Phys.org news

Phys.org / Who is calling? Bats outsmart deception by solving sensory conflicts
Would you answer someone's cry for help if that someone was sitting unharmed in front of you? Most probably would not, and bats have similar reservations, according to a new study published in Current Biology in which researchers ...

Phys.org / Dynamic density functional theory offers new approach to understanding protein–membrane interactions
Proteins interacting with cell membranes play a vital role in countless biological processes, from how cells communicate to how they respond to external signals like hormones or medications. Understanding these interactions ...

Phys.org / C. diff uses toxic compound to fuel growth advantage, researchers discover
The pathogen C. diff—the most common cause of health care-associated infectious diarrhea—can use a compound that kills the human gut's resident microbes to survive and grow, giving it a competitive advantage in the infected ...

Phys.org / Scientists uncover how enzymes evolved to function at low temperatures
Life has evolved over billions of years, adapting to the changing environment. Similarly, enzymes—proteins that speed up biochemical reactions (catalysis) in cells—have adapted to the habitats of their host organisms. ...

Phys.org / TiO₂ nanoparticles offer simultaneous arsenic and uranium remediation from groundwater
A research team led by Prof. Luan Fubo from the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has uncovered a novel mechanism involving a ternary surface complex on titanium dioxide (TiO₂) ...

Phys.org / Superoxide's role in enzyme-driven drug synthesis uncovered
Enzymes, the core catalysts in life, drive critical biological processes ranging from metabolic regulation to energy conversion. Evolved over billions of years, these versatile molecular machines not only serve as foundational ...

Phys.org / Study finds universality in moving cells—a discovery that could impact health and robotics
A study focusing on analyzing cell models found universality in their movement—an important discovery that could impact both health and robotics.

Phys.org / Ocean eddies are the food trucks of the sea: Study reveals lipidome composition of mesoscale eddies
Mesoscale eddies, oceanic gyres about 100 kilometers in diameter, are ubiquitous features of the global ocean and play a vital role in marine ecosystems. Eddies, which form in biologically productive coastal upwelling regions, ...

Phys.org / Cloud band movement influences wet spells during Indian monsoon, study finds
The monsoon rains have long remained the lifeblood of India, providing the lion's share of the water used for drinking and irrigation. The yearly arrival of the rains, which quenches the thirst of the harsh summers, is caused ...

Phys.org / Organic molecules of unprecedented size discovered on Mars
Scientists analyzing pulverized rock onboard NASA's Curiosity rover have found the largest organic compounds on the red planet to date. The finding, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, ...

Phys.org / Might the proton decay in other places or at other times?
Does the proton decay? While this was a famous prediction of Grand Unified Theories (GUTS) developed in the 1970s and 1980s, experimentalists have ruled it out—or rather, put lower limits on its mean lifetime of about 1034 ...

Phys.org / Astronomers discover new giant molecular cloud in the Milky Way
Using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), astronomers have detected a new giant molecular cloud in the Milky Way galaxy. The newfound cloud has a size of nearly 200 light years and its mass is estimated to be some 160,000 solar ...