Phys.org news

Scientists in the Riccio College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of California Santa Barbara have demonstrated key laser and ion trap components necessary to help drastically shrink ...

In chemical processes for producing pharmaceuticals, catalysts are a core technology that determines production speed and cost. However, until now, there has been a trade-off between "precise but disposable catalysts" and ...

To survive in the human bloodstream, the African trypanosome parasite wears a "cloak" made of proteins known as a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). The study, published in Nature Microbiology, identifies the protein that ...

Is your houseplant thirsty? Are crops getting enough water? Is a forest at high risk of wildfire? Leaf health can answer all these questions, and researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed new technology ...

The striped dog-like marsupial we know as the Tasmanian tiger has long been surrounded by mystery, and the subject of scientific curiosity. Now, newly discovered rock art depicting Tasmanian tigers and Tasmanian devils in ...

Biomolecular condensates are tiny, droplet-like structures made up of molecules that help organize key processes in living organisms. Because they are so small and constantly changing, it has been difficult for scientists ...

When lasers were invented in the 1960s, they opened new avenues for scientific discovery and everyday applications, from scanners at the grocery store to corrective eye surgery. Conventional lasers control photons—individual ...

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University have uncovered a previously unknown system of internal "trade winds" that help cells rapidly move essential proteins to the front of the cell, reshaping how researchers understand ...

In physics, some waves behave in a surprising way: instead of spreading out and fading, they hold their shape as they travel at constant speeds. These unusual waves, called solitons, have interested scientists since they ...

Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have, for the first time, deciphered key steps in the biosynthetic mechanism of the potential anti-cancer agent fostriecin. The team led by Prof. Dr. Frank Hahn has succeeded in producing ...

A new study has revealed that improving the landscapes surrounding forest remnants can dramatically increase their ability to retain bird species—even when the forest fragments themselves are small or isolated. For decades, ...

A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution connects plant and insect physiology, chemical ecology, molecular function, and evolutionary analysis to offer a new perspective on plant–insect coevolution. The research ...