Phys.org news
Phys.org / Plants know when to grow—and when to hold back, study finds
Researchers have uncovered a surprising mechanism that allows plants to carefully coordinate the formation and growth of new leaf parts. The study shows that the hormone auxin regulates different phases in organ formation ...
Phys.org / Biodegradable implant can deliver targeted cancer immunotherapy while protecting healthy tissue
Scientists at Houston Methodist Research Institute have developed a biodegradable implant designed to deliver cancer-fighting immunotherapy drugs directly into tumors over an extended period, a strategy that could improve ...
Phys.org / Burning soil and peat drove most emissions in Canada's record 2023 wildfire season, study finds
Most of the carbon released during Canada's record-breaking 2023 wildfire season came from burning soil and peat, rather than trees, according to new research from McMaster University.
Phys.org / Moth wings reveal an unexpected ability to smell plant chemicals
Insect wings are bristling with senses, feeling the wind blowing and even tasting potential mates, but little was known about whether moth wings are equipped with a sense of smell. Sonja Bisch-Knaden and Bill Hansson from ...
Phys.org / New snail species bolster case for protecting Montenegro's biodiversity
The descriptions of the two new additions to the European snail fauna, named Cochlostoma komarnica and Cochlostoma dobrido, have been published in the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal.
Phys.org / First 3D views explain how primate cone pigments distinguish red from green
Human color vision depends on three types of cone cells in the retina. Although all three contain the same light-absorbing molecule, 11-cis-retinal, differences in the surrounding protein determine sensitivity to red, green ...
Phys.org / AI and robotics accelerate search for better gut microbiome therapies
Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for systematically developing novel, complex combinations of probiotics and prebiotics to more effectively maintain gut health and treat various gastrointestinal ...
Phys.org / Biomolecular condensates reveal surprising activity as catalysts
Biomolecular condensates are ubiquitous in living cells, including bacteria, viruses, plants and mammalian systems. These membraneless bodies, or molecular communities made up of DNA, RNA and proteins, are where molecules ...
Phys.org / A quantum heat engine that simultaneously provides work and refrigeration
The laws of thermodynamics state that heat naturally flows from hotter systems or regions to colder systems or regions until a state of thermal equilibrium is reached. This simple principle underpins the operation of numerous ...
Phys.org / Angola's oldest burials, including its only known ancient cremation, uncovered at a 15th-century site doomed by a dam
As the construction of a hydroelectric dam loomed, archaeologists raced to uncover Angola's earliest dated burials and its only known cremation at a 15th-century settlement before it vanished beneath the water.
Phys.org / Gamma-ray pulsations reveal extreme 3.2-millisecond pulsar 3,900 light-years away
By analyzing the data from NASA's Fermi gamma-ray space telescope, Chinese astronomers have investigated a recently identified millisecond pulsar known as PSR J0435+3233. As a result, they found that the pulsar exhibits gamma-ray ...
Phys.org / Twisted laser light distinguishes mirror-image molecules by their fragment counts
Many molecules exist in two mirror-image forms—like left and right hands—that look identical but can behave very differently, especially in biological systems and pharmaceuticals. Distinguishing between these enantiomers ...
