Phys.org news

Phys.org / 'Northwest Passage' mechanism of bile acid transport reveals a voltage-dependent pathway

In a study published in Nature on January 28, a research team led by Eric H. Xu (Xu Huaqiang) from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with Ma Xiong from Renji Hospital, determined ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / AI mapping reveals over 20,000 malaria protein interactions across parasite life cycle

An international research team headed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and the Center for Structural Systems Biology and Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Germany has revealed ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Resilience bonds could serve as an insurance solution to address climate change risks

Researchers with Lehigh University's Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience, led by anthropologist David G. Casagrande, have identified two urgent challenges the United States faces in adapting to climate change: ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Identifying mechanisms that support nanoparticle therapy for autoimmune diseases

Northwestern Medicine scientists in the laboratory of Stephen Miller, Ph.D., professor emeritus of Microbiology–Immunology, have identified the cellular and molecular mechanisms required for the antigen-specific tolerance ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Two-step approach creates more sustainable protein nanostructures for advanced sensing and therapeutics

Gas vesicles are among the largest known protein nanostructures produced and assembled inside microbial cells. These hollow, air-filled cylindrical nanostructures found in certain aquatic microbes have drawn increasing interest ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / New class of catalysts could dramatically change playing field in nickel catalysis

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have reported a breakthrough in nickel catalysis that harnesses a rare oxidation state of nickel that has proved challenging to control yet is highly valued for its ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / How bacteria learned to target numerous cell types

Viruses attack nearly every living organism on Earth. To do so, they rely on highly specialized proteins that recognize and bind to receptors on the surface of target cells, a molecular arms race that drives constant evolution. ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Bigger is not always better: Smaller leaves optimize light use in soybeans

In efforts to better understand how soybean plants capture and use light, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign investigated how leaf size and shape affect light distribution within the crop canopy. Using ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Analyzing an enigmatic enzyme with potential for new antibiotic drug discovery

An analysis of an unusual enzyme could result in a new generation of antimicrobial medicines to counter antibiotic resistance. Key details in the enzyme-driven biosynthesis of a natural molecule with potent antibiotic activity ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Imaging the Wigner crystal state in a new type of quantum material

In some solid materials under specific conditions, mutual Coulomb interactions shape electrons into many-body correlated states, such as Wigner crystals, which are essentially solids made of electrons. So far, the Wigner ...

Feb 1, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Two rare 5th millennium BC fetal burials in Iran reveal variable prehistoric practices

In a study conducted by Dr. Mahdi Alirezazadeh and Dr. Hanan Bahranipoor, published in Archaeological Research in Asia, two exceptionally well-preserved fetal burials from Chaparabad, Iran, dating to the mid-5th millennium ...

Feb 1, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Tropical weather cycles linked to faster Arctic ice loss in autumn

When it comes to global warming and climate change, we often hear news stories about tipping points where Earth's systems shift into a new and dangerous state. One such may have been reached in the year 2000 that caused tropical ...

Feb 1, 2026 in Earth