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. Imagine a smart bandage that could continuously monitor an infected wound, alerting doctors when bacteria spread or when treatment begins to work. That vision is one step closer to reality with new research from Virginia Tech. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nanoscale-sensor-personalized-medicine.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:20:05 EDT news704450881 Every human cell has millions of ribosomes that make proteins. For decades, biologists thought of ribosomes as tiny, uniform machines. But now a Stanford Medicine team is showing that ribosomes are much more interesting and complicated than previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ribo-tweezer-tool-pluck-individual.html Biotechnology Tue, 28 Jul 2026 09:40:08 EDT news704449321 Complex simulations—the most intricate of their kind to date—carried out by an international research team led by scientists at Heidelberg University's Institute for Physical Chemistry, have revealed how water governs the way protons move through it. Using their modeling, researchers from Cambridge (U.K.), Bochum, Dijon (France) and Heidelberg were able to trace, in full quantum detail, the movements of a proton shared among six water molecules. At its core, the work addresses how a proton moves through water: not as a single particle drifting along, but by "hopping" from one molecule to the next. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-local-asymmetry-proton-molecules-simulations.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 27 Jul 2026 20:40:04 EDT news704385621 By analyzing 100,000 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection inspection records from 2013 to 2024, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have identified the key environmental and human factors responsible for the most destructive wildfires, and they have synthesized the knowledge into a high-resolution, actionable fire risk map for the Golden State. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-california-wildfire-factors-linked-severe.html Environment Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:10:01 EDT news704388902 Quasars, distant cores of galaxies powered by supermassive black holes, are among the most luminous objects in the universe. While not uncommon, their brightness can make it difficult to accurately measure the galaxies they reside in. This means scientists must use gravitational lensing to assist in analyzing these bright objects, a method that relies on studying how an object's strong gravity bends light around its host galaxy. Yet despite their own powerful gravity, quasars that can act as lenses are rare. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quasar-lenses-emerge-ai-scan.html Astronomy Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:20:07 EDT news704377501 Low-level clouds over Earth's oceans play a prominent role in keeping our planet cool by reflecting sunlight away from the surface. But their response to climate change has been hard to model. Now, researchers at Caltech and Google have uncovered important insights into how clouds might respond to warming sea-surface temperatures and rising CO2 levels using a large dataset of simulations developed by the group. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-cloud-loss-amplifies-global-simulations.html Earth Sciences Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:00:01 EDT news704370962 Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have found that today's leading artificial intelligence tools for predicting protein structures routinely generate results that are physically and chemically impossible, exposing critical blind spots in how AI is being applied across scientific research. The work, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, serves as a cautionary reminder that AI still requires human oversight and physics-based verification to produce reliable results in the lab. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-tools-protein-chemically-impossible.html Biochemistry Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:20:03 EDT news704370361 For the first time, researchers can witness nanometer-scale thickness changes across a melting snowflake with a compact, lensless chip that captures gigapixel video at 30 frames per second across centimeter-scale fields. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-christmas-july-capture-gigapixel-3d.html Biotechnology Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:03 EDT news704368931 Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for systematically developing novel, complex combinations of probiotics and prebiotics to more effectively maintain gut health and treat various gastrointestinal diseases. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-robotics-gut-microbiome-therapies.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:00:01 EDT news704366382 What if the Higgs boson found in 2012 is not alone but is the only sibling we have encountered so far? Scientists at CERN discovered the particle that year, and it was a major discovery because it explained how other particles acquire mass. For a long time, scientists thought this was the final piece of the puzzle. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-machine-narrows-additional-particles-higgs.html General Physics Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:50:01 EDT news704040661 Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have become a standard in modern devices with incredible contrast and sleek designs. While initially an expensive luxury, OLEDs are gradually becoming more financially accessible as the technology improves. Now, researchers at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM) at Nagoya University and the Institute for Advanced Study at Kyushu University have combined quantum chemistry with machine learning to identify new materials for blue OLEDs for incorporation in next-generation ultra-high-definition displays. Their research was published in Angewandte Chemie on July 21, 2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-quantum-chemistry-combine-efficient.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:20:01 EDT news703945861 From microplastics clogging up our oceans to landfills leaching dangerous chemicals, plastic waste is a serious and growing problem for human health and the environment. We need to recycle more and, crucially, recycle better. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-super-enzymes-recycling.html Polymers Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:20:04 EDT news703937221 Penn Engineers have developed PeptiVerse, an AI-powered platform that predicts key chemical and biological properties of peptides, strings of amino acids whose medical potential has been demonstrated by the success of GLP-1 drugs, widely used weight-loss treatments. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-source-ai-key-peptide-traits.html Biochemistry Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:30:01 EDT news703867621 University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have identified a widespread source of error in a popular method for studying the genome and created a machine-learning tool to correct it. The free tool could improve the reliability of both conventional and single-cell data generated using this method, giving researchers a clearer view of how gene activity is controlled in health and disease and providing stronger foundations for future diagnostic and drug-development efforts. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-machine-tool-accuracy-genomics.html Biotechnology Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:40:02 EDT news703759809 A technology has been developed that allows artificial intelligence to inversely determine the process conditions for quantum-dot light-emitting diode (QLED) devices—conditions that previously required extensive trial and error to identify. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-qled-recipe-efficiency-boosts.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:00:09 EDT news703512040 When it comes to statistics, we usually expect to be informed about what happens "on average." But sometimes the key information lies in deviations from that mean: how likely is heavy rain, and how likely is it to remain dry? So-called distributional regression describes not only the mean but also the distribution of possible values. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-statistical-method-broadens-uncertainty-average.html Mathematics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 11:20:03 EDT news703406752 A technique for judging whether a common mineral formed through biological activity could aid the search for ancient life on Earth and Mars. Apatite is a ubiquitous phosphate mineral found in terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments. It is a major component of teeth and bones, but it also occurs in igneous rocks and sedimentary phosphorites. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-driven-tool-mineral-biosignatures-worlds.html Astrobiology Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:50:01 EDT news703246314 A team at the Applied Physics Lab is working to understand the complex science behind predicting invisible threats that can quickly cripple electric grid infrastructure on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-solar-storms-million-miles-earth.html Earth Sciences Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:20:05 EDT news702896122 Physicists at the University of California, Irvine, have developed an artificial intelligence system that can autonomously design theoretical physics models, a task traditionally carried out by human theorists. The approach allows researchers to explore large, uncharted areas of particle physics theory, helping identify promising new explanations for the behavior of neutrinos. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-particle-neutrinos-tiny-mass.html General Physics Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:09:05 EDT news702832117 Researchers at The University of Manchester have developed a new computational approach to help identify two-dimensional materials that may host unusual quantum behavior. The work, published in Science Advances, focuses on materials with "flat bands," electronic states where electrons have very little kinetic energy. In these materials, interactions between electrons can become much more important, creating conditions linked to phenomena such as magnetism, unconventional superconductivity and topological electronic behavior. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-physics-based-machine-method-2d.html Condensed Matter Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:10:02 EDT news702822058 Cities are often described as "heat islands," with media reports warning that some neighborhoods can be 20° F (7° C) hotter than others. But those temperatures are often based on satellite data rather than the conditions people actually experience, due to the dearth of near-surface urban observations. This data gap hinders understanding public health risks during heat waves, planning for energy demand, infrastructure resilience, and climate adaptation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-block-ai-uncover-real-urban.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:10:01 EDT news702746045 Manganese is an essential trace element. However, in excessive concentrations, the metal can cause health problems. Two Eawag researchers have now produced a global risk map for manganese in groundwater. Half of the world's population uses groundwater as drinking water. According to the study, between 180 million and 220 million people could be using water with elevated manganese concentrations as drinking water—significantly more than previously thought. Densely populated regions of Asia are particularly affected. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-manganese-groundwater-affects-million-people.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:20:08 EDT news702728130 RNA has emerged as one of the most promising molecules in modern medicine, enabling advances from mRNA vaccines and gene therapies to genome editing and synthetic biology. However, designing RNA molecules that reliably fold into a desired secondary structure remains a major challenge. Even for relatively short sequences, the number of possible nucleotide combinations grows exponentially, making it difficult to identify optimal candidates. As a result, conventional computational methods often require extensive candidate evaluations, creating a significant bottleneck when experimental validation is both time-consuming and costly. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-optimizing-rna-ai-ising-machine.html Biotechnology Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:50:01 EDT news702724633 Building material samples from the University of Delaware spent six months mounted outside the International Space Station, where the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit tested their limits. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-lab-moon-lunar-cement-alternative.html Space Exploration Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:00:03 EDT news702724623 The U.S. is the fourth-largest wine-producing country by output volume, and approximately 80% of its production occurs in California. Ever since the 19th century, California's premier wine-growing regions have been the Napa Valley and Sonoma County, thanks to their favorable microclimate. But grape yield and quality are very sensitive to the local environment, which means the climate crisis could shake up California's wine industry. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-global-wildfire-threaten-viability-california.html Agriculture Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:03 EDT news702570941 In Europe, trees are increasingly dying prematurely. A new study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) on French forests now shows that it is not only drought but also unusually warm or wet springs that increase the risk—even ideal growing conditions can prove fatal later on. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-europe-trees-dying.html Ecology Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:40:06 EDT news702638796 Ferromagnetism has long been studied in a wide range of periodic crystals and amorphous materials. In quasicrystals (QCs), which possess long-range quasiperiodic order and unconventional rotational symmetries, such as 10-fold symmetry, ferromagnetism remained elusive until recently, when it was finally realized in gold (Au)-based icosahedral QCs. These discoveries establish QCs as a third platform for magnetism beyond periodic crystals and amorphous materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bulk-ferromagnetic-quasicrystals-emerge-rapid.html Condensed Matter Tue, 07 Jul 2026 06:00:01 EDT news702571031 Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is the world's deadliest single-agent infection, responsible for 1.23 million deaths in 2024, according to the World Health Organization. The bacterium's unique outer cell membrane is notoriously hard to penetrate, making few drugs, including antibiotics, effective in treating the disease. However, a research team led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst has developed a pair of techniques that can vastly speed the search for better tuberculosis drugs. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-world-deadliest-infection-pac-ai.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:20:04 EDT news702571476 Next-generation batteries that use new electrolyte materials could achieve far higher energy density than today's lithium-ion batteries, without many of the safety concerns. But advanced batteries, such as those that use solid or almost-solid electrolytes, have been plagued by the formation of tiny spikes of lithium metal called dendrites that cause the batteries to lose efficiency and fail. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-electrical-imbalances-grain-boundaries-solid.html Nanophysics Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:00:37 EDT news702571329 Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have taken an important step toward developing intelligent molecular materials. The team headed by Dr. Bernd M. Schmidt (Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry) and Professor Dr. Jan Meisner (Institute of Physical Chemistry) has shown that complex molecular nanostructures can be selectively activated, disassembled in a controlled way and even reassembled using ultrasound. The results, published in Nature Communications, could, for example, aid the development of more targeted cancer medication in the future. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-molecular-nanostructures-ultrasound.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:20:09 EDT news702562709