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 with the University of Cincinnati and Johns Hopkins Medicine developed a potential treatment for brain cancer that uses nanofibers embedded with a combination of drugs that work in concert to target tumors. The drugs proved more effective in combination than when administered alone and can provide both immediate and long-lasting doses to kill cancer cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nanofiber-implant-drugs-survival-glioblastoma.html Bio & Medicine Sat, 30 May 2026 17:00:04 EDT news699190974 A joint research team has discovered high-performance catalysts capable of significantly reducing "boil-off losses," which had been a longstanding issue in liquid hydrogen storage and transportation. These composite catalysts, in which metallic nanoparticles, such as iron, are supported on silicon dioxide (silica) or other low-cost oxide, demonstrate significantly superior performance compared to conventional iron oxide-based catalysts. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-catalysts-losses-liquid-hydrogen-production.html Materials Science Sat, 30 May 2026 17:00:01 EDT news699029642 Nonlinear interactions between light and matter are at the heart of some of the most powerful tools in modern optics, but pushing these processes to their limits has long been hampered by a fundamental constraint: the stronger you make the laser, the more likely it is to destroy whatever it illuminates. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-boost-ultrafast-laser.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 30 May 2026 13:00:02 EDT news699017292 Some 350,000 years ago, the center of New Zealand's North Island appeared much different than the mountainous, scrub-covered landscape it is today. Amid a glacial period, temperatures were colder and conditions harsher. Vast beech and podocarp forests blanketed the region, providing habitat for abundant native birdlife. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-supereruption-nz-years.html Earth Sciences Sat, 30 May 2026 11:00:01 EDT news699097293 Cosmic rays seen at Earth show a wide range of particle energies, from 107 electron-volts (eV) to more than 1020 eV, the latter being about the same as the kinetic energy of a 450 gram football (soccer ball) being kicked across the pitch at about 8 meters per second. A plot of cosmic ray energies from the Milky Way galaxy often shows a fair amount of what scientists might call "structure"—interesting deviations from the underlying trend called "knees" and "ankles" that indicate new processes or methods of cosmic ray production taking place at that energy. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-evidence-cosmic-ray-nearby-supernova.html Astronomy Sat, 30 May 2026 07:20:01 EDT news699280638 For nearly a century, there were two known kinds of magnets. Ferromagnets are the classic magnets that attract metal and keep pictures stuck to the refrigerator. Antiferromagnets hide their magnetism at the atomic scale but are increasingly prized for their technological potential. A third category discovered within the last decade may combine the best qualities of both. Dubbed altermagnets, they could someday help create faster, more energy-efficient electronics. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-diamond-quantum-sensor-reveal-elusive.html Condensed Matter Fri, 29 May 2026 15:20:02 EDT news699280720 Researchers at the University of Toronto's Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, working with collaborators around the world, have demonstrated the effectiveness of a suite of low-cost, portable biotechnology tools designed to improve access to laboratory research and diagnostics in resource-limited settings. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dried-reagents-powered-hardware-biomanufacturing.html Biotechnology Fri, 29 May 2026 14:00:02 EDT news699264902 Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is assessing damage to its launch pad after a rocket exploded during a test firing, creating a giant orange fireball seen and felt for miles around. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-blue-rocket-explosion-wreckage-ashore.html Space Exploration Fri, 29 May 2026 12:20:01 EDT news699274462 Tardigrades, also known as water bears or moss piglets, are tiny eight-legged animals that can survive in extreme environments, where humans and most other animals would die. This resistance to extreme conditions, including intense heat, very high or low temperatures, radiation and low oxygen levels is called "extremotolerance." https://phys.org/news/2026-05-tardigrades-reveal-extreme-blocking-survival.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 29 May 2026 10:40:05 EDT news699005070 In 2008, while investigating a clandestine drug lab, forensic scientists from WA's ChemCentre found something odd—a pile of wet bark, stripped from a wattle tree and stewed. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-wattle-psychedelics.html Ecology Fri, 29 May 2026 09:20:03 EDT news699263133 Topological phases are unusual states of matter that give rise to properties protected by a material's overall structure (i.e., "topology"), as opposed to microscopic details. These phases are of great interest for the development of quantum technologies, as they can yield desirable electronic properties that are robust against defects and disturbances. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-topological-states-emerge-quantum-hall.html Superconductivity Fri, 29 May 2026 07:00:01 EDT news698933871 Conservationists are in a race against time to prevent one of the world's rarest island plants from disappearing forever, after seeds collected from the only surviving wild Dendroseris neriifolia tree arrived at the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) at Kew Wakehurst in Sussex last month. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-kind-tree-cliffside-botanic-gardens.html Plants & Animals Fri, 29 May 2026 06:00:02 EDT news699206581 Teachers can address structural racism and xenophobia with students of any age and in any subject when schools provide training, materials, and professional support, say University of Michigan researchers. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-silence-teachers-racism-xenophobia-classroom.html Education Thu, 28 May 2026 20:20:01 EDT news699190689 Test burns involving wooden structures of varying heights suggest taller buildings tend to be more prolific producers of the wind-carried firebrands that are a leading cause of structure ignition in wildfires. The findings, published by Oregon State University College of Engineering researchers in Applications in Energy and Combustion Science are a step toward better predicting how fires in the wildland-urban interface will spread and also toward designing buildings that can help communities be more resilient to wildfire, the authors say. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-taller-blaze-embers.html Environment Thu, 28 May 2026 19:40:01 EDT news699190756 A new raptor-like dinosaur from some 70 million years ago that ate fish and behaved like modern herons has been unearthed from southern Patagonia. The new species, which has been named Kank australis, was identified based on the discovery of fossil remains including teeth, vertebrae, and toe bones. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-heron-fish-dinosaur-million-years.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 28 May 2026 19:10:06 EDT news699176102 Chemical bonding is one of the central organizing principles of the microscopic world. It determines how atoms combine and thereby governs a wide range of physical and chemical properties of quantum systems across many length scales, ranging from small molecules and biomolecules to macroscopically large solid materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-entanglement-framework-chemical-bonding.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 28 May 2026 18:50:01 EDT news699206701 Biomolecules are naturally occurring molecules that form the basis of living systems. They are widely used in the production of a diverse range of materials. One such widely used biomolecule is sulfated polysaccharide (SPS), which includes sugar molecules attached to sulfate groups. These are widely used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and functional materials due to their unique physical and biological properties. However, commercially available SPSs are usually derived from animal or marine sources, which raises concerns about their environmental impact, calling for alternative SPS production methods. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-genetically-cyanobacteria-production-sulfated-polysaccharide.html Biotechnology Thu, 28 May 2026 18:20:02 EDT news699204421 Physicists from Emory University have led work to develop a microscopic, nonlinear light source that can be switched on, off or tuned to a particular intensity by an electrical "knob." The paper is published in the journal Optica, and could aid in the design of smaller, more flexible technologies for communications, sensing and quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electrical-knob-tune-intensity-nanoscale.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 28 May 2026 17:50:01 EDT news699207961 Using finely tuned nanoscale building blocks, researchers from Brown University and the University of Michigan College of Engineering have stabilized a fleeting structural phase of matter that had been predicted theoretically but never before stabilized in a physical material. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-silver-nanoparticles-enable-theorized-previously.html Nanophysics Thu, 28 May 2026 17:30:01 EDT news699201122 Astronomical observations show that the most massive galaxies in the early universe formed approximately three to four billion years after the Big Bang and stopped producing stars very early in cosmic history, around one billion years after their formation. This strange behavior has puzzled experts in the field. For comparison, our galaxy, the Milky Way, is as old as the universe itself and continues to produce stars, albeit at a low rate, even 13.5 billion years after its formation. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-massive-galaxies-early-universe-stars.html Astronomy Thu, 28 May 2026 17:00:03 EDT news699200739 When doctors and scientists want to see inside a body, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful tool. MRI can noninvasively capture detailed images of the body's muscles, organs, and bones. It can monitor blood flow to generate a map of brain activity. And with new sensors developed by bioengineers at MIT, MRI can track the kinds of molecules that make our brains and bodies work. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mri-sensors-molecules-brain-body.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 28 May 2026 16:20:08 EDT news699193442 Scientists at the University of California, Riverside are making breakthroughs in understanding how quantum wave functions move across ultra-thin materials—research that could eventually improve solar energy technologies and help lay the groundwork for new forms of quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-vibronics-future-energy-technologies.html Condensed Matter Thu, 28 May 2026 15:00:02 EDT news699191461 A tiny sea creature might hold the secret to reversing the aging process. When treated with a brief series of electrical pulses, sea squirts experience dramatic and long-lasting health improvements that can significantly extend their lifespans, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford and other institutions. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electrical-pulses-reverse-aging-sea.html Biotechnology Thu, 28 May 2026 14:20:06 EDT news699190473 Researchers at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) and the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences have elucidated how the production of certain proteins and their insertion into the inner membrane of mitochondria are coordinated. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mitochondria-reveal-built-protein-production.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 28 May 2026 13:00:06 EDT news699187321 Honeycombs are famous for their elegant design, but now they may have found a new application: quantum computing. To collect knowledge from subatomic particles, quantum computers require carefully designed materials capable of performing necessary, complex functions. However, the metals used, such as ruthenium and iridium, are often rare and expensive, limiting the potential to build new technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-cobalt-honeycombs-path-quantum.html Condensed Matter Thu, 28 May 2026 11:20:05 EDT news699179222 On the moon, the lack of atmosphere and accompanying features such as biological activity, oxygen-rich air, flowing water and rain, wind, and most erosion allows the lunar regolith to preserve a long-term record of surface processes in the space environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-regolith-reveal-nanoscale-space-weathering.html Astronomy Thu, 28 May 2026 10:20:07 EDT news699178261 Researchers in Spain have discovered that in collectives of moving fire ants, rippling "waves" of density and activity are likely triggered by local regions where ants collectively travel in the same direction as their neighbors. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ripples-ant-motions-driven-neighbor.html General Physics Thu, 28 May 2026 10:00:07 EDT news699098891 New research published in BMC Biology helps to fill in questions about the so-called "Furongian gap" from about 497 million to 485 million years ago, when paleontologists previously thought there were far fewer fossils than periods before or after it. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-forgotten-museum-fossil-rewrite-animal.html Evolution Thu, 28 May 2026 09:00:02 EDT news699094381 In the next five years, the Earth is overwhelmingly likely to surge again and again past the international climate threshold set as safe and shatter its hottest-year record along the way, according to new United Nations climate projections. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hot-years.html Environment Thu, 28 May 2026 04:52:16 EDT news699162645 Persistent methane emissions from sectors such as agriculture and growing debates over the credibility of carbon offsets are creating new challenges for governments and companies pursuing net-zero commitments. New research suggests that temporary carbon storage may have a scientifically valid role in helping support climate goals, if used in the right way. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-temporary-carbon-climate-goals.html Environment Wed, 27 May 2026 19:20:01 EDT news699118801