Phys.org news
Phys.org / Traditional plastic forks shed harmful microplastics. Plastic created from sugar is an alternative
At a Massachusetts lab, pebble-sized pellets are transformed into forks and films that won't leave persistent microplastics in the environment.
Phys.org / New species of mountain horned dragon identified in Thailand's high-altitude forests
Scientists have described a new species of lizard from the high mountain forests of western Thailand and have given it a name straight out of an American fantasy drama television series: Acanthosaura syrax, named after Syrax, ...
Phys.org / Engineered enzymes forge carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bonds with high selectivity
Researchers from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, including Dr. Zachary Birch-Price and professor Anthony Green, have developed a new family of engineered enzymes that can create several different types of chemical ...
Phys.org / DNA repair enzymes favor specific sequences, shaping mutation patterns in the human genome
When a wound does not heal properly, it leaves a scar. Similarly, mutations—which are permanent changes to genetic code—are often the result of damaged DNA that has not been properly repaired. Mutations can impede the function ...
Phys.org / Illegal fishing captures up to 15% of global marine wild catch, analysis finds
Industrial-scale illegal fishing continues to undermine ocean sustainability, coastal livelihoods and global seafood markets—despite decades of regulation and recent advances in surveillance technology, according to new University ...
Phys.org / Oak leaves harbor distinct microbial worlds on their opposite surfaces
A single leaf may look like a simple patch of green, but to the microscopic life that inhabits it, it is a vast landscape divided into different worlds.
Phys.org / Vitamin B12 corrects developmental defects in Verheij syndrome worm model
Verheij syndrome is a rare genetic disorder caused by the impairment of splicing, a critical process in RNA processing. Using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology ...
Phys.org / Using salt to drive drug-carrying particles deeper into difficult-to-treat biofilms
Biofilms—bacterial communities encased in a sticky, polymer-rich matrix—can be difficult to treat because that matrix slows antibiotics and drug-carrying particles. With help from salt, though, Yale researchers have found ...
Phys.org / Slow spin could explain why planets become hellish
Hundreds of Venus-like planets could soon help determine why some worlds become sweltering greenhouse hellscapes while others remain capable of supporting life. But before answering that question, scientists first need to ...
Phys.org / Real-time measurements reveal antiferromagnetic skyrmions move in line with an applied current
Skyrmions—essentially magnetic vortices—represent a promising approach in spintronics; in the future, they could serve as components in storage media or computers, potentially complementing established CMOS technologies. ...
Phys.org / Water quality, not just scarcity, may shape future competition for a limited resource
Climate change is largely to blame for water scarcity. The low water levels in European rivers this summer speak volumes in that respect.
Phys.org / Uncovering how Cryptococcus shifts from silent infection to killer fungus
For most healthy people, Cryptococcus is an unnoticed infection. The immune system walls it off in the lungs and keeps it dormant for life. But in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy, recovering from an organ transplant, ...
