Phys.org news

Phys.org / New machine-learning models capture the rapid evolution of antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly dangerous problem affecting global health. In 2019 alone, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) accounted for more than 100,000 global deaths attributable to ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / 'Speed scanner' can test thousands of plant gene switches at once

Agriculture, from the outset, has been made possible by humans tweaking the genes of plants to make them grow faster, produce more of what we want, and survive drought, pests, and infection. For millennia, we did it with ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / PFAS detection in 15 minutes: A sensor system for rapid on-site analysis

PFAS are forever chemicals that do not degrade in the environment. They enter soil and water, accumulate in plants, animals and humans, and can be harmful to health. The problem: Until now, detecting them has been complicated, ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Enzyme shape-shifting captured in real time during catalysis

Researchers have captured real-time "molecular movies" showing how an enzyme changes shape during catalysis. The study was published in Nature Communications.

Dec 18, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Light-controlled cholesterol 'look-alikes' point toward smarter drug delivery

High levels of cholesterol are linked to heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems. However, this complex and vital fatty, water insoluble molecule—a lipid—is found in every cell of the body and is not all ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Key proteins reveal how evolution of locomotion shapes bone remodeling processes

An international collaboration study reveals how evolution and locomotion patterns, such as bipedalism, shaped bone structures through proteins present in the bone matrix. The findings of the study, led by researchers from ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Cell death discovery could aid cancer treatments

La Trobe researchers have made a discovery about the way dying cells are cleared from our bodies, which could have important impacts on recovery from diseases including cancer infection and inflammatory diseases.

Dec 18, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Public seed banks can fast-track corn quality research

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign corn breeders know profitability is about more than yield. By tweaking kernel composition, they can tailor corn for lucrative biotech applications, industrial products, overseas markets, ...

Dec 18, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Beachy Head Woman's origin story: DNA analysis reveals she was local to southern Britain

The identity of a Roman-era individual found in southern England has finally been resolved after scientists at the Natural History Museum were able to sequence high quality DNA from her skeletal remains.

Dec 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Ancient hunter-gatherer DNA may explain why some people live to 100 years or more

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors have given us many things. They passed down mastery of fire for cooking and early survival technologies, such as stone tools. They may also have given us the secret to a long life. A new study ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Physicists push superconducting diodes to high temperatures

For the first time, researchers in China have demonstrated a high-temperature superconducting diode effect, which allows a supercurrent to flow in both directions. Published in Nature Physics, the team's result could help ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / AI learns to build simple equations for complex systems

A research team at Duke University has developed a new AI framework that can uncover simple, understandable rules that govern some of the most complex dynamics found in nature and technology.

Dec 17, 2025 in Other Sciences