Phys.org news

Phys.org / Wounds may trigger 'aged' cells within hours, reshaping how senescence starts

What if a process we associate with aging actually helps the body heal? A study led by Mikolaj Ogrodnik, LBI Trauma, published in Nature Cell Biology, shows that cells enter a state of senescence within minutes to hours after ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / From hybrids to 'virgin birth,' stick insects reveal stepwise loss of sex

The evolution of sex remains one of biology's greatest puzzles. While sexual reproduction dominates across the animal kingdom, scientists still debate why it persists despite its high costs. Even more mysterious is the loss ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient land plant reveals the evolution of a 400‑million‑year‑old UV‑B protection system

Sunlight provides the energy necessary for photosynthesis and growth, but it also exposes plants to harmful ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. Plants must therefore strike a delicate balance between growth and protection. By ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / Researchers discover how to turn one germ's drug resistance into an Achilles' heel

Decades of reliance on the antibiotic rifampicin have fueled the rise of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). But as the bacterium mutates to protect itself from the drug, it also creates new weak points that ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / Better math discriminates exotic from classical materials

The planar Hall effect is a tabletop diagnostic tool for special quantum properties useful in basic research and technological applications. Or so it was thought, because careful calculation by Kobe University researchers ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / Space station dust maps slash climate uncertainty over iron-rich particles

New research from a team of scientists led by Cornell is transforming how researchers understand one of the atmosphere's most abundant and least understood constituents: mineral dust.

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / Young and unemployed? Remote work, not AI, may be the problem, study finds

The rise of remote work since the pandemic has made businesses more reluctant to hire young, inexperienced workers and is the key driver of higher unemployment rates for recent college graduates, a study released Monday has ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / Understanding how things connect helps people invent, 1,200-player experiment suggests

Our capacity for innovation, rather than being the work of random variation, is based on an intrinsic understanding of how the world works, claim Karolinska Institutet and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam researchers in a new ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / Microbes turn biodiesel byproduct into three nylon building blocks, opening greener route

Nylon is a representative plastic material used throughout our daily lives, from clothing to automobiles. However, most of its raw materials have been produced through petrochemical processes, resulting in large carbon emissions. ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / Living brain gene activity revealed noninvasively through programmable blood test

Cell function is determined by how DNA is expressed into proteins. That process includes two main steps—transcription, when messenger RNA (mRNA) makes copies of active genes; and translation, when mRNA guides protein assembly.

Jun 1, 2026
Dialog / Bridged or not? Scientists uncover a key step in hydrogenase assembly

How does nature build one of the most sophisticated catalytic metal centers found in biology? An international team of researchers has now resolved a long-standing debate surrounding the assembly of the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases—enzymes ...

Jun 1, 2026
Phys.org / Cold-grown plankton shells sharpen Arctic climate reconstructions

Researchers at iC3 have found a way to improve records of past high latitude ocean change using tiny plankton shells called foraminifera. By growing these foraminifera under controlled cold-water conditions, the team has ...

Jun 1, 2026