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Phys.org / Fossil plankton shells reveal reduced nitrogen fixation in warmer oceans 3 million years ago

Nitrogen is a key nutrient because it fuels the growth of plankton, which forms the basis of the marine food web. Two opposing processes determine the global nitrogen cycle: nitrogen fixation and denitrification.

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Plasma and electricity convert CO₂ into methanol, butane and other useful chemicals

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) can be harmful to the environment in large amounts but can be used in the production of fuels and other useful chemicals. Doing so isn't easy, though. Now, Yale researchers have developed a new way to ...

Sep 15, 2026
Phys.org / Without bacteria or chemicals: How methanol and formaldehyde form abiotically in nature

The biopolymer lignin—one of the most important carbon reservoirs in plants and soils—not only decays through fungi or bacteria but can also be chemically attacked by iron linked to reactive oxygen species, without the involvement ...

Sep 16, 2026
Medical Xpress / Ultrasound may offer a noninvasive way to manage deep muscle stiffness

Muscle strain injuries are a common problem in sports, and injuries to the triceps surae, the calf muscle group that includes the gastrocnemius and soleus, can significantly affect athletic performance and return to play. ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / A world 20 light-years away reveals surprisingly organized, Jupiter-like weather

Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have developed a way to unravel changing weather patterns on distant worlds. Using this approach, they discovered that the weather on a well-studied brown dwarf, SIMP 0136, previously ...

Sep 16, 2026
Phys.org / Are bots changing how people talk? Language in the age of AI

A Facebook post about your trip to Peru. An Amazon review of a new toaster oven. An email to the super about the inflatable reindeer blocking the hallway. You phrase and rephrase things all day without thinking that anyone—or ...

Sep 18, 2026
Phys.org / Ubiquitin marks abnormal glycogen for destruction to protect the brain, study finds

Researchers at the University of Cambridge and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology have discovered a previously unknown cellular defense system that protects the brain from abnormal glycogen accumulation, which is linked ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / First-of-its-kind preventive phage therapy provides promising results against Salmonella

The mammalian gut microbiome teems with a delicate balance of bacteria and the viruses that keep them in check, called bacteriophages, or phages. Each bacterial species usually has its own set of phage partners.

Sep 16, 2026
Phys.org / Henry VIII's dissolution enforcer stashed Catholic manuscript—its lost pages have just been rediscovered

Sir John Gage, a key figure in Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, saved a dangerous Catholic book from likely destruction, a new study suggests. The identification of six lost pages of a medieval bestseller—illicitly ...

Sep 16, 2026
Phys.org / Thinking outside the binding site: Drug molecule makes a square peg fit a round hole

A square peg doesn't fit a round hole. But what if the peg could change the shape of the hole? A newly developed drug molecule can do something surprisingly similar when binding to its target protein, according to a University ...

Sep 16, 2026
Phys.org / A finely tuned mess—how disorder can make networks more stable

Perfection is overrated—at least when it comes to complex systems like the power grid, food webs and advanced materials. For decades, scientists generally assumed that networks function most reliably when their individual ...

Sep 17, 2026
Phys.org / Newfound fungal nutrient-sensing mechanism could advance biofuels and disease control

Scientists have taken a step toward a better understanding of how fungi sense and respond to nutrients in the environment, which is critical for engineering fungi for green technologies and combating fungal pathogens and ...

Sep 17, 2026