Phys.org news

Phys.org / Is nectar naturally spiked? What widespread low-level ethanol could mean for pollinators

As bees and hummingbirds flit from flower to flower, greedily sipping nectar in exchange for pollination, the animals often get another treat: alcohol. In the first broad analysis of the alcohol content of flower nectars, ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Protein modification discovery opens cancer therapy possibilities

A research team led by Purdue University's W. Andy Tao has discovered a new type of protein modification related to cellular mutation that impairs a crucial enzyme's ability to help drive energy processes. Their discovery, ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Organocatalytic strategy provides a metal-free route to antiviral candidates

A research team led by Prof. Sun Jianwei has achieved an advancement in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry by developing an air-stable chiral phosphine-catalyzed enantioselective approach to synthesize enantioenriched ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Genomes reveal five E. coli 'armor' types behind most multidrug-resistant bloodstream infections

The first large-scale genetic study of E. coli's protective armor has identified the five capsule types that are responsible for 70% of all multidrug-resistant bloodstream infections in Europe. Researchers, including those ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Low-cost sensor system could warn farmers of salt stress in plants

Soil salinity is a critical concern in agriculture when excessive soluble salts restrict a plant's water uptake, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hindering crop growth and reducing yields on roughly 30% of ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Bioelectronic platform enables precise H₂S delivery to cells, turning a toxic gas into a therapeutic tool

A toxic gas known for its "rotten egg smell" has been transformed into a therapeutic tool. A research team at KAIST has developed a technology to precisely control hydrogen sulfide (H2S) using electrical signals, bringing ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Cactus catalog could help plant's prickly problem

With almost a third of cacti species threatened with extinction, a new open-access database of cactus ecology and evolution could help scientists and conservationists save species from the brink.

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Using 'imaginative' AI to survey past and future earthquake damage

Researchers have used artificial intelligence to develop a new tool for assessing earthquake damage, a leap that could ultimately help first responders in making critical rescue decisions, suggests a new study. The team's ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Significant grade inflation may be occurring in graduate education, according to decades' worth of data

Analysis of two decades of student data at a large U.S. university suggests that grade inflation exists in graduate education. Researcher Vivien Lee and colleagues at the University of Minnesota, U.S., present these findings ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Amazon wildfire emissions may be up to three times higher than estimated

Fires are a recurring phenomenon in central South America, often intensified by drought and deforestation. In 2024, wildfire activity reached its highest levels in 20 years, affecting vast areas of the Amazon rainforest and ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / Importance of sublimation for the Rocky Mountain snowpack highlighted in study

This past winter, the Rocky Mountains experienced an historic snow drought, a worrying development for the tens of millions of people in the arid American West who depend on snowmelt for water. Now, a new study in the journal ...

Mar 25, 2026
Phys.org / A forest cleanup crew at risk? What hotter Amazon lowlands could mean dung beetles

Dung beetles remove feces from wild animals in forests and thus inhibit the spread of parasites. They work the dung into the soil and thus supply nutrients to plants. They fulfill this task both in European commercial forests ...

Mar 25, 2026