Phys.org news

Phys.org / Ocean sediments are key to survival of northeastern US salt marshes

Salt marshes, those critical habitats that protect coastal towns from flooding, store massive amounts of blue carbon, support fisheries and play a key role in ecological resilience, are struggling to survive as oceans rise ...

Dec 16, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Silver-coated cicada wing nanostructures boost molecular detection signals

Zoom in far enough on an empress cicada wing, and a strange landscape materializes. At the nanoscale, densely packed spires rise from the surface, covering the wing in an endless grove of bowling pins.

Dec 16, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Vital intertwining: Blood parasite's chainmail-like DNA structure could inspire next-generation materials

As tough as medieval chainmail armor and as soft as a contact lens. This material is not taken from science fiction, it is a natural structure made of thousands of DNA circles interlinked with each other. Studying it can ...

Dec 16, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Scientists discover how plant cell walls guide stem cells

Imagine if our bodies could grow new organs throughout our entire lives. Plants do this constantly, thanks to tiny, powerful reservoirs of stem cells. But how do these cells know when to divide, and how do they ensure each ...

Dec 16, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Opposing forces in cells could hold clues to treating disease

A newly revealed molecular tug-of-war may have implications for better understanding how a multitude of diseases and disorders—including cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and immune disorders—originate, as well as how ...

Dec 16, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / New method enables precise fluorine addition to drug-like molecules in one step

Fluorine is critical for biomedicine. This element can help drug compounds be more potent and last longer in the body, and its radioactive isotope, fluorine-18, powers medical imaging techniques such as positron emission ...

Dec 16, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / How natural disasters exacerbate inequity

An AI analysis of Google Street View images across 16 states shows that damaged buildings in poorer communities often remain vacant for years, while wealthier areas rebuild faster and better.

Dec 16, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Uncovering early embryonic communications using new stem cell model

From the moment an embryo starts to take shape, two-way communication is critical for making sure tissues and organs develop correctly.

Dec 16, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / After devastating wildfires, watersheds are surprisingly thick with fish and amphibians

In the aftermath of historically severe wildfires in 2020, a study of Cascade Range watersheds found that stream vertebrates are doing surprisingly well, highlighted by flourishing fish populations.

Dec 16, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / For certain life-essential proteins in E. coli, repair is more likely

Proteins need to fold into specific shapes to perform their functions in cells, but they occasionally misfold, which can prevent them from properly functioning and even lead to disease.

Dec 16, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Composite copper oxides show strong, long-lasting antiviral action against tough viruses

Composite copper–lanthanum and copper–yttrium oxides developed by researchers from Japan demonstrate exceptionally high antiviral activity against non-enveloped virus. These oxides are highly stable and achieve more than ...

Dec 16, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / How bubbles may speed up CO₂ uptake by the ocean

A new study provides evidence that the ocean may have absorbed as much as 15% (0.3–0.4 Pg C yr-1) more CO2 than previously thought, requiring a re-think of future CO2 flux assessments and global climate models.

Dec 16, 2025 in Earth