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. Despite a barren start to Colorado's ski season, Winter Park Resort opened on Halloween and served up holiday powder. The ski area's secret is a contraption a few miles upwind of the chairlifts that looks like a meat smoker strapped to the top of a ladder. When weather conditions are just right, a Winter Park contractor fires up the machine, burning a fine dust of silver iodide into the sky—a process known as cloud seeding. Ideally, the particles disappear into a cloud that is cold enough and wet enough to produce snow, but may need a nudge. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-resorts-drones-dire-drought.html Environment Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:50:01 EST news689848892 A recent study by a team of researchers led by TU Darmstadt has found that tiny amounts of liquid can navigate their way through unknown environments like living cells—without sensors, computers or external control. The tiny droplets can navigate autonomously, are able to detect obstacles from a distance and move reliably through complex mazes—without cameras or electronics. The reason for this is a mechanism that the research team refers to as "chemical echolocation." https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tiny-droplets-mazes-chemical-echolocation.html General Physics Tue, 03 Feb 2026 08:16:38 EST news689328962 The precise control of tiny droplets on surfaces is essential for advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and next‐generation lab‐on‐a‐chip diagnostics. However, once droplet volume reaches pico- and nanoliter scales, the droplets become extremely sensitive to microscopic surface irregularities, and friction at the solid‐liquid interface becomes a major obstacle to smooth transport. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-liquid-repellent-particle-coating-enables.html Nanophysics Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:24:31 EST news689001842 The origin of life from Earth's primordial chemistry has long fascinated and perplexed us. Generations of scientists have endeavored to understand how complex biochemistry developed from organic compounds. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have recently found that the conditions inside certain, naturally forming droplets promote reduction and oxidation (redox) reactions, which are crucial for life. The results support the idea that these droplets could have acted as proto-enzymes, enabling the formation of more complicated organic molecules. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-rna-droplets-prebiotic-earth-complex.html Biochemistry Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:10:27 EST news688929001 At the Department of Ion Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Innsbruck, a research team has succeeded for the first time in storing electrically charged helium nanodroplets in an ion trap for up to one minute. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ion-enables-minute-nanocosmos.html Nanophysics Tue, 20 Jan 2026 08:55:19 EST news688121701 Bushfires are strongly driven by weather: hot, dry and windy conditions can combine to create the perfect environment for flames to spread across the landscape. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-bushfires-weather.html Earth Sciences Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:15:30 EST news687172502 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators have developed a new type of lidar—a laser-based remote-sensing instrument—that can observe cloud structures at the scale of a single centimeter. The scientists used this high-resolution lidar to directly observe fine cloud structures in the uppermost portion of laboratory-generated clouds. This capability for studying cloud tops with resolution that is 100 to 1,000 times higher than traditional atmospheric science lidars enables pairing with measurements in well-controlled chamber experiments in a way that has not been possible before. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ultra-high-resolution-lidar-reveals.html Earth Sciences Tue, 23 Dec 2025 09:50:04 EST news685705220 A 400-mile blanket of fog has socked in California's Central Valley for weeks. Scientists and meteorologists say the conditions for such persistent cloud cover are ripe: an early wet season, cold temperatures and a stable, unmoving high pressure system. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-social-media-users-central-valley.html Earth Sciences Mon, 22 Dec 2025 09:03:04 EST news685616540 Whether it's Greek ouzo, French pastis or Turkish raki, when these spirits are diluted with water, the mixture becomes cloudy. The reason for this is that the aniseed oils contained in the spirit dissolve well in alcohol but not in water. The clear ouzo from the bottle has a high alcohol content at which the oil is fully soluble. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ouzo-effect-reveals-oil-droplets.html Soft Matter Wed, 17 Dec 2025 13:11:37 EST news685199466 An atmospheric phenomenon occurring over much of California was unmistakable in satellite imagery in late autumn 2025. Fog stretching some 400 miles (640 kilometers) across the state's Central Valley appeared day after day for more than two weeks in late November and early December. Known as tule (TOO-lee) fog, named after a sedge that grows in the area's marshes, these low clouds tend to form in the valley in colder months when winds are light and soils are moist. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-unrelenting-tule-fog.html Environment Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:15:10 EST news684753301 Oil-in-water droplets respond to chemical cues by forming arm-like extensions that resemble filopodia, which are used by living cells to sense and explore their environment. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-cells-oil-droplets-arms-response.html Biochemistry Tue, 09 Dec 2025 15:35:15 EST news684516902 A KAIST research team has developed a new water-based air purification technology that combines nano water droplets that capture dust with a nano sponge structure that autonomously draws up water, enabling dust removal using nano water droplets without filters. It offers a self-supplied water operation with long-term, quiet, and safe performance. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-nano-droplet-technology-ultrafine-air.html Nanomaterials Mon, 08 Dec 2025 09:02:24 EST news684406921 Inside human cells, biology has pulled off the ultimate packing job, figuring out how to fit six feet of DNA into a nucleus about one-tenth as wide as a human hair while making sure the all-important molecules can still function. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-scientists-capture-droplet-compacted-dna.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:00:08 EST news683997802 In hydrogen production catalysts, water droplets must detach easily from the surface to prevent blockage by bubbles, allowing for faster hydrogen generation. In semiconductor manufacturing, the quality of the process is determined by how evenly water or liquid spreads on the surface, or how quickly it dries. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-success-nano-droplets-real-images.html Nanophysics Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:40:33 EST news683977201 Scientists at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have discovered how a gene-regulating protein forms tiny liquid-like droplets inside the cell nucleus (the compartment that stores and manages DNA) to guard against cancer. Their study, published in Nature Communications, shows that these protein droplets act as control centers that keep tumor-suppressor genes switched on. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-protein-droplets-nucleus-cancer.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 21 Nov 2025 12:58:17 EST news682952272 A research team has developed a fluorescent probe that allows scientists to visualize how individual lipid droplets break down inside living cells in real time. The probe changes its fluorescence properties depending on the chemical composition of each droplet, which allows researchers to observe not only their location within cells, but also their metabolic activity during lipid breakdown. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-scientists-metabolic-individual-lipid-droplets.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Nov 2025 12:32:03 EST news682777921 Winter is setting in across the Northern Hemisphere, and with it, cold and cloudy winter days. Clouds play a vital role in the environment, providing rain but also reflecting sunlight before it reaches Earth's surface. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-air-pollution-clouds-sunlight.html Environment Mon, 17 Nov 2025 11:44:05 EST news682602242 The world's largest species of seal has been devastated by bird flu, which has wiped out half of all breeding females at a key wildlife haven near Antarctica, scientists warned Thursday. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-bird-flu-female-elephant-south.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Nov 2025 11:36:50 EST news682256198 Earth is reflecting less sunlight, and absorbing more heat, than it did several decades ago. Global warming is advancing faster than climate models predicted, with observed temperatures exceeding projections in 2023 and 2024. These trends have scientists scrambling to understand why the atmosphere is letting more light in. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-cleaner-air-clouds.html Earth Sciences Wed, 05 Nov 2025 05:00:08 EST news681469861 Water droplets can slide down or bounce off a leaf's surface because it has a waxy hydrophobic (water-repellent) coating. However, this poses a challenge to farmers when pesticides are sprayed, as the droplets can bounce off plants without sticking to them, and contaminate soil and water. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-sticky-solution-pesticide-deposition.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:18:03 EST news681488282 As an alternative to single-use plastic wrap and paper cup coatings, researchers in Langmuir report a way to waterproof materials using edible fungus. Along with fibers made from wood, the fungus produced a layer that blocks water, oil and grease absorption. In a proof-of-concept study, the impervious film grew on common materials such as paper, denim, polyester felt and thin wood, revealing its potential to replace plastic coatings with sustainable, natural materials. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-edible-fungus-paper-fabric-liquid.html Biochemistry Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:40:50 EDT news680276448 EPFL researchers have discovered that a droplet of liquid can bounce for several minutes—and perhaps indefinitely—over a vibrating solid surface. The seemingly simple observation has big implications for physics and chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-tiny-droplets-minutes-indefinitely.html General Physics Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:38:03 EDT news680179081 A glass plate, a delicate tube and an oil bath are all that is required: thanks to a new method, researchers at ETH Zurich can produce tens of thousands of tiny droplets within minutes. This enables them to test enzymes and active ingredients faster, more precisely and in a more resource-efficient manner than previously. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-drugs-tens-thousands-minuscule-droplets.html Biotechnology Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:09:04 EDT news679921741 New research led by Flinders University has shed light on one of chemistry's big mysteries by describing how simple salts exist near the surface of liquid solvents. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-insights-salt-common-solvent-surfaces.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 17 Oct 2025 11:30:03 EDT news679919401 Imagine you are standing on a slippery surface and the slightest imbalance makes you stumble. Researchers in the College of Engineering and Computer Science have developed such a surface, not for you, but for water droplets. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-students-slippery-repellent-surface-wax.html Materials Science Mon, 29 Sep 2025 07:13:04 EDT news678348782 The Ganges River is in crisis. This lifeline for around 600 million people in India and neighboring countries is experiencing its worst drying period in 1,300 years. Using a combination of historical data, paleoclimate records and hydrological models, researchers from IIT Gandhinagar and the University of Arizona discovered that human activity is the main cause. They also found that the current drying is more severe than any recorded drought in the river's history. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-ganges-river-drying-unprecedented.html Earth Sciences Wed, 24 Sep 2025 09:34:33 EDT news677925262 Tiny solid particles—like pollutants, cloud droplets and medicine powders—form highly concentrated clusters in turbulent environments like smokestacks, clouds and pharmaceutical mixers. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-uncover-tiny-particles-clusters-turbulent.html General Physics Thu, 18 Sep 2025 08:53:27 EDT news677404403 Ice formation on propeller blades or aircraft wings can cause major problems. It can limit flight time, increase costs and pose safety and environmental risks. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-icing-problems-aircraft-drones.html Nanomaterials Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:30:03 EDT news676716769 When a droplet of liquid the size of a grain of icing sugar hits a water-repelling surface, like plastics or certain plant leaves, it can meet one of two fates: stick or bounce. Until now, scientists thought bouncing depended only on how repellent the surface was and how the droplet lost its impact energy. Speed, they assumed, didn't matter. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-tiny-droplets-physics-size.html General Physics Wed, 10 Sep 2025 08:38:04 EDT news676712281 A study by researchers at the University of Oxford, University of Leeds, and University College London has identified a new constraint on the chemistry of Earth's core, by showing how it was able to crystallize millions of years ago. The study is published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-hidden-chemistry-earth-core-revealed.html Earth Sciences Thu, 04 Sep 2025 05:00:09 EDT news676046761