pathology at the University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K., described a simple method to create microfluidic arrangements around cells. In the study, the cells were already growing on standard Petri dish surfaces, when the scientists used the interface between the immiscible fluid media in the container as a building material. https://phys.org/news/2019-06-fluid-walls-cells.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 14 Jun 2019 09:30:05 EDT news479714989 A 5,000-year-old toy still enjoyed by kids today has inspired an inexpensive, hand-powered scientific tool that could not only impact how field biologists conduct their research but also allow high-school students and others with limited resources to realize their own state-of-the-art experiments. https://phys.org/news/2019-05-ancient-toy-tool-state-of-the-art-science.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 22 May 2019 11:59:13 EDT news477745131 Cane toads are exhausted by releasing their deadly toxin and will go to great lengths not to release it. They far prefer to run or freeze when a predator approaches. https://phys.org/news/2019-05-cane-toads-poison-resort.html Ecology Thu, 16 May 2019 08:28:56 EDT news477214128 Biological tissues are built when cells anchor to specific sites on a 3-D microfiber network in an extracellular matrix (ECM). Scientists are keen to recreate biological tissues in the lab using bioinspired tissue engineering and genetic engineering, to form functional ECM motifs fused to recombinant silk proteins. Under adequate physiological conditions, bioengineered silk proteins and fibronectin-silk (FN-silk) can self-assemble into microfiber networks that mimic native ECM. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-ecm-like-fibers-bioactive-silk-d.html Materials Science Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:30:05 EDT news475743213 Therapeutic proteins are protein-based drug candidates bioengineered in the lab for pharmaceutical and clinical applications. Based on their pharmacokinetics, the candidates can be divided into groups that (1) replace a defective or abnormal protein, (2) augment an existing path in vivo, (3) provide a new function or activity in vivo, (4) interfere with activities of a molecule or organism and (5) deliver encapsulated proteins or compounds including, cytotoxic drugs, radionuclide or effector proteins. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-therapeutics-on-a-chip-toc-synthetic-proteins-point-of-care.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 11 Apr 2019 09:40:02 EDT news474192520 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding regulatory RNAs that can repress gene expression post-transcriptionally and are therefore increasingly used as biomarkers of disease. Detecting miRNAs can be arduous and expensive as they require amplification, labelling and radioactive probes. In a recent report published on Science Advances, Arun Richard Chandrasekaran and co-workers at the RNA Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, at the University of Albany, State University of New York, reported on a single-step, non-enzyme microRNA detection assay using conformationally unresponsive DNA nanoswitches. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-cellular-microrna-miracles.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 26 Mar 2019 09:30:09 EDT news472725191 A team of researchers from several institutions in China has identified the toxin in golden head centipede venom. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes how they found the toxin that makes the venom so deadly to prey and also identified a possible antidote for it. https://phys.org/news/2018-01-toxin-centipede-venom.html Plants & Animals Tue, 23 Jan 2018 08:48:56 EST news435919713 Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas are getting more out of the sweat they've put into their work on a wearable diagnostic tool that measures three diabetes-related compounds in microscopic amounts of perspiration. https://phys.org/news/2017-06-bioengineers-durable-versatile-wearable-diabetes.html Engineering Fri, 23 Jun 2017 13:21:08 EDT news417442857 Martin Thuo likes to look for new, affordable and clean ways to put science and technology to work in the world. https://phys.org/news/2016-04-micro-sized-liquid-metal-particles-heat-free-soldering.html Condensed Matter Mon, 25 Apr 2016 11:15:13 EDT news380801701 As an idea, the notion of an "artificial leaf" was always meant to be simple: Could scientists, using a handful of relatively cheap materials, harness the power of light to generate two powerful fuels—hydrogen and oxygen—by breaking apart water molecules? https://phys.org/news/2015-04-artificial-leaf-power-molecules.html Materials Science Wed, 22 Apr 2015 06:50:01 EDT news348902154 (Phys.org) —Manu Prakash won a contest to develop the 21st-century chemistry set. His version, based on a toy music box, is small, robust, programmable and costs $5. It can inspire young scientists and also address developing-world problems such as water quality and health. https://phys.org/news/2014-04-music-stanford-bioengineer-chemistry-video.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 08 Apr 2014 15:38:42 EDT news316190310