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Phys.org / How plants respond to changing environments for better reproductive success

Once a seed germinates, it is committed to one location. Plants are sessile—stuck where they started out—forced to cope with whatever conditions arrive next. The only way out of trouble is to rebuild themselves in place.

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Photocatalysis enables direct coupling of native sugars and N-heteroarenes

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a "capping-and-coupling" strategy to transform naturally occurring (native) sugars directly into compounds known as C-heteroaryl glycosides. This ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Novel nanomaterial uses oxidative stress to kill cancer cells

Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a new nanomaterial that triggers a pair of chemical reactions inside cancer cells, killing the cells via oxidative stress while leaving healthy tissues alone. The study ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / A protein thought to play a supporting role in DNA replication actually facilitates the whole process

Every time a cell divides, it must copy its entire genome so that each daughter cell inherits a complete set of DNA. During that process, enzymes known as polymerases race along the DNA to copy its code and build new strands. ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Chip-sized optical amplifier can intensify light 100-fold with minimal energy

Light does a lot of work in the modern world, enabling all types of information technology, from TVs to satellites to fiber-optic cables that carry the internet across oceans. Stanford physicists recently found a way to make ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / King's Trough: How a shifting plate boundary and hot mantle material shaped an Atlantic mega-canyon

The King's Trough Complex is a several-hundred-kilometer-long, canyon-like system of trenches on the North Atlantic seafloor. Its formation was long thought to be the result of simple stretching of the oceanic crust. An international ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Cleaner ship fuel changed clouds, but not their climate balance

To reduce air pollution associated with ocean transport, the International Maritime Organization tightened restrictions on sulfur content in ship fuel, resulting in an 80% reduction in emissions by 2020. That shift created ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Collective intelligence: How to incentivize problem solving in groups

When a crowd gets something right, like guessing how many beans are in a jar, forecasting an election, or solving a difficult scientific problem, it's tempting to credit the sharpest individual in the room. But new research ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Ochre used in ancient graves in Finland reflects identity of deceased

Roughly 5,500–6,000 years ago, the area including present-day Finland was inhabited by hunter-fisher-gatherers living in small village-like clusters. Traveling via waterways, these people established permanent fishing systems, ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Massive runaway stars in the Milky Way: Observational study explores origins and ejection process

Researchers from the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), in collaboration with the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC), ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Svalbard polar bears show improved fat reserves despite sea ice loss

The body conditions of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) populations around the Norwegian island of Svalbard have improved despite sea ice losses, according to new findings. The findings differ from previously published observations ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Crosstalk inside cells helps pathogens evade drugs, study finds

Biologists have uncovered a new mode of communication inside cells that helps bacterial pathogens learn how to evade drugs. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, describe how these mechanisms drive ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Biology