Phys.org news

Phys.org / An invisible battle between bacteria determines the flavor and safety of salami

Fermentation is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. Long before refrigerators existed, people relied on microorganisms to keep food—including meat—safe to eat. Ph.D. research by VUB researcher Ana Sosa Fajardo (VUB ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Single tissue snapshot reveals biological processes unfolding over time

A core challenge in biology is understanding how processes in the body, such as cellular development and regeneration, unfold over long stretches of time, making them notoriously difficult to view at the molecular level. ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Trust and patience link to higher happiness across 76 countries

A study covering 76 countries has found that people who are more trusting, patient, altruistic and cooperative tend to report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction, suggesting that well-being depends on more than ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Scientists reveal how dividing cells precisely trigger spindle formation

During animal cell division, a highly synchronized and tightly regulated dance of chromosomes takes place, ensuring the chromosomes split correctly into the two cells. Spindle fibers—complex machinery responsible for choreographing ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / The strange quantum property of tomorrow's insulator

Ultra-fast data transfer and superconductivity: Quantum materials offer significant technological prospects—if we can understand them at the atomic scale. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Researchers push back fundamental limit on energy transfer between particles without 'spilling' radiation

Researchers at TU/e have demonstrated that energy transfer without loss via light or heat can occur over much greater distances than previously thought possible thanks to vibrations in microscopic gold rods. They succeeded ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Women's faces outrank men's in attractiveness across cultures, global study shows

Why are women considered the "fairer sex" in humans, when in most animal species it is males that display the more elaborate and visually striking traits? This question has intrigued researchers since Darwin. A new large-scale ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / As snow droughts continue to threaten global food security, research calls for climate-resilient agriculture practices

Global climate change is reshaping agricultural ecosystems. As warmer winters become more prevalent, snow droughts caused by insufficient snowfall are becoming more frequent. This leaves winter wheat, which relies on snow ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Dying cells don't all release key inflammatory cytokine in the same way, research reveals

Researchers at Toho University have uncovered a previously unrecognized mechanism controlling how dying cells release the inflammatory cytokine IL-33, a key driver of allergy, asthma, tissue inflammation, and cancer progression. ...

9 hours ago
Phys.org / Metamaterials enable control of heat transfer at nanoscale, potentially transforming energy and electronics

Heat behaves in predictable ways: a hot cup of coffee cools, a laptop warms your hands, the sun heats Earth. But at scales thousands of times smaller than a human hair, those rules begin to break down, and scientists are ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / Reconstructed 1.5‑billion‑year‑old protein network reveals hundreds of hidden disease‑linked genes

A University of Texas at Austin-led team has reconstructed the most detailed map to date of the molecular machines that carried out the functions of life in an ancient ancestor that gave rise to all complex life on Earth, ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Are the chemicals around you safe? Researchers are using AI to find out

People are exposed to thousands of chemicals every day—through the products they use, the food they eat and the environments they live in—but only a fraction of those chemicals have been fully tested for safety.

4 hours ago