Phys.org news

Phys.org / In polar regions, microbes are influencing climate change as frozen ecosystems thaw

Microbes across Earth's coldest regions are becoming more active as glaciers, permafrost and sea ice thaw, accelerating carbon release and potentially amplifying climate change, according to a new international review from ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Watching atoms roam before they decay

Together with an international team, researchers from the Molecular Physics Department at the Fritz Haber Institute have revealed how atoms rearrange themselves before releasing low-energy electrons in a decay process initiated ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / The shape of things to come: How spheroid geometry guides multicellular orbiting and invasion

As organisms develop from embryos, groups of cells migrate and reshape themselves to form all manner of complex tissues. There are no anatomical molds shaped like lungs, livers or other tissues for cells to grow into. Rather, ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Epigenetic switch found to halt fat cell formation in adipose tissue

Metabolic diseases such as obesity, fatty liver, and insulin resistance are rapidly increasing worldwide, but fundamental methods to regulate the process of fat formation remain limited. In particular, once adipocytes (fat ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Arctic seas are getting louder as ice melts, posing risks: Study shows how to better measure noise

The Arctic is experiencing a steady rise in human-generated underwater noise as melting ice and increasing activity open the region to greater vessel traffic, with major implications for wildlife and local communities. New ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Molecular arrangement strategy targets multiple Alzheimer's disease factors at once

Conventional treatments of Alzheimer's disease, one of the most common forms of dementia, have been largely focused on targeting individual pathological features. However, Alzheimer's disease is a multifactorial disorder ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / New DNA 'page numbers' method enables accurate assembly of long genetic sequences

The power of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing has made it possible to design genetic sequences encoding for diverse biological applications, such as proteins that form the building blocks of materials stronger ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Environmental conditions can influence evolution of gut microbiomes in African herbivores

A study of wild African herbivores offers new insight into how environmental conditions—not just diet and anatomy—can influence the evolution of gut microbes that play a critical role in animal health and well-being.

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Lit bots beware: AI creative writing faces reader skepticism, study shows

When it comes to creative writing, score one for the humans over the machines. For now, anyway. New research finds that people evaluate creative writing less favorably when they learn it was generated in whole or part by ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Perceiving AI as a 'job killer' negatively influences attitudes towards democracy, study suggests

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing our society and economy. A new study shows that the majority of people believe that artificial intelligence is displacing more human labor than it is creating new opportunities. ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Early warning for wine spoilage glows in the dark

Researchers built a living biosensor made of bacteria that lights up when it detects acetic acid, the main chemical signal that wine is starting to spoil. It works in real time, even in high-alcohol conditions, so wineries ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / AI tool Helixer identifies genes in newly sequenced organisms

Researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf have developed a tool that could significantly transform genome research: Helixer identifies genes directly from DNA sequences—without laboratory ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology