Phys.org news
Phys.org / Cacti fungal endophytes may help cacao tolerate drought
Beans of the cacao plant, Theobroma cacao, are used in chocolates, pharmaceuticals and other products, but they're under threat. Increased drought associated with climate change has already begun to stress cacao-growing regions ...
Phys.org / Nanodiscs capture HIV and Ebola surface proteins in lifelike membranes for vaccine design
Viruses are masters at invading cells thanks to specialized proteins that coat their surfaces. When scientists design vaccines, they often create versions of these viral surface proteins to study how the immune system might ...
Phys.org / Future-proofing livestock vaccines by anticipating viruses' next moves
The wave-shaped chart Ratul Chowdhury pulls up on a computer monitor in his office captures the evolutionary cat-and-mouse game his research lab is up against. The undulating curves track variants of the porcine reproductive ...
Phys.org / These nanotweezers grab thousands of tiny cell packets in seconds and expose their hidden cargo
Justus Ndukaife, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and Chancellor Faculty Fellow, and his team have developed next generation nanotweezers that better analyze extracellular vesicles and aid in unraveling ...
Phys.org / Disrupting genome architecture selectively impairs developmental genes
Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have found that temporarily disabling a protein complex that organizes DNA into loops inside the cell's nucleus drastically disrupted the three-dimensional structure of the genome, but surprisingly, ...
Phys.org / Astronomers find the strongest evidence yet for the universe's first stars
For decades, astronomers were only able to study the universe's very first stars using theoretical models. Now, observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed what may be the most compelling evidence ...
Phys.org / Extinct ice age giants in Bender's Cave challenge existing climate records for the Edwards Plateau
A recent study by Dr. John Moretti of the University of Texas and local caver John Young uncovered the remains of Ice Age megafauna, revealing an entirely new ecosystem that once thrived on the Edwards Plateau. Among the ...
Phys.org / Space telescopes track nearby quasar's dramatic X-ray state transition
By analyzing the data from various space observatories, Chinese astronomers have inspected a nearby quasar designated SDSS J000532.84+200717.4. Results of the new study, published April 1 on the arXiv preprint server, shed ...
Phys.org / Ancient Korean DNA reveals marriages between closely related individuals
DNA studies of 1,500-year-old skeletons have revealed that ancient Koreans lived in tightly knit family networks where marrying close relatives was common in some cases, from powerful elites to individuals chosen for human ...
Phys.org / Advanced mirror technology now powers a breakthrough X-ray telescope
Scientists in Japan have developed a high-resolution X-ray telescope sharp enough to distinguish an object just 3.5 mm wide from one kilometer away, by combining precision mirror-making technology with space astronomy. To ...
Phys.org / Electrode technology achieves 86% efficiency for converting CO₂ into plastic precursors
In the process of converting carbon dioxide into useful chemicals such as ethylene—a key precursor for plastics—a major challenge has been the flooding of electrodes, where electrolyte penetrates the electrode structure and ...
Dialog / Scientists build arsenic-lined crystal pore framework to boost rhodium catalyst performance
Rhodium is one of the most powerful catalytic metals known to chemistry. Small amounts of it can drive reactions that produce millions of tons of useful chemicals every year. But getting rhodium to work well—quickly, selectively, ...
