Phys.org news
Phys.org / Human embryo base editing can reach all cells but causes unpredictable genetic changes
A study by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has found that new cutting-edge techniques can accurately edit genes in human embryos—giving scientists indispensable tools for understanding ...
Phys.org / Physicists turn classical light into a quantum machine for information processing
Quantum computers promise to tackle problems that are extraordinarily difficult for today's computers. But there is a major obstacle: quantum systems are notoriously fragile. Noise, loss and even tiny disturbances can destroy ...
Phys.org / Brain's ability to hear a musical beat remains distinctly human, study suggests
The seemingly trivial ability to hear a regular pulse in music is a remarkable—and perhaps distinctively human—feature of the brain. In a wide-ranging critical review, Gábor Háden of the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural ...
Phys.org / Scientists discover a strange new form of ice that could help explain the interiors of Neptune and Uranus
Scientists have discovered that there is ice deep inside planets like Neptune and Uranus and want to find out what form it takes and how it behaves. They cannot dig for it and transport it all the way back to Earth, so they ...
Phys.org / New analysis reconstructs the dawn of dinosaurs and other reptiles
About 252 million years ago, at the end of the Permian Period, a large proportion of species on Earth rapidly became extinct. After this mass extinction, many groups of organisms began to recover, while reptiles known as ...
Phys.org / Blue light breaks long-standing chemistry rule, unlocking 3D drug building blocks
For more than a century, pharmaceutical companies have relied on flat structures called aromatic rings, which can help drugs bind to target sites in the body. They include benzene rings and other flat, nitrogen-containing ...
Phys.org / Giant volcanic blanket reveals hidden 'Pompeii' of Andean landscapes
A vast sheet of volcanic rock in the Andes has preserved clues to a buried landscape that existed 22 million years ago, according to a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.
Phys.org / Low-cost phone lessons keep children learning during emergency school closures across five countries
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns forced people to find ways to get things done remotely. Companies developed systems that made working from home run smoothly. Educators also had to shift to mobile phones and group video calls ...
Phys.org / Healthy checkout policy shows promise for reducing soda sales and increasing healthy snack purchases
In March 2021, Berkeley, Calif., became the first city in the world to ban the display of sugary beverages and snacks in store checkout lanes, where candy, chocolate and soda are commonly placed to encourage impulse buying ...
Phys.org / Dogs and cats carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria also found in people, study finds
Dogs and cats may carry strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, a potentially serious bacterium that can cause infections and is also found in humans, according to new research from Bournemouth University published in the journal ...
Phys.org / How one RNA nucleotide switch activates fluorescent dyes
RhoBAST is a tiny RNA molecule that activates fluorescent dyes, enabling researchers to track RNA molecules in living cells with super-resolution. An international collaboration, which includes Ronald Micura and his team ...
Phys.org / New genome study rewrites the early history of grasses, the world's most important plant family
An international team of scientists, including Donald Danforth Plant Science Center member emerita Elizabeth "Toby" Kellogg, Ph.D., has produced a chromosome-level genome assembly that offers a new view of the earliest evolution ...