Phys.org news

Phys.org / Self-driving system makes key plastic ingredient using in-house generated H₂O₂

An eco-friendly system capable of producing propylene oxide (PO) without external electricity or sunlight has been developed. PO is a vital raw material used in manufacturing household items such as polyurethane for sofas ...

Nov 7, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Maned sloth genomes show distinct impacts of habitat loss and inbreeding

The northern and southern maned sloths may look very similar from the outside, but their genomes reveal different stories: The two species have faced very distinct conditions in Brazil's Atlantic Forest in the past and confront ...

Nov 7, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / 'Nanopack' cell therapy targets inflammation in multiple sclerosis

About 1 million people in the U.S. live with multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease that inflames the nervous system and scrambles communication between the brain and body. MS, for which there is no single cause ...

Nov 7, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / SpyTag nanodisks enable reliable surface plasmon resonance analysis of membrane proteins

In a study published in Analytical Chemistry, a research team led by Wang Junfeng from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a novel immobilization method for surface plasmon ...

Nov 7, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Simplified protein models enable simulations of unknown folding patterns

The chains of amino acids that make up proteins are critical to every form of life. The complex ways that these proteins fold and interact has fascinated researchers for decades. Exactly how a protein folds determines its ...

Nov 7, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / New technique protects synthetic gene circuits against cell growth dilution

Genetic engineers can design and assemble sophisticated gene circuits to program cells with new functions, but important signaling molecules can become diluted as these cells grow and divide, causing the synthetic gene circuits ...

Nov 7, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Unlocking oxygen's hidden role in turning propylene into useful chemicals

A team of researchers has discovered a new way to make valuable industrial chemicals from propylene using a common, low-cost material: lead dioxide (PbO₂).

Nov 7, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / West Coast mammal-eating killer whales are two distinct communities that rarely mix, finds study

New research has confirmed that West Coast transient killer whales who live between British Columbia and California are two distinct subpopulations: inner and outer coast transients.

Nov 6, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / A long, bumpy caterpillar-like wormhole may connect two black holes

For obvious reasons, we do not know what the inside of a black hole looks like. But thanks to theoretical physics, we can ask what the inside should look like if Einstein's theory of gravity and the rules of quantum mechanics ...

Nov 6, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Rapa Nui's catastrophic deforestation: Invasive rats, not just humans, may be to blame

Dr. Terry Hunt from the University of Arizona and Dr. Carl Lipo from the University of Birmingham have published a study in the Journal of Archaeological Sciences, reassessing the role of Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) ...

Nov 6, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / How quantum computers can aid the search for room-temperature superconductors

For the first time, a quantum computer has successfully measured pairing correlations (quantum signals that show electrons teaming up in pairs), which is essential to helping scientists find one of the holy grails of physics—superconductors ...

Nov 6, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Archaeologists examine evidence for Indigenous long-distance voyaging below 50°S

In a study published in the Journal of Coastal and Island Archaeology, Dr. Thomas Leppard and his colleagues, John Cherry and Atholl Anderson, evaluate the evidence for pre-European long-distance voyages below the 50th parallel ...

Nov 6, 2025 in Other Sciences