Phys.org news

Phys.org / Severe floods cut global rice yields, threatening food security for billions

Severe flooding has slashed global rice yields in recent decades, threatening food security for billions of people who depend on the grain. The losses amounted to approximately 4.3%, or 18 million tons of rice per year, between ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Light intensity steers molecular assemblies into 1D, 2D or 3D structures

Constructing out-of-equilibrium molecular assemblies that deviate from thermodynamic equilibrium is a central challenge in materials science. While numerous studies have reported the creation of such states using external ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Traditional Hawaiian fishponds help shield fish from climate change impacts

Traditional Hawaiian fishponds (loko iʻa) are emerging as a model for climate resilience, according to a study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB). The research, published ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Know when to fold 'em: Study reveals benefits of dropping unrealistic goals

Though many people may benefit from setting life goals, new research led by Curtin University has revealed working towards unachievable targets could in fact have a negative impact on overall well-being—and knowing when ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Sugar transporters found to boost aminoglycoside antibiotic entry into bacteria

Aminoglycosides are antibiotics effective against a wide range of bacteria including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Until now however, their mode of entry into bacteria has remained unknown. ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Beyond the usual suspect: Nitrogen feeds algae blooms, researchers find

Nitrogen is a bit of a conundrum. In its gaseous form it's the most abundant element in the atmosphere, but few organisms can readily use it. And while all living organisms contain nitrogen, a new University of Vermont study ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Wastewater from 47 countries often suppresses resistant bacteria, challenging common assumptions

Municipal wastewater contains a large range of excreted antibiotics and has therefore long been suspected to be a spawning ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Now, a study led by a team from the University of Gothenburg ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Nearly 47 million Americans at high risk of potential health hazards from fossil fuel infrastructure, study finds

Fossil fuels release pollutants into the air when extracted and burned, but there's more to their production than massive oil rigs diving deep into Earth and smoky power plants. Those processes are examples of only the first ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Molecular switch helps cancer cells survive harsh conditions

Cells are regularly faced with environmental stresses that may damage or destroy them. To survive, they quickly adjust their gene expression to protect themselves. This is especially true for cancer cells, which must contend ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / California beaches are holding steady or gaining width, showing more resilience than expected

Two new studies from researchers at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography provide encouraging news about California's beaches at both local and statewide scales.

Nov 17, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Reducing arsenic in drinking water cuts risk of death, even after years of chronic exposure: 20-year study

A 20-year study of nearly 11,000 adults in Bangladesh found that lowering arsenic levels in drinking water was associated with up to a 50% lower risk of death from heart disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses, compared ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / From warriors to healers: Muscle stem cell signal redirects macrophages toward tadpole tail regeneration

Researchers Sumika Kato, Takeo Kubo, and Taro Fukazawa of the University of Tokyo have discovered that c1qtnf3, a secreting factor, namely a protein molecule that is secreted by a cell and influences functions of other cells, ...

Nov 17, 2025 in Biology