Phys.org news

Phys.org / Tropical flowers are blooming weeks later than they used to through climate change

Climate change has caused some tropical plants to flower earlier or later than they used to; in some cases by a matter of weeks or even months, according to a study of 8,000 flowers across more than two centuries, published ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Worming out the molecular secrets behind collective behavior

Studying social behavior is crucial for understanding how certain neuromodulatory pathways—like the serotonin pathway, which influences mood and social interactions—are regulated. Kavita Babu, Professor at the Centre ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Iron and blue LEDs synthesize natural molecules, cutting the need for expensive chiral components

Photocatalysts facilitate chemical reactions by absorbing light. Metal-based photocatalysts are widely used in organic synthesis due to their durability and the ability to tune their function by modifying the ligands attached ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Bacterial pathogens build antibiotic-resistant 'bunkers' using filament scaffolds

Researchers have discovered and characterized at the atomic level a mechanism that enables bacterial pathogens—including hospital bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa—to assemble antibiotic-resistant ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Ocean warming drives a nearly 20% annual decline in fish biomass, research confirms

According to a new study by the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC) and the National University of Colombia, chronic ocean warming is driving a nearly 20% annual decline in fish biomass. However, the researchers ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / This mysterious protein punctures our cells—now researchers know how

The human body is a dynamic place. Blood pumps, spinal fluid flows, oxygen comes in and carbon dioxide goes out. Deeper still, charged molecules pass through cell walls, quietly keeping the body's systems in balance. A new ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / E-waste chemicals are appearing in dolphins and porpoises

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are critical components of laptop, television, and smartphone screens. Given their ubiquity in the environment, these compounds are considered persistent pollutants, posing threats to marine ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Combination of wildfires and seismic lines may limit spread of non-native plants in Canada's boreal forest

A pair of disturbances common in Western Canada's boreal forests, when combined, may have an unexpected benefit of limiting the spread of non-native plant species, a University of Alberta study shows. The research gauged ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Climate change could fragment habitat for monarch butterflies, disrupting mass migration

Suitable habitat for migrating monarch butterflies will shift southwards because of climate change, according to a study published in PLOS Climate by Francisco Botello and Carolina Ureta at the National Autonomous University ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Viruses reveal shared way to kill bacteria by jamming small transporter MurJ

Biochemists at Caltech have identified how viruses have converged on a method for killing bacteria. The researchers have homed in on an underexplored small transporter called MurJ that is a vital part of the pathway bacteria ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Celebrity dolphin of Venice doesn't need special protection—except from humans

Bottlenose dolphins usually live in small to medium-sized groups in coastal and open-sea waters, but every once in a while, a dolphin might leave its pod behind, flock to coastal areas and approach human settlements. While ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Physicists develop new method to measure universe's expansion rate

We have known for several decades that the universe is expanding. Scientists use multiple techniques to measure the present-day expansion rate of the universe, known as the Hubble constant. These methods are internally consistent ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Astronomy & Space