Phys.org news

Phys.org / Cellular crowding in fruit fly embryos triggers a critical DNA reorganization, biologists find

After fertilization, embryos race through rapid cell divisions before slowing down to build specialized cells that will carry out distinct functions in the developing body—but the signals that trigger this shift have remained ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Humans bring gender bias to their interactions with AI, finds study

Humans bring gender biases to their interactions with Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to new research from Trinity College Dublin and Ludwig-Maximilians Universität (LMU) Munich.

Nov 20, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Subverting plasmids to combat antibiotic resistance

Researchers in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School have opened a new window into understanding the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

Nov 20, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Multicellular cyanobacteria switch gene activity between day and night cycles

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, occur worldwide in many varieties, including in single-cell form and in chains called filaments. While these tiny life forms can strongly influence many ecosystems, the details ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Metal-phase protection enables durable acidic CO₂ electroreduction to formic acid

The electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable chemicals and fuels typically operates under alkaline or neutral conditions, but the carbonation side reaction causes carbon loss. In addition, the main product is ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Machine learning beats classical method in predicting cosmic ray radiation near Earth

Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that constantly bombard Earth from space and are influenced by the sun's magnetic activity. When the sun is active, fewer of these particles reach Earth; when the sun is quiet, more are ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Isotope-based method can detect unknown selenium compounds

Although present in very small amounts, selenium (Se)-based compounds play important roles in protecting the body from oxidative stress, regulating thyroid hormones, strengthening the immune system, and even detoxifying heavy ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Reprogrammed poplar trees can make key industrial chemical for biodegradable plastics

A team led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has engineered poplar trees to produce valuable chemicals that can be used to make biodegradable plastics and other products. ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Personality traits and zip code may determine political preferences

Personality and zip code can help explain differences in political ideology, according to a new study from Northwestern University, which is the first to show the relationship between a person's personality traits and political ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Thousands of US hazardous sites are at risk of flooding because of sea level rise, study finds

If heat-trapping pollution from burning coal, oil and gas continues unchecked, thousands of hazardous sites across the United States risk being flooded from sea level rise by the turn of the century, posing serious health ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Shark and ray diversity is declining, challenging previous assumptions

A team of international researchers led by the University of Vienna have investigated the development of shark and ray biodiversity over the past 100 million years. Their surprising results show a continuous decline in diversity ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Chinese telescope captures 155 high-frequency bursts from fast radio burst 20240114A

Using the Tianma Radio Telescope (TMRT), researchers from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted 66 simultaneous dual‑frequency (2.25 GHz/8.60 GHz) observations of the ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Astronomy & Space