Phys.org news

Phys.org / Sharper gene scissors for the biotechnology toolbox

The goal of gene therapy is to permanently cure hereditary diseases. One of the most promising technologies for this is the CRISPR/Cas system, colloquially known as gene scissors. These can cut and modify DNA in a targeted ...

Oct 22, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Marine algae use a unique pigment, siphonein, to shield photosynthesis from excess light

Too much sun can ruin photosynthesis, scorching plants and other organisms that depend on capturing sunlight for energy. Beneath the waves, though, algae have found a clever shield.

Oct 22, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / How molecular signaling bias can lead to better drug design

About one-third of all drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration target the largest family of cell membrane receptors called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).

Oct 22, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Decoding how pH controls the chemistry of clean energy

The pH, or the acidity or alkalinity of an environment, has long been known to affect how efficiently catalysts drive key electrochemical reactions. Yet despite decades of research, the atomic-scale mechanisms behind these ...

Oct 22, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Fiji's coral reefs show remarkable recovery after Category 5 cyclone

A new study led by WCS, University of the South Pacific, and partners has found that coral reefs in Fiji showed remarkable resilience after being battered by Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016. Despite losing more ...

Oct 22, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / 'Messy' galaxies in the early universe struggled to settle, Webb reveals

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have captured the most detailed look yet at how galaxies formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang—and found they were far more chaotic and messy ...

Oct 21, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Nonlocality-enabled photonic analogies unlock wormholes and multiple realities in optical systems

Researchers have harnessed nonlocal artificial materials to create optical systems that emulate parallel spaces, wormholes, and multiple realities. A single material acts as two distinct optical media or devices simultaneously, ...

Oct 21, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Graphene partially screens van der Waals interactions depending on layer thickness, study reveals

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, which are only a few atoms thick, are known to exhibit unique electrical, mechanical and optical properties, which differ considerably from the properties of bulk materials. Some recent studies ...

Oct 21, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / TESS detects two new Jupiter-sized exoplanets orbiting dwarf stars

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and elsewhere, have discovered two new exoplanets orbiting M-dwarf stars. The newfound alien worlds are ...

Oct 21, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Dust from far side of the moon could reveal more about origin of water in our solar system

Dust brought back to Earth by China's Chang'e-6 mission contains rare meteorite relics that could change our understanding of sources of water and other life-essential ingredients in our solar system.

Oct 21, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Commercially important fish found congregating at methane seep off Chile

A team of scientists from Chile and the United States discovered dozens of red cusk-eels, fish prized in Chilean seafood markets and celebrated in a poem by renowned Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, embedded in a bushy thicket ...

Oct 21, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Eating carrion may have made us human: The importance of scavenging in our evolution

A recent study proposes a new paradigm for understanding the role of carrion in the subsistence of human populations throughout their evolution. Ana Mateos and Jesús Rodríguez, scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigación ...

Oct 21, 2025 in Biology