Phys.org news
Phys.org / New energy-boosting quantum mechanism discovered in photosynthetic bacteria
Researchers have discovered how certain photosynthetic bacteria use a sophisticated quantum mechanism to increase their efficiency when capturing sunlight. The study, published today in the journal Nature Chemistry and led ...
Phys.org / Next-generation pesticide disrupts bumblebee reproduction
Bumblebees are only an inch long, but they help power the global food system. Roughly one-third of the food we grow depends on pollinators like bees—and those bees are regularly decimated by pesticides.
Phys.org / Discovery of how cells maintain their DNA could shield key healthy cells from chemotherapy side effects
A new study conducted by scientists at the University of Sheffield in collaboration with researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center in the U.S. has found a protein that could help guide which cells chemotherapies target. ...
Phys.org / 500-million-year fossil record reveals corals' symbiotic advantage shifted with changing environments
Coral reef ecosystems, widely seen as a climate change bellwether, are more complex than previously understood. A new international study by the universities of Bristol, Wuhan in China, and Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany reveals ...
Phys.org / Controlling ice crystal growth using polymer nanoparticles
Ice formation can damage biological samples, tissues and materials during freezing and thawing. In nature, specialized molecules known as ice-binding proteins prevent ice crystals from growing too large, helping organisms ...
Phys.org / Researchers find microplastics in hedgehogs—then trace them back to pet food
When colleagues and I found microplastics in hedgehog droppings, we wanted to know where they were coming from. One answer was surprisingly close to home: pet food.
Phys.org / Plant protein pair reveals new wood-formation mechanism
Researchers from the Biosciences Department at Durham University have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps plants control the formation of wood, a finding that could open new directions for research into plant ...
Phys.org / Symbiotic partner-swapping or long-term fidelity? Partnership success between beetles and bacteria revealed
Some insects and microbes develop symbiotic partnerships that become so interdependent they can no longer survive without each other. But how specific are these heritable symbioses? Is it possible for the same species of ...
Phys.org / Unique instruments automate sample preparation, quality control for cryo-electron microscopy
Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) can help scientists determine the three-dimensional structure of proteins in unprecedented detail. Jacques Dubochet, former group leader at EMBL, shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry ...
Phys.org / New AI tool identifies wild animals by their unique patterns in real time
Patterns reveal the individual: A novel AI algorithm equips researchers with a powerful new tool to accurately identify individual jaguars, zebras and giraffes in real time based on their unique coat patterns. Biologists ...
Phys.org / Drug peptides defy shape rules, activating receptors without full spiral form
When many of us think about how drugs work in the body, we may first think about how a drug gets into the body, such as a pill versus an injection. In the Gellman Group at the UW–Madison Department of Chemistry, researchers ...
Phys.org / DNA loops reveal how immune cells build millions of antibodies from one genome
How does your body produce millions of antibodies from one genome? New research reveals how two closely related proteins help immune cells fold DNA, connecting distant genetic pieces to create diverse antibodies that help ...
