Phys.org news
Phys.org / Precision work prior to cell division: How enzymes optimize DNA structure
Before a cell can divide, it has to precisely duplicate its entire genetic information. However, the DNA in the cell exists as part of a DNA-protein complex known as chromatin. For this purpose, the DNA is wrapped around ...
Phys.org / One of cholera's great enemies is found in the human gut
Cholera-causing bacteria are locked in an evolutionary arms race with a viral nemesis, according to a new genomic study. Researchers have found that, in the Ganges Delta, cholera bacteria rapidly gain and lose special armor ...
Phys.org / Atomic-level simulations reveal rotational mechanism behind a critical biomolecular motor
The way a key cellular motor works at an atomic level has been uncovered by simulations conducted by RIKEN biophysicists. This finding, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides important ...
Phys.org / Reducing aircraft soot might not actually reduce the climate effects of contrails
Reducing aircraft soot emissions may not reduce contrail clouds, according to in-flight observations of emissions from a passenger jet with modern "lean-burn" engines, reported in Nature. Contrails from aircraft contribute ...
Phys.org / Soil biodiversity linked to lower human infectious disease risk
Diverse soil microbial communities may help suppress pathogens naturally, acting as a biological barrier against their establishment and spread, according to a new study. Professor Brajesh Singh, from The University of Western ...
Phys.org / How plants fight back against bacteria that promote waterlogging in leaves
Farmers, gardeners, and botanists have long observed that plant diseases tend to flare up during periods of high humidity, particularly after rainfall. Humid conditions help bacteria enter plant leaves, and once inside, certain ...
Phys.org / Analysis tracks 20 years of coastal species shifts in the Gulf of Maine
Researchers from the University of Maine, in partnership with the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), are analyzing more than 20 years of fishery survey data from the Gulf of Maine to examine how environmental change ...
Phys.org / Air surveillance reveals hidden reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes
A review finds that antibiotic resistance genes—capable of undermining modern medicine—can travel through the air across both cities and farmland, and argues that airborne spread represents an overlooked public health risk.
Phys.org / 'Canary in the coal mine': Superb fairy-wrens in Canberra could go extinct within 30 years
Superb fairy-wrens are facing "imminent danger," and a well-studied population in Canberra could go extinct in the next 30 years if we don't urgently curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to an international team of scientists ...
Phys.org / Are relationship surveys measuring the wrong thing? How one 'Q-factor' shapes most answers
Commonly used self-report measures of romantic relationships may capture people's overall appraisal of their relationship more than measuring distinct relationship facets such as communication, conflict and affection, according ...
Phys.org / A color-changing phosphor can encode information
A new synthetic molecule switches between emitting green and blue light after application of a solvent or mild heat. The color-changing phosphor can be leveraged for a two-layered information encoding platform, according ...
Phys.org / Vegetation patterns and ecosystem resilience: Why their relationship status is 'complicated'
In dryland ecosystems, increased environmental stress often triggers a change from a uniform vegetation cover to patchy vegetation patterns. Some theoretical studies suggest that this spatial self-organization of vegetation ...
