Phys.org news
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 ...
Phys.org / Shifting foundations of the Antarctic food web could ripple through the entire ecosystem
Researchers from Denmark, New Zealand, Australia, Spain and the U.S. have reconstructed the composition of phytoplankton communities around Antarctica over nearly three decades, the most comprehensive study of its kind to ...
Phys.org / 56 million years ago, Earth underwent rapid global warming—here's what it did to pollinators
Pollinators play a vital role in fertilizing flowers, which grow into seeds and fruits and underpin our agriculture. But climate change can cause a mismatch between plants and their pollinators, affecting where they live ...
Phys.org / Two solutions unlock safer RNA therapies for inflammatory diseases
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are tiny fat bubbles that are used to deliver medicines, genes, and RNA into cells. However, in some cases LNPs can cause harmful inflammation as a result of the process of RNA delivery.
Phys.org / Previously unknown protein 'folding factories' discovered
In order to fulfill their many functions, proteins must be folded into the correct shape. Researchers at the University of Basel have now discovered tiny "folding factories" in cells that enable efficient and accurate protein ...
