Phys.org news

Phys.org / Net-casting spiders' adjustable silk stiffness point to tunable fiber design

What makes spider silk so extraordinarily strong and elastic at the same time? This was the focus of recent investigations carried out by researchers from the University of Greifswald, the University of Bonn and the Museum ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How gut bacteria share antibiotic resistance genes and fuel dangerous hospital infections

Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), have uncovered how a high-risk class of genetic vectors can efficiently spread antibiotic resistance within the gut, enabling ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Climate-risk scores guide major decisions, but underlying science is rarely open

When families decide where to buy a home, when cities approve new development, or when governments decide where to invest billions in resilience, they increasingly turn to climate-risk scores for guidance.

Jan 27, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Parasite behind toxoplasmosis hides multiple distinct subtypes inside each cyst

A University of California, Riverside team of scientists has found that Toxoplasma gondii, a common parasite affecting up to one-third of the global population, is far more complex than previously believed. The findings, ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / AI model accelerates defect-based material design

Across the physical world, many intricate structures form via symmetry breaking. When a system with inherent symmetry transitions into an ordered state, it can form stable imperfections known as topological defects. Such ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / A specific immune system protein may drive antibiotic tolerance

If you have had strep throat or an ear infection, there's a good chance you received amoxicillin or penicillin to effectively kill the troublesome bacteria. These drugs, which belong to a broad group of antibiotics called ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How a vital DNA protection protein complex adapts to new threats without compromising its essential functions

In Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass," Alice is stuck in a never-ending race with the Red Queen yet never gains a lead. "It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place," the Queen says. "Though we ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Trust in Ph.D. advisor can predict a good grad school experience

The advisor-advisee relationship is central to most doctoral education models. Yet not all students trust their advisors. Danfei Hu, Jonathan E. Cook and colleagues sought to examine the importance of this relationship to ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Mapping cell development with mathematics-informed machine learning

The development of humans and other animals unfolds gradually over time, with cells taking on specific roles and functions via a process called cell fate determination. The fate of individual cells, or in other words, what ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Changes to cougar diets and behaviors reduce their competition with wolves in Yellowstone, study finds

A new study shows that interactions between wolves and cougars in Yellowstone National Park are driven by wolves stealing prey killed by cougars and that shifts in cougar diets to smaller prey help them avoid wolf encounters. ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Spider monkeys pool their knowledge to find the best fruit

When spider monkeys want to tell others about the best fruit trees in the forest or ones they've missed, they do so by changing their social groups to share what they know, according to a new study published in the journal ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Aging populations could cut global water use by up to 31%, study finds

Across the world, water scarcity is emerging as one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. Climate change is pushing rivers and aquifers into unprecedented extremes, droughts and floods are intensifying, and ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Earth