https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Duke University No matter the size or severity, wounds on human skin are difficult to monitor while they heal. Biopsies disrupt the wound site and are too invasive for routine, repeated monitoring, and most medical imaging devices that could do the job are large, expensive, and booked up with more pressing diagnostics. Clinicians typically resort to visual inspection or quick measurements of the wound's size over time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-powered-imaging-tracks-wound.html Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:20:05 EDT news693230641 Engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a technique that uses microbubbles and ultrasound to help relatively large cancer drugs enter tumor cells and cause them to self-destruct. Dubbed "Sonoporation-assisted Precise Intracellular Nanodelivery"—or SonoPIN for short—the technology caused 50% of targeted cancer cells in a benchtop experiment to self-destruct, while leaving 99% of non-targeted cells healthy. The results show promise for precisely delivering a wide variety of large-molecule therapeutics to cells with few off-target effects. The research appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ultrasound-based-approach-potent-drugs.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:00:01 EDT news692551141 The Southern Ocean—vast, boundless waters surrounding Antarctica—plays an outsized role in global climate, largely thanks to tiny drifting organisms called plankton that soak up carbon. Reporting in Nature Communications on March 9, researchers have completed the most comprehensive survey to date of DNA associated with these microbes, paving the way for a better understanding of their role in climate change. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-antarctic-dna-survey-microbial-genes.html Ecology Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:30:04 EDT news692377322 Most lethal mutations in wild fruit flies are driven by newly transferred jumping genes, not small DNA errors, according to a new study from Duke University. The findings, published in PLOS Biology, challenge decades of assumptions in evolutionary genetics and may have implications for population health and conservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-lethal-mutations-persist-fruit-fly.html Evolution Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:00:02 EDT news692293621 Electrical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated the fastest pyroelectric photodetector to date, which works by absorbing heat generated by incoming light. Capable of capturing light from the entire electromagnetic spectrum, the ultrathin device requires no external power, operates at room temperature and can be readily integrated into on-chip applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-thermal-photodetectors-shatters.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:10:08 EST news691866001 For nearly two decades, two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have been studied as a complement or possible successor to silicon transistors, promising smaller, faster and more energy-efficient processors. To ease their production and testing process, much of the field has been benchmarking the potential of 2D semiconductors using an architecture that causes a phenomenon called "contact gating." https://phys.org/news/2026-02-lab-quietly-inflates-2d-transistor.html Nanomaterials Fri, 27 Feb 2026 18:40:01 EST news691419361 In the everyday world, governed by classical physics, the concept of equilibrium reigns. If you put a drop of ink into water, it will eventually evenly mix. If you put a glass of ice water on the kitchen table, it will eventually melt and become room temperature. That concept rooted in energy transport is known as thermalization, and it is easy to comprehend because we see it happen every day. But this is not always how things behave at the smallest scales of the universe. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-quantum-simulator-reveals-statistical-localization.html Quantum Physics Wed, 18 Feb 2026 17:16:55 EST news690657361 Heart diseases requiring surgical intervention are becoming increasingly common, with nearly a billion people worldwide already suffering from them. These delicate procedures almost always require some sort of structural reinforcement, whether to completely replace a vascular section or to repair damage caused by disease and the surgery itself. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-complexity-graft-materials-key-infection.html Biomedical technology Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:38:41 EST news690655081 Maternal smoking during pregnancy may be associated with higher blood pressure and increased risk of hypertension in children, according to a new ECHO Cohort study led by Lyndsey Shorey-Kendrick, Ph.D., of Oregon Health & Science University and Christine Ladd-Acosta, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University. The research is published in the journal Circulation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-maternal-pregnancy-higher-blood-pressure.html Cardiology Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:20:01 EST news690562411 Starting just outside Charlotte, North Carolina, a vast underground deposit of lithium stretches south for 25 miles. A key component of rechargeable batteries and energy grid storage systems, the soft, silvery metal is a global commodity, making this subterranean cache a geopolitically important and potentially lucrative resource. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-exploring-quality-impacts-legacy-lithium.html Environment Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:02:28 EST news689878921 How do children learn to cooperate with others? A new cross-cultural study suggests that the answer depends less on universal rules and more on the social norms surrounding the child. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-children-societies-culture-kids-cooperate.html Social Sciences Sun, 08 Feb 2026 10:20:02 EST news689766614 Iridium oxide is one of the most important—and most problematic—materials in the global push toward clean energy. It is currently the most reliable catalyst used in the conversion of energy to chemicals by electrolysis, a process that uses electricity to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-critical-green-energy-catalyst-dissolve.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 06 Feb 2026 13:50:45 EST news689608201 Mechanical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a proof-of-concept method for programming mechanical properties into solid Lego-like building blocks. By controlling the solidity of hundreds of individual cells in specific patterns, the approach could allow futuristic robotics to alter their mechanical properties and functionalities on the fly. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-02-programmable-lego-material-robots-emulates.html Robotics Tue, 03 Feb 2026 16:00:03 EST news689355890 Immunotherapy is offering new hope for cancers that once had grim prognoses by harnessing the body's own immune system to fight the disease, often sparing patients from the harsh side effects of chemotherapy. But its success may hinge on everyday medications people are taking during treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-counter-medications-cancer-immunotherapy-outcomes.html Oncology & Cancer Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:24:38 EST news687529441 As drones survey forests, robots navigate warehouses and sensors monitor city streets, more of the world's decision-making is occurring autonomously on the edge—on the small devices that gather information at the ends of much larger networks. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-radio-enable-energy-efficient-ai.html General Physics Sat, 10 Jan 2026 06:10:04 EST news687247773 For millions living with nerve pain, even a light touch can feel unbearable. Scientists have long suspected that damaged nerve cells falter because their energy factories known as mitochondria don't function properly. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-mitochondria-chronic-nerve-pain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:00:04 EST news686853181 Even modest stress before surgery may influence how well older adults recover, according to a new study from Duke University School of Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-stress-older-adults-linked-worse.html Surgery Tue, 06 Jan 2026 09:26:11 EST news686913782 The basics of photosynthesis are something that every student learns in school: carbon dioxide, water and light in; oxygen and sugar for growth out. In a world where atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are rising, it is plausible to think that trees and other plant life growth will rise in lockstep. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-pores-longstanding-mystery-uneven-tree.html Environment Mon, 22 Dec 2025 13:20:06 EST news685631722 A research team at Duke University has developed a new AI framework that can uncover simple, understandable rules that govern some of the most complex dynamics found in nature and technology. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ai-simple-equations-complex.html Mathematics Wed, 17 Dec 2025 06:02:45 EST news685173739 Some firefighter gear is manufactured with chemicals called brominated flame retardants that could pose a risk to firefighter health, according to a study published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-firefighter-gear-potentially-hazardous-flame.html Environment Tue, 16 Dec 2025 08:00:01 EST news685021083 The regulatory bodies charged with managing and conserving fisheries across two-thirds of the world's oceans are threatening marine ecosystems by significantly underperforming, according to an analysis published in Environmental Research Letters. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-high-seas-fisheries-falls-short.html Ecology Fri, 05 Dec 2025 04:35:38 EST news684131701 An environmental chemistry laboratory at Duke University has solved a longstanding mystery of the origin of high levels of PFAS—so-called "forever chemicals"—contaminating water sources in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-uncover-source-widespread-chemical-contamination.html Environment Thu, 20 Nov 2025 16:08:06 EST news682877278 Every minute counts when someone's heart stops. In the U.S., more than 350,000 people suffer cardiac arrest each year, and fewer than 10% survive. Most of these emergencies happen at home, far from lifesaving equipment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-drones-aeds-real-kind.html Cardiology Wed, 19 Nov 2025 09:37:04 EST news682767421 You are having dinner with friends, and the conversation is lively. Do your hands join the chat, or do they stay focused on your knife and fork? https://phys.org/news/2025-11-culture-gestures.html Social Sciences Mon, 10 Nov 2025 16:57:03 EST news682016221 Biomedical engineers at Duke University have shown that a genetic mutation that causes congenital heart disease also contributes to kidney damage and developmental defects. Identifying this early cause of kidney damage could enable clinicians to diagnose and address kidney problems much sooner than current practices allow. The research was published on November 3 in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-congenital-heart-disease-mutation-linked.html Cardiology Mon, 10 Nov 2025 09:30:04 EST news681989089 Heart rate. Blood pressure. Sleep measurements. Blood oxygen levels. Once upon a time, these measurements were usually only taken at a hospital or clinic, but with the rapid adoption of smartphones and smartwatches, this data has become widely available with the touch of a button. The ubiquity of these tools has made it easier than ever to capture long-term data about a person's health, and doctors, researchers and tech companies are all taking notice. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-privacy-age-smartwatch.html Biomedical technology Thu, 06 Nov 2025 09:33:07 EST news681643982 A small group of women with advanced breast cancer received a vaccine via a clinical trial more than 20 years ago. Today, they're all still alive. Scientists say that kind of long-term survival is almost unheard of for patients with metastatic breast cancer, and it's what caught the attention of researchers now. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-cancer-vaccine-key-term-survival.html Oncology & Cancer Fri, 31 Oct 2025 14:00:01 EDT news680955185 Haozhe "Harry" Wang's electrical and computer engineering lab at Duke welcomed an unusual new lab member this fall: artificial intelligence. Using publicly available AI foundation models such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Meta's Segment Anything Model (SAM), Wang's team built ATOMIC (Autonomous Technology for Optical Microscopy & Intelligent Characterization)—an AI microscope platform that can analyze materials as accurately as a trained graduate student in a fraction of the time. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ai-optical-microscope-2d-materials.html Nanomaterials Mon, 27 Oct 2025 09:16:05 EDT news680775362 Engineers at Duke University have constructed a group of AI bots that together can solve complex design problems nearly as well as a fully trained scientist. The results, the researchers say, show how AI might soon automate straightforward but niche design problems, opening opportunities for explosive advancements. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-ai-bots-scientist-problem.html Engineering Thu, 23 Oct 2025 14:21:04 EDT news680448062 Electrical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated the ability to print fully functional and recyclable electronics at sub-micrometer scales. The technique could impact the more than $150 billion electronic display industry and its environmental impact while providing a toehold for U.S. manufacturing to gain traction in a vital and quickly growing industry. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-fully-recyclable-micrometer-electronics-reshape.html Engineering Fri, 17 Oct 2025 05:00:08 EDT news679823873