Phys.org news
Phys.org / Microbes sense neighbors and change jobs to reduce competition, offering clue to coexistence
New research from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, published in Nature Microbiology, reveals that when microbes live together, they can sense one another and actively reduce competition by shifting toward different roles ...
Phys.org / Revolving doors and efficient engines: How proteins escape a molecular tangle
Trying to untangle a knot in a mess of strings can be frustrating and time-consuming. But not so for molecular machines—molecules that convert chemical energy into mechanical work and motion. Machines from the AAA+ family, ...
Phys.org / Mini-antibodies reactivate the 'guardian of the genome'
Each year, 20 million people are diagnosed with cancer. Various organs can be affected, and cancer types sometimes differ greatly at the cellular and molecular level. In about half of all cases, however, the protein p53 is ...
Phys.org / AI drug target platform pairs prediction with benchmarking to improve early discovery
Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI), today announced advancements to its unified AI framework for drug target discovery, integrating its previously ...
Phys.org / Just a few species can drive a plant community's response to warming temperatures
A new analysis of experimental data led by the University of Michigan has unveiled insights into why and how plant communities are changing their makeup to survive in warmer temperatures. Thanks to field studies of plant ...
Phys.org / Light-responsive hydrogels enable fast and precise control of soft materials
Researchers at Tampere University have recently demonstrated that light can be used to precisely reshape soft materials without mechanical contact. They have developed light-responsive hydrogel thin films that enable programmable ...
Phys.org / AI speeds chemists' search for better disinfectants
Chemists and computer scientists tapped AI to find new disinfectants to combat the growing threat of dangerous "superbugs." Their computational-experimental framework for developing quaternary ammonium compounds, or QACs, ...
Phys.org / Environmental DNA in NYC's East River reveals clues about nearby human and animal residents
Sequencing environmental DNA—or eDNA—from the East River in New York City can effectively monitor human diets and local wildlife, as well as the river's fish populations, report Mark Stoeckle and Jesse Ausubel of The Rockefeller ...
Phys.org / Single-molecule method rapidly screens custom enzymes from vast mutant libraries
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions in living organisms. They are widely applied in industries such as food production, detergents, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. However, for commercial use, natural enzymes ...
Phys.org / Molecular quantum nanosensors reveal temperature and radical signals inside living cells
Researchers at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan, and The University of Tokyo, Japan, in collaboration with Kyushu University, Japan, have developed a new class of biocompatible molecular ...
Phys.org / Molecular probe upgrade could make off-target drug effects easier to measure
A UCLA-led international research collaboration has unveiled a new technology that may help scientists better understand how small molecules, including many drugs, bind to proteins. The invention works with an existing lab ...
Phys.org / Thinner than hair and stretchable like rubber, this new shield tackles a space-age problem in one layer
Shielding materials are essential in key modern industrial settings—such as spacecraft, nuclear power plants, semiconductor equipment, and advanced medical devices—to protect both equipment and personnel from electromagnetic ...
