Phys.org news
Phys.org / Rice gene discovery could cut fertilizer use while protecting yields
Researchers from the University of Oxford, Nanjing Agricultural University, and Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (Chinese Academy of Sciences) have finally identified the master regulator in plants that balances ...
Phys.org / How oxygen enriched Earth's atmosphere 2.5 billion years ago
Cyanobacteria, as they still exist today, were the first organisms to carry out photosynthesis and release oxygen. Produced in primeval oceans about 2.5 billion years ago, this oxygen accumulated in Earth's atmosphere on ...
Phys.org / Laser technique can quickly check mRNA packaging in lipid nanoparticles
Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology is transforming medicine by providing our cells with genetic instructions to produce proteins that help the immune system prevent or fight a wide range of diseases, including cancer and other ...
Phys.org / Scientists lay out what we do and don't yet know about moths and butterflies
Should you ever find yourself playing a trivia game on the topic of moths and butterflies, here are a few facts that might help. Collectively called Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies account for nearly 10% of all animal ...
Phys.org / Birds achieve sweet success: What adaptations to high-sugar diets reveal about metabolism
Anyone who has seen a hummingbird poking her beak deep into a trumpet creeper blossom, or a honeyeater using its brush-tipped tongue to extract nectar from eucalyptus flowers, has witnessed something that, from a human perspective, ...
Phys.org / Wildfire smoke linked to rise in violent assaults, 11-year study finds
A new study spanning 11 years of data has revealed a clear link between wildfire smoke pollution and an increase in violent assaults in Seattle. These findings represent the first direct causal evidence that short-term exposure ...
Phys.org / Using high-energy sparks to degrade pollutants without generating waste
A study published in the Chemical Engineering Journal proposes a new approach to environmental remediation of pharmaceutical pollutants in water flows. This approach is based on a phenomenon known as "sparks," which refers ...
Phys.org / Tackling the global tuberculosis crisis: An emerging class of antibiotics offers hope
Researchers from the University of Sydney and the Centenary Institute have discovered how a promising class of experimental antibiotics disrupts the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), paving the way for urgently needed ...
Phys.org / Endangered giant clam feeding strategies could determine species' future survival
Giant clams (Tridacna gigas), members of the family Tridacnidae and among the most striking inhabitants of tropical coral reefs, are being driven toward extinction. Over-harvesting for jewelry, the aquarium trade, and food, ...
Phys.org / New technique spots hidden defects to boost reliability of ultrathin electronics
Future devices will continue to probe the frontier of the very small, and at scales where functionality depends on mere atoms, even the tiniest flaw matters. Researchers at Rice University have shown that hard-to-spot defects ...
Phys.org / A puddle that jumps: What bubble bursts reveal about water on lotus-like surfaces
Water droplets have a unique ability: They can leap from a surface on their own. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as when a surface repels water or when heat is involved, such as a water or oil droplet skittering ...
Phys.org / Turning over a new leaf in analyses of natural products
Scientists have developed a new way to help understand what happens in the body when people consume a plant product and the many chemicals it contains. The Journal of Natural Products published the method to quickly analyze ...
