Phys.org news

Phys.org / Mapping 3D-super-enhancers with machine learning to pinpoint regulators of cell identity

Scientists usually study the molecular machinery that controls gene expression from the perspective of a linear, two-dimensional genome—even though DNA and its bound proteins function in three dimensions (3D). To better ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / Microbes hitchhiking on marine snow could limit how deep carbon sinks

In some parts of the deep ocean, it can look like it's snowing. This "marine snow" is the dust and detritus that organisms slough off as they die and decompose. Marine snow can fall several kilometers to the deepest parts ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Baltic herring fishing rules may need an update after new genetic mapping

Herring from different parts of the Baltic Sea belong to distinct populations genetically adapted to local differences in salinity and temperature. However, these populations can also mix with each other, according to a new ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / Ocean carbon removal looks promising, but nutrient cycling could curb long-term gains

There is growing interest in the scientific community and private sector in biological approaches to marine carbon dioxide removal—strategies designed to enhance the ocean's natural ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. ...

21 hours ago
Phys.org / From carp to crocodilians: Why deliberately introduced freshwater giants may bring hidden risks

More than 40% of extant large freshwater animals (megafauna), including carp, salmonids, crocodilians, turtles, beavers, and hippopotamuses, have been deliberately introduced outside their natural range, often for economic ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Pathogenic virus infects and structurally reorganizes human cells, finds new study

Orthohantaviruses, such as the Puumala virus, are widespread in Europe, causing flu-like illnesses and severe kidney damage in those infected. It is increasingly considered a zoonotic threat. Researchers from the Medical ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / Ancient hydrothermal carbon fuels microbes and crabs off Taiwan, study reveals

How is carbon metabolized and processed in different ecosystems? In a study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, researchers led by Joely Maak, the study's first author and researcher in the Cluster ...

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Why simulating an entire cell cycle took years, multiple GPUs and six days per run

By simulating the life cycle of a minimal bacterial cell—from DNA replication to protein translation to metabolism and cell division—scientists have opened a new frontier of computer vision into the essential processes ...

Mar 9, 2026
Phys.org / Camera captures first video of a red fox attacking a wolf pup

We are used to seeing a strict order in nature, with apex predators at the top feeding on those lower down the pecking order. But in video footage from a nature reserve in Italy, we see a red fox turning the tables, attacking ...

Mar 9, 2026
Phys.org / 2D topological Kondo insulator observed in a moiré superlattice

When mobile charge carriers, also known as itinerant electrons, interact with the strong exchange magnetic fields associated with the intrinsic angular momentum of localized electrons, this can give rise to the so-called ...

Mar 9, 2026
Phys.org / Recent pandemic viruses jumped to humans without prior adaptation, study finds

A new University of California San Diego study published in Cell challenges a long-standing assumption about how animal viruses become capable of sparking human epidemics and pandemics. Using a phylogenetic, genome-wide analysis ...

Mar 9, 2026
Phys.org / Multi-wavelength observations track bright gamma-ray blazar's three-year cycle

By analyzing the data from various space observatories and ground-based telescopes, European astronomers have performed a multiwavelength study of a bright gamma-ray blazar known as S5 1044+71. The new study, published Feb. ...

Mar 9, 2026