Phys.org news

Cornell scientists have engineered E. coli to act as a sensitive biosensor for monitoring environmental arsenic, a toxic pollutant most notably found in rice paddies in Southeast Asia. Their new study provides a proof of ...

The name might sound like a Nordic god, but it is actually the molecular machinery that allows many different species to eat and grow: fungi, plants, whales, humans, flies. It is the mighty TOR protein. An expedition to Easter ...

Biological invasions are a major driver of biodiversity loss and invasive pollinators can reshape native plant-pollinator networks. A new study published in the journal NeoBiota reveals that invasive pollinators are fundamentally ...

A new study from Kiel University shows how the massive exchange of mobile genetic elements between fungi can impair their effectiveness against insects and ticks. Microbial fungi, such as the genus Metarhizium, are often ...

The blobfish, once considered the ugliest animal in the world, has since had quite the redemption arc. Years after it was first discovered, scientists realized that the deep-sea creature appeared so unnervingly blobby only ...

Jupiter's lightning has long been of interest to planetary scientists, as it marks stormy spots where researchers can look to learn more about convection in Jupiter's atmosphere. Observing lightning from a distance can be ...

New research from the Shorebird Science and Conservation Collective at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), published in the journal Conservation Biology, provides a model for big data ...

The findings of a new study by a Charles Sturt University researcher and colleagues challenge a long-standing assumption used by scientists studying ancient disease. The study is published in the International Journal of ...

What can the world's longest living individual teach us about longevity? A team of scientists coordinated by the University of California, Davis, sequenced the Great Basin bristlecone pine genome, which could help unlock ...

Scientists have proven that a wildflower steeped in folklore for its medicinal powers has genuine healing qualities—and the potential to help combat antibiotic resistance. Tormentil, a yellow wildflower found in heath and ...

A tiny crystal chip which uses terahertz radiation to see clearly through a wide range of materials could find applications in health care, biological research, and security screening. Researchers from Scotland and Japan ...

Every minute, nearly 500 antibiotic prescriptions are written in the U.S. Many of these drugs succeed, but more are being outmaneuvered by resistant bacteria. This can lead to tragic results, like the death of one Nevada ...