Phys.org news

Phys.org / Largest RNA language model to date offers new way to predict behavior and boost drug discovery

RNA plays a vital role in how our genes are expressed and how diseases develop. Yet, because RNA molecules constantly change shape, understanding how they work has long been a major scientific challenge.

Nov 13, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Algorithms reveal how propane becomes propylene for everyday products

Countless everyday products, from plastic squeeze bottles to outdoor furniture, are derived by first turning propane into propylene.

Nov 13, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Invisible groundwater threatens aging urban infrastructure, researchers warn

Groundwater rise as a result of climate change poses a significant threat to coastal cities, says University of Rhode Island assistant professor of geosciences Christopher Russoniello. Russoniello and colleagues recently ...

Nov 13, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Which came first: The sponge or the comb jelly? Scientists weigh in

In the world of phylogenetics, there's team sponge and team comb jelly. Which creature roots the animal tree of life—the simple sponge or the more complex comb jelly—has stirred fierce debate among phylogeneticists, researchers ...

Nov 13, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Eggplant pangenome and panphenome reveal diversity and adaptation potential

An international research collaboration, including INRAE, has published the complete set of genes (pangenome) and agronomic traits (panphenome) of the eggplant. Beyond the genome, this comprehensive collection encompasses ...

Nov 13, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Mechanistic model can predict biological community development across ecosystems

Biological communities are rarely stable. Their composition is constantly changing, depending on the environmental conditions in the respective ecosystems—and sometimes this change is so vast that individual species completely ...

Nov 13, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Bacterial scents from sick oaks attract beetles that worsen tree decline

The deadly decline of Britain's native oak trees may be driven by an unexpected accomplice: their own smell.

Nov 13, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Coastal ocean acidification advancing faster than expected, threatening local economies

New research from the University of St Andrews has found that some coastal areas will become much more acidic than previously anticipated. With added atmospheric CO2, these areas are acidifying more quickly than thought, ...

Nov 13, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Microbial network restructuring mitigates long-term soil carbon emissions from warming, decade-long study finds

Soils release approximately 40–60 petagrams (Pg) of carbon annually into the atmosphere through microbial metabolism. Climate warming is projected to further enhance soil microbial respiration, intensifying positive carbon–climate ...

Nov 13, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Robust 'Huber mean' for geometric data protects against noise and outliers

In an era driven by complex data, scientists are increasingly encountering information that doesn't lie neatly on flat, Euclidean surfaces. From 3D medical scans to robot orientations and AI transformations, much of today's ...

Nov 13, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Genomes of 24,000 previously unknown microbes revealed by new tools

QUT researchers have recovered the genomes of more than 24,000 previously unknown microbial species—some from entirely new branches of life that likely evolved before plants and animals. The microbes are detailed in two ...

Nov 13, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / How chromosomes separate accurately: Molecular 'scissors' caught in action

Cell division is a process of remarkable precision: during each cycle, the genetic material must be evenly distributed between the two daughter cells. To achieve this, duplicated chromosomes, known as sister chromatids, are ...

Nov 13, 2025 in Biology