Phys.org news

Phys.org / First fertilizer: A chemical process that may have sparked life on Earth

University of Alberta geochemists have discovered a missing piece to one of the great mysteries of science—the origin of life on Earth.

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Southern Annular Mode in most positive state in 1,000 years, review finds

A new review has revealed that the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), the Southern Hemisphere's most influential climate driver, is now in its most positive state in more than 1,000 years. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Adjustable DNA 'shield' can control timing and rate at which mRNA produces proteins in vivo

mRNA, widely known from the COVID-19 vaccine, is not actually a "therapeutic agent," but a technology that delivers the blueprint for functional proteins in the body and induces therapeutic effects. Recently, its application ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Newly discovered viral enzymes act like molecular scissors to disable immune alarm signals

Viruses and their hosts—whether bacteria, animals, or humans—are locked in a constant evolutionary arms race. Cells evolve defenses against viral infection, viruses evolve ways around those defenses, and the cycle continues.

Dec 2, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Define your dating goals: Study shows clarity is key to dating satisfaction

Single people who date without a clear understanding of what they are looking for in a relationship experience more loneliness and decreased life satisfaction, McGill researchers have found.

Dec 2, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Studies reevaluate reverse weathering process, shifting understanding of global climate

Two new publications remap the understanding of reverse weathering in the scientific community. The Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Senior Marine Scientist, Dr. Jeffrey Krause, played a key role in both projects, which include several ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Urban sprawl could deny 220 million people access to clean water by 2050

A new study analyzing more than 100 cities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America has quantified the stark consequences of urban sprawl on water and sanitation access, finding that how cities grow might determine whether ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Sun-watcher SOHO celebrates 30 years

On 2 December 1995, the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) blasted into space—on what was supposed to be a two-year mission.

Dec 2, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Quantitative ATP imaging can measure cellular energy in real time

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have developed a method for quantitative imaging of ATP levels inside living cells. The study, published in Nature Communications, introduces ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Bat 'besties' start to sound alike over time, study finds

Ever suddenly realize you had picked up certain words or ways of speaking from a close friend? It turns out that humans are far from the only animals who copy the sounds of their closest companions—a new study shows that ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Surgeonfish display unique feeding adaptations to remove algae from coral reefs

Globally, coral reefs are under siege by multiple stressors, one of which is herbaceous algae. An overabundance of algae on reefs can lead to regime shifts of reefs from being coral-dominated to algal-dominated.

Dec 2, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Ocean microplastics can drift for years or sink rapidly: Analysis reveals two distinct pathways

Publishing in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, researchers at Kyushu University report that they have developed a new method to more accurately analyze the distribution of small microplastics in the ocean at ...

Dec 2, 2025 in Earth