Phys.org news
Phys.org / Frog-cell 'neurobots' grow self-organized nervous systems and alter gene activity
Biobots, whose growing line of variants started with xenobots, are fascinating tiny self-powered living robots built exclusively using frog embryonic cells. Originally developed in the laboratories of Wyss Institute Associate ...
Phys.org / Location of reforestation projects has greater effect on climate than number of trees planted, study shows
In the fight against the climate crisis, countries are pinning great hope in reforestation projects. In a new study, ETH Zurich researchers show that the location in which reforestation is taking place is usually more important ...
Phys.org / Light-controlled hydrogel mimics soft human tissue for more realistic cell studies
For decades, lab-grown cells have been studied in materials that don't reflect the softness and flexibility of human tissue. Now researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a water-rich, Jell-O-like material ...
Phys.org / Structural modeling reveals phage proteins that manipulate bacterial immune signaling
The genomes of phages—viruses that infect bacteria—are largely composed of "dark matter": genes that encode proteins whose functions remain unknown. Less than four years ago, a team led by Prof. Rotem Sorek at the Weizmann ...
Phys.org / Personal change thresholds may explain why popular policies fail to spread
Why do widely supported solutions to major problems, such as climate change, so often struggle to gain real traction? A new study suggests that part of the answer lies in understanding why people resist change, and how the ...
Phys.org / Single-cell data reveal a cellular 'developmental hourglass' in vertebrate embryos
Scientists have long observed that embryos of different species within a phylum look quite distinct at early and late developmental stages but resemble one another more during mid-embryogenesis, a phenomenon known as developmental ...
Phys.org / Breathing in nanoparticles could enable a 10-minute pneumonia check at point of care
Diagnosing some diseases could be as easy as breathing into a tube. MIT engineers have developed a test to detect disease-related compounds in a patient's breath. The new test could provide a faster way to diagnose pneumonia ...
Phys.org / Molecular chains with bite: Customized carbon nanoribbons open a cleaner path to molecular electronics
The longest chains of the conductive polymer poly(p-phenylene; PPP) produced to date are just under one micrometer (thousandth of a millimeter) long—almost an order of magnitude longer than previously possible. A research ...
Phys.org / Origin of lowest density super-puff planet remains a hazy mystery
A thick layer of haze around the ultra-low-density planet Kepler-51d likely obscures not only the strange planet's composition, but also its origin, according to a new study. A team led by Penn State researchers used NASA's ...
Phys.org / Rapid sequencing method offers same day detection of antibiotic resistance
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a rapid and cost-efficient sequencing method that can identify antibiotic resistance within the same working day. The technique, called s5PSeq, measures how bacterial ribosomes ...
Phys.org / AI analysis of nanoribbon assembly reveals protein design principles
Two parallel experiments in protein self-assembly produced strikingly different results, demonstrating that protein designers should consider incorporating physical forces now missing from even Nobel-prize-winning protein ...
Phys.org / Cannibalism takes major bite out of young blue crabs, but the shallows offer a refuge
The Chesapeake Bay's most popular crustacean has a dark streak. Cannibalism is the No. 1 killer of juvenile blue crabs in mid-salinity waters where they are known to congregate, according to a new study from the Smithsonian ...
