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Phys.org / Breadcrumbs offer fossil fuel–free production of everyday goods

The humble breadcrumb could hold the key to cutting out fossil fuels from one of the chemical industry's most widely used reactions, according to a new study. Scientists have found a one-pot microbial formula that uses waste ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Plant hormone therapy could improve global food security by balancing growth with immunity

Plants have an immune system, like people, and when it is triggered by threats like disease or pests, a plant's defenses are activated. But there's a downside to this protective mechanism: the plant's growth is suppressed ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / A new method reveals hidden rules of gene control

Inside every cell, thousands of molecular signals collide, overlap, and compensate, obscuring the true drivers of gene expression. Scientists have now developed a way to silence that cellular noise, revealing transcription ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Biology
Tech Xplore / A heatshield for 'never-wet' surfaces: Engineers repel even near-boiling water with low-cost, scalable coating

Superhydrophobic surfaces—those famously "never-wet" materials that make water bead up and roll away—have a stubborn weakness: hot water. Once temperatures climb above roughly 40 degrees Celsius, many superhydrophobic ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Engineering
Phys.org / How cells manage nitric oxide: Research uncovers dynamic 'gate' that tames powerful signaling molecule

Cornell researchers have uncovered a built-in molecular "gate" that controls the production of the molecule nitric oxide, a crucial signaling molecule throughout biology that in humans helps regulate blood pressure, brain ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Q&A: Why the fall of Mexico's most wanted kingpin matters

Mexico stands at a critical security crossroads following the confirmed death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, the founder and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Feb 24, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Missing geomagnetic reversals: Earth's past may be incomplete

Several studies have predicted that not all geomagnetic reversals have been discovered, but it was unknown in which periods they might be hidden. Researchers led by the National Institute of Polar Research used a statistical ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Earth
Medical Xpress / Triggering self-combustion in fat cells for weight loss

Ordinary fat cells in obese animals can be induced to burn energy stores, generating substantial heat, according to a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. In the study, published in Nature Metabolism, ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Overweight & Obesity
Phys.org / Ultrafast X-rays reveal physical principles behind lipoprotein motion within egg yolk plasma

Egg yolk may appear runny and uniform, but on the nanoscale, it is one of the most crowded biological fluids in nature. Packed with proteins and fats, it serves as a dense storage reservoir for a developing embryo. Yet the ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Medical Xpress / Lifespan-extending treatments increase variation in age at time of death

A key goal in aging research is not just to extend life, but to ensure more people live longer and healthier lives with less variation in age at death, a concept known as "squaring the survival curve." Using a recent meta-analysis, ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Gerontology & Geriatrics
Phys.org / Between flood and drought: The metric that could better explain what happens to water in the age of climate change

A key question in any discussion about climate is "How much rain fell?" But perhaps there is an even more important one. Like any household budget, the global water economy is based on "income," that is, water entering the ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Earth
Medical Xpress / Ultrasound gives the brain a nudge in the right direction

Neuroscientist Soha Farboud of the Donders Institute at Radboud University has succeeded in adjusting activity in specific brain areas using a new technique. With ultrasonic brain stimulation, she was able to influence whether ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Neuroscience