Phys.org news
Phys.org / How organic matter traps water in soil—even in the driest conditions
From lifelong farmers to backyard gardeners, most plant-lovers know that adding organic matter to a field, vegetable plot or flowerpot increases the soil's moisture. Now, for the first time, Northwestern University scientists ...
Phys.org / Wafer-scale nano-fabrication of multi-layer diffractive optical processors enables unidirectional visible imaging
Researchers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, in collaboration with the Optical Systems Division at Broadcom Inc., report a broadband, polarization-insensitive unidirectional imager that operates in the visible spectrum, ...
Phys.org / Lab-made sugar-coated particle reduces COVID-19 infection rates by 98.6% in human cell tests
Research led by a Swansea University academic has revealed a synthetic glycosystem—a sugar-coated polymer nanoparticle—that can block COVID-19 from infecting human cells, reducing infection rates by nearly 99%.
Phys.org / Bacteria reveal a complex arsenal of over 200 viral defense strategies
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified more than 200 strategies used by bacteria to avoid viral infection. Their findings, published in Cell Host & Microbe, shed light on a microbial "arms race" that ...
Phys.org / Planets without water could still produce certain liquids, a new study finds
Water is essential for life on Earth. So, the liquid must be a requirement for life in other worlds. For decades, scientists' definition of habitability on other planets has rested on this assumption.
Phys.org / Slowly spinning dark matter halos may explain mysterious 'little red dots' in the early universe
Astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian have proposed a new explanation for some of the universe's most puzzling early galaxies, nicknamed "little red dots."
Phys.org / AI automatically designs optimal drug candidates for cancer-targeting mutations
Traditional drug development methods involve identifying a target protein (e.g., a cancer cell receptor) that causes disease, and then searching through countless molecular candidates (potential drugs) that could bind to ...
Phys.org / Unpacking chaos to protect coffee: Study untangles the ecological dynamics of ants in Puerto Rico
To help manage agricultural practices with fewer or no pesticides, University of Michigan researchers say they need to understand how ecological systems work on agricultural lands.
Phys.org / As the world churns: How bioturbation has shaped ocean floors over 540 million years
The murky world at the bottom of the oceans is now a little clearer, thanks to a new study that tracks the evolution of marine sediment layers across hundreds of millions of years.
Phys.org / Livestock played a role in prehistoric plague infections, genomic study finds
Around 5,000 years ago, a mysterious form of plague spread throughout Eurasia, only to disappear 2,000 years later. Known only from ancient DNA, this enigmatic "LNBA plague" lineage has left scientists puzzled about its likely ...
Phys.org / Common food bacteria could help make vitamins cheaper and greener
A new study reveals how Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis), a common food bacterium, regulates the production of a key precursor in vitamin K₂ (menaquinone) biosynthesis. The bacteria produce enough of this precursor to support ...
Dialog / Rethinking imperfections: How defects are powering brighter perovskite emissions
In materials science, defects are usually seen as problems, unwanted microscopic features that degrade performance, reduce efficiency or shorten the lifespan of devices. But a recent breakthrough published in Advanced Materials ...
