Phys.org news

Phys.org / AI tool predicts how DNA sequences switch on genes across different cell types

Deep learning approaches have transformed how scientists predict the activity and function of DNA sequences in the genome. A new AI tool called Corgi (Context-aware Regulatory Genomics Inference), developed by Martin Vingron's ...

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / Jurassic sea monster was smaller than once thought, but no less formidable

For more than 25 years, Liopleurodon has been one of the world's most recognizable prehistoric marine predators. Immortalized in the BBC's landmark Walking with Dinosaurs series as a colossal 25-meter (82-foot) marine hunter, ...

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / Gig platforms can simply 'wait out' workers to slash wages, research reveals

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS), the Tübingen AI Center and Ellis Institute Tübingen have conducted a study that uncovers a mathematical strategy explaining how digital labor platforms ...

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / Novel antibiotic candidates starve resistant bacteria by blocking vitamin supply

Bacteria have spent decades evolving resistance to virtually every antibiotic we have thrown at them. To stay ahead, new drugs must hit targets that existing antibiotics have never touched. A research team at the Helmholtz ...

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / Ruthenium nanoparticles convert captured perchlorate into harmless chloride in water treatment waste

For decades, water utilities have relied on giant tanks filled with ion-exchange resin beads to remove perchlorate, a harmful industrial pollutant, from drinking water. The system works by attracting negatively charged perchlorate ...

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / Cosmic gymnastics: How the Milky Way once underwent a dramatic flip

The Milky Way may have undergone a dramatic change in orientation during its history, according to new research that helps explain a long-standing mystery about our galaxy. Using supercomputer simulations of galaxies like ...

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists use dual-frequency images to explore black hole plasma physics

The first-ever image of a black hole—a glowing, ring-like structure at the heart of galaxy M87—was unveiled to the world in a landmark moment in 2019. Now, researchers have taken the next big step—moving beyond capturing ...

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / Antarctic 12-m Terahertz Telescope project to uncover hidden galaxy formation

A new simulation study suggests that the Antarctic 12-m Terahertz Telescope (ATT12), a next-generation facility led by University of Tsukuba, could uncover between 1 and 10 million dusty star-forming galaxies throughout cosmic ...

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / Triassic inferno: Fires raged across Europe for millennia during past global warming

The end-Triassic mass extinction, 201 million years ago, is linked to volcanism that resulted from the break-up of Pangea and which pumped out vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, causing extreme global warming of 5 to ...

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / Cone snail venom peptide could enable injectable non-opioid pain relief

An international research team led by the Medical University of Vienna has investigated a new peptide derived from cone snail venom that significantly reduced inflammation-induced pain in an animal model. Crucially, its effect ...

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / New insights into how DNA, the body's instruction manual for life, is regulated

Scientists at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center have uncovered new insights into how cells regulate DNA methylation, a fundamental process that helps keep potentially harmful viral elements in our genome under control.

Jul 21, 2026
Phys.org / New simulation challenges leading explanation for why galaxies stop forming stars

For decades, astronomers have cast galaxy mergers as the universe's ultimate relationship drama: two galaxies collide, chaos erupts, black holes awaken and star formation comes to a screeching halt. Upending this long-held ...

Jul 21, 2026