Phys.org — page 16

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AI automates 3D membrane mapping, matching manual results in a fraction of time

Cell membranes and the proteins within them control many vital processes and play a key role in health and disease. But studying them in 3D images of cells has so far meant slow, manual work. A team from Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has developed MemBrain v2, an AI tool that automates this task—cutting work that once took weeks down to a few hours. The study is published in Nature Methods.

Phys.org13 Sept

Saltwater flooding could radically change which crops are worth growing

Saltwater isn't something most people associate with English farmland. But in parts of eastern England, it's becoming a growing problem, not just for crops but for farm incomes too.

Phys.org13 Sept

Luminescence dating pushes age of South Dakota's Mammoth Site back by more than 100,000 years

Deep within an ancient sinkhole lie the remains of dozens of mammoths, prehistoric wanderers who waded into the warm springs to their deaths. These deaths had long been accepted as having occurred roughly 26,000 years ago, but new dates published in the journal Quaternary Research suggest these ice-age giants were more than 160,000 years old.

Phys.org13 Sept

The tourism industry is slowly waking up to solo travelers' needs

Solo travel is surging—and an industry still largely built for two is taking note. Google reported in April 2026 that online searches involving "solo travel" hit an all-time high this year, with queries for "women solo travel" reaching a 15-year peak. Hilton's 2026 trends report found that 26% of travelers planned to take a trip alone this year and that nearly half said they planned to add solo days to the front or back of a family trip.

Phys.org13 Sept

Gravitational-wave analysis narrows the search for black hole impostors

Black holes are regions of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. When two black holes orbit each other and merge, they produce gravitational waves (i.e., ripples in spacetime) that can resemble those emitted by mergers involving other exotic compact objects.

Phys.org13 Sept

Fish may be highly sensitive to antidepressants found in water

Many of the drugs that target human brain chemistry, such as antidepressants, are still biologically active when they leave the body. These substances and their metabolites can persist in wastewater and eventually end up in the sea, rivers or other aquatic environments.

Phys.org13 Sept

Cataract surgery will be needed in space, surgeon predicts

An eye surgeon with a passion for space since childhood predicts that as astronauts start to make journeys to the moon and Mars in the near future, eye surgery in space will eventually become a necessity.

Phys.org13 Sept

A 1,000-fold longer charge lifetime helps organic catalyst produce solar hydrogen faster

Researchers from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with researchers from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of CAS, have developed a coumarin-linked covalent organic framework (COF) that enables high-efficiency photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production.

Phys.org13 Sept

NASA's next great observatory could spot oceans on distant worlds

We've found more than 5,500 exoplanets so far. Dozens of them are in the habitable zones of their parent stars, where, at least in theory, they could host an ocean. But we've never definitively found a liquid ocean on another planet.

Phys.org13 Sept

Researchers pinpoint key early-universe measurement with record precision

An international team, including researchers from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, has reached a major milestone in "precision cosmology" by measuring the amount of helium created in the universe's first five minutes with unprecedented accuracy.

Phys.org13 Sept

Ancient armored fish evolved two distinct ways to crush prey 385 million years ago

Long before dinosaurs appeared on Earth, fierce predatory fish developed crushing jaws and sharp teeth to survive and diversify in ancient oceans.

Phys.org13 Sept

AI could make holiday planning easier for overwhelmed travelers

Generative AI could help overwhelmed travelers organize their thoughts, compare options and complete vacation plans they might otherwise abandon, according to new research from the University of Surrey.

Phys.org13 Sept

Magnetic nanoparticles detect amoxicillin allergy with 98% sensitivity in early tests

A multidisciplinary scientific team at the University of Malaga has developed a new technology based on magnetic nanoparticles that enables precise, rapid and reliable diagnosis of allergy to beta-lactam antibiotics, including amoxicillin and other penicillins.

Phys.org12 Sept

Six ways people have used magic to protect their homes throughout history—from witch bottles to 'hag stones'

Virtually all cultures and eras fizz with magic. You might call it a secret ingredient of human life because magic takes so many forms and serves so many functions.

Phys.org12 Sept

Japan's Hayabusa2 achieves first-ever laser ranging experiment with an asteroid

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa2 spacecraft reached another milestone this summer, a first for space agencies. On Sunday, July 5, the probe conducted the first successful laser-ranging experiment during a flyby of asteroid Torifune, the first exploration target of Hayabusa2's Extended Mission. This latest milestone will advance the capabilities of JAXA and other space agencies as they pursue future missions involving near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and other deep-space objects.

Phys.org12 Sept

A brief history of the hangover and its remedies—from cabbages to cloves and the lungs of a goat

Anyone who has ever woken up with a hangover will recognize its physical and psychological effects: headache, nausea, self-loathing, regret and perhaps even some shame at the uninhibited behavior that accompanied the intoxication.

Phys.org12 Sept

Unified framework shows thermoelectric performance depends on more than the material itself

Thermoelectric materials can directly convert heat into electricity, making them promising for recovering waste heat from factories, vehicles and other sources. They can also transport heat when an electric current is applied through a phenomenon known as the Peltier effect. These properties have attracted considerable interest in energy-saving technologies and thermal management.

Phys.org12 Sept

Silicon nanosphere coatings deliver glossy, nonfading color on 3D surfaces

"Color coatings are expected to provide vivid color, brightness, gloss and long-term durability, yet no existing technology satisfies all of these requirements simultaneously," says Kobe University materials engineer Hiroshi Sugimoto. Conventional coatings usually rely on relatively thick pigment layers that fade and add significant weight.

Phys.org12 Sept

Unexpected Amazon hotspot: Central north faces fastest rise in extreme heat and water stress

The central north Amazon, with extensive areas of high forest cover, natural savannas and vast, important Indigenous territories, was not previously considered the area most affected by climate change.

Phys.org12 Sept

Southern Ocean may flip from carbon sink to carbon source under mitigation scenarios

Plans to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels depend on reaching net-zero emissions and, in many cases, actively removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. While this helps limit extreme weather, sea level rise, ecosystem loss and the risk of triggering irreversible climate tipping points, a new study, published in Science Advances, finds that reducing CO2 levels may have an unexpected effect. Climate simulations used in the study suggest that the Southern Ocean around Antarctica may switch from being an important carbon sink to being a prolific source of carbon.

Phys.org12 Sept