Phys.org news

Phys.org / Reprogrammed poplar trees can make key industrial chemical for biodegradable plastics

A team led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has engineered poplar trees to produce valuable chemicals that can be used to make biodegradable plastics and other products. ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Personality traits and zip code may determine political preferences

Personality and zip code can help explain differences in political ideology, according to a new study from Northwestern University, which is the first to show the relationship between a person's personality traits and political ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Thousands of US hazardous sites are at risk of flooding because of sea level rise, study finds

If heat-trapping pollution from burning coal, oil and gas continues unchecked, thousands of hazardous sites across the United States risk being flooded from sea level rise by the turn of the century, posing serious health ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Shark and ray diversity is declining, challenging previous assumptions

A team of international researchers led by the University of Vienna have investigated the development of shark and ray biodiversity over the past 100 million years. Their surprising results show a continuous decline in diversity ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Chinese telescope captures 155 high-frequency bursts from fast radio burst 20240114A

Using the Tianma Radio Telescope (TMRT), researchers from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted 66 simultaneous dual‑frequency (2.25 GHz/8.60 GHz) observations of the ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Hormone-free plant regeneration method works for multiple crops

Researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), working in close collaboration with KeyGene, have developed a method that enables plant cells to regenerate into complete plants without the need for added hormones.

Nov 20, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Little bettongs' dramatic nut-cracker performance

Native Australian animals range from high-hopping kangaroos to fast-running emus—but clever little bettongs also have a special ability to find and eat the food they love.

Nov 20, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / How fish embryos first regulate their genes

A RIKEN researcher and his colleague have identified how genes are expressed in fish embryos when they first start using their own genetic material. If the same mechanisms apply to humans, they could shed light on developmental ...

Nov 20, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / 'Chocolate-flavored' honey created using cocoa bean shells

A group of researchers from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, developed a product made from native bee honey and cocoa bean shells that can be consumed directly or used as an ingredient ...

Nov 19, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Discovery of rare protist reveals previously unknown branch of eukaryotic tree of life

A research team from the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague has discovered Solarion arienae, an extremely rare and morphologically unique unicellular eukaryote that sheds new light on early eukaryotic evolution.

Nov 19, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Scientist captures tiny particles for clues on what sparks lightning

Using lasers as tweezers to understand cloud electrification might sound like science fiction, but at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) it is a reality. By trapping and charging micron-sized particles ...

Nov 19, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Decapitated fossil fish with guts still intact reveal ancient predatory habits

In a study appearing in Fossil Record, researchers Martin Ebert and Martina Kölbl-Ebert analyzed the remains of a unique fossil type: the decapitated head of Aspidorhynchus, with its gastrointestinal tract (guts) still attached. ...

Nov 19, 2025 in Biology