Phys.org news

Phys.org / AI model learns yeast DNA 'language' to boost protein drug output

Industrial yeasts are a powerhouse of protein production, used to manufacture vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, and other useful compounds. In a new study, MIT chemical engineers have harnessed artificial intelligence to optimize ...

12 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Beyond 'survival' of fittest: Evolution works in teams

Survival of the fittest. Nature red in tooth and claw. The common view of natural selection is based solely on the individual: A trait allows an organism to out-compete its rivals and is thus passed down to its offspring. ...

5 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Plasma rotation simulations could help fusion reactors survive decades of use

Scientists have long seen a puzzling pattern in tokamaks, the doughnut-shaped machines that could one day reliably generate electricity from fusing atoms. When plasma particles escape the core of the magnetic fields that ...

5 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / New amplifier design promises less noise, more gain for quantum computers

The low-noise, high-gain properties needed for high-performance quantum computing can be realized in a microwave photonic circuit device called a Josephson traveling-wave parametric amplifier (JTWPA), RIKEN researchers have ...

5 hours ago in Physics
Phys.org / Honey bees navigate more precisely than previously thought

A team from the University of Freiburg led by neurobiologist and behavioral biologist Prof. Dr. Andrew Straw studied the flight behavior of honey bees. Using a drone, the researchers tracked honey bees as they flew between ...

5 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Scientists discover recent tectonic activity on the moon

Scientists have produced the first global map and analysis of small mare ridges (SMRs) on the moon, a characteristic geological feature of tectonic activity. Published in The Planetary Science Journal Dec. 24, 2025, the analysis ...

5 hours ago in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / The ice on Greenland is acting strangely: Scientists believe they finally know why

Deep inside the Greenland ice sheet are giant swirling plume-like structures. These have puzzled scientists for over a decade, but UiB researchers now believe they have cracked the mystery by applying the same mathematics ...

5 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Why Triceratops has such a big nose: The first comprehensive hypothesis on soft tissue in the dinosaur

Triceratops and similar horned dinosaurs had unusually large nasal cavities compared to most animals. Researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, used CT scans of fossilized Triceratops skulls and compared ...

6 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Climbing behaviors of tree-dwelling mammals unlock insights on early primate evolution

Researchers have shed new light on the features that enable tree-dwelling mammals to move effectively through their environments, providing insights into the evolution of the distinct upright postures seen in primates. The ...

6 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Northern Europe's radiator: Volcanic eruptions in the past may have pushed ocean currents toward collapse

New research from the University of Copenhagen suggests that volcanic eruptions during the Ice Age may have triggered sudden climate change by disrupting the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), causing temperatures ...

6 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / Laser-made surface repels nearly any liquid, even after fivefold stretching

Researchers from North Carolina State University have used laser ablation to create ultra-stretchable, superomniphobic materials without the use of harsh chemical solvents. The materials—which are useful in applications ...

23 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Isotopes reveal how social status shaped diet in medieval England

Isotope analysis reveals that social status and wealth had a profound impact on diet in medieval England, showing that people from different social groups in medieval Cambridge ate markedly different food. The research, carried ...

22 hours ago in Other Sciences