Phys.org news
Phys.org / This German dialect leaves AI baffled, exposing a digital language blind spot
How well do language models understand Meenzerisch, the dialect spoken in the German city of Mainz? A research team led by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has now investigated this question for the first time. Meenzerisch ...
Phys.org / Field-ready tool identifies rare and zoonotic parasitic worms missed by standard tests
Parasitic nematodes (commonly known as roundworms) are a large, diverse and poorly studied group of disease-causing organisms that severely impact the health of humans and animals. They infect almost one-quarter of the global ...
Phys.org / Migrating charges unlock hard-to-reach C-H bond edits in organic molecules
A team at the University of Vienna, led by chemist Nuno Maulide, has developed a new method for controlling chemical reactions in a more targeted and efficient manner. At the heart of this is the concept of "cation sampling": ...
Phys.org / Silver vine or catnip? When cats can choose, silver vine wins
What plant do cats love most? In Europe and North America, many people would probably answer "catnip." In Japan, the answer would more likely be silver vine (matatabi in Japanese). Both plants are famous for triggering the ...
Phys.org / Overlooked 'history force' may skew particle motion by up to 60% in shaken fluids
Physicists at the University of Bayreuth have investigated the so-called Basset–Boussinesq history force acting on particles in fluids. Due to the difficulty of calculating it, this force is often neglected—a fact that Bayreuth ...
Phys.org / TriPcides target MRSA, suppress infection and kill dormant bacteria to open a new front against antibiotic resistance
In a new study, researchers show how so‑called TriPcides can target the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, including antibiotic‑resistant strains such as MRSA. The compounds disrupt the bacteria's ability to cause infection ...
Phys.org / New shell helps gold nanoparticles keep shape under laser heat longer
Gold nanoparticles, which are about one-thousandth the width of a human hair, can convert light they receive from a laser into heat. This capacity, known in medicine as photothermal therapy, is effective at destroying cancer ...
Phys.org / Scientists solve 200-year-old puzzle of how tobacco plants make nicotine
Scientists have uncovered how tobacco plants naturally make nicotine, solving a mystery that has puzzled researchers for nearly two centuries. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, could lead to safer production ...
Phys.org / Urban life makes animals bolder, more aggressive across 133 species, analysis finds
A global analysis has found that urban animals are bolder and more aggressive, exploratory and active than their rural counterparts. The findings are published in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
Phys.org / Proteins that create ice inspire 'cool' applications, from cryomedicine to artificial snow
Bacteria from the Middle East have caused precipitation all the way out in California. The same bacteria, which are known to attack plants, have also been found embedded within lumps of hail in West Africa.
Phys.org / Imperfect polymer sequences still control protein function, revealing new design rules
What happens when a scientific problem seems too complex to solve precisely, yet understanding it could reshape how researchers design new materials and medicines? For decades, much of the polymer science community has relied ...
Phys.org / Brutal field trip provides new insights into Arctic winter
It was the hardest field trip they had ever been on, but the result was both surprising and exciting. After hiking 9 kilometers with a 400-meter elevation gain and carrying heavy backpacks through very rocky terrain, the ...
