Phys.org news

Phys.org / Machine learning method uncovers hidden patterns in DNA methylation

In a study recently published in Nature Communications, researchers from Berlin, Potsdam, and Jena present a new method for analyzing the epigenome. The machine-learning method identifies differentially methylated DNA regions ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists unlock 'ancestral code' of banana family

Scientists have recently reconstructed the ancestral karyotype of the banana family, revealing how chromosome numbers decreased stepwise from 17 to 9–11 over evolutionary time.

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Using plutonium to probe the universe: Magneto‑ν experiment advances dark matter and neutrino research

Astronomers can't see dark matter directly, but they know it's there: Its gravity shapes galaxies and the large-scale structure of the cosmos. In an effort to uncover the composition of this hidden mass, a team at Lawrence ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Adaptation and a 'Noah's Ark for trees' offer hope for endangered black ash

With the invasive emerald ash borer beetle decimating black ash across North America, according to the U.S. Forest Service, a team led by researchers at Penn State conducted an expansive study of genetic diversity in black ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Porpoise entanglement recorded in real time, revealing calls and escape attempts

Researchers at the University of St Andrews have gained unprecedented insight into marine mammal behavior when they become tangled in fishing nets. In a paper published Aug. 26 in Royal Society Open Science, researchers from ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Chemical physicists quantitatively model electron interactions in real quantum materials

A team of scientists from Caltech and Yale University has shown for the first time how to accurately quantify an important quantum phenomenon in metals, called the Kondo effect, for specific real materials. Unlike previous ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Forty forest drought experiments reveal trees show little physiological acclimation

Forests support much of the world's biodiversity and play a vital role in regulating Earth's climate, but they are increasingly exposed to drought. To understand the potential consequences of drought, a key question is whether ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / 3D atomic imaging reveals a new pathway to crystal formation

The most common scientific approach for thinking about how condensation, freezing and other phase transitions begin is based in classical nucleation theory, which was developed about a century ago. Thousands of experiments ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Exact calculations sharpen view of atomic nuclei

Every high-energy nuclear collision leaves behind a trail of clues about the structure of atomic nuclei. Deciphering those clues, however, depends on the accuracy of the underlying theory. Physicists at Osaka Metropolitan ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Rare medieval manuscript fragments reveal Guernsey's lost literary history

Seventeen medieval manuscript fragments have been identified in Guernsey with support from Kent manuscript expert Dr. David Rundle, offering an unprecedented insight into the island's literary and intellectual life during ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Cow gut enzyme could help target bacterial biofilms and antibiotic-resistant infections

The bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii poses a substantial threat in health care settings, readily forming biofilms on wounds and medical surfaces and contributing to persistent infections and delayed healing. Its growing ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Developing a genetic toolkit for manipulating abundant intestinal microbes

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have developed a set of molecular tools to regulate the activity of specific genes in one of the most common classes of intestinal bacteria. The ability to genetically manipulate these ...

Aug 25, 2026