Phys.org news
Phys.org / Rare 'universal paralog' genes may reveal a pre-LUCA evolutionary record
All life on Earth shares a common ancestor that lived roughly four billion years ago. This so-called "last universal common ancestor" (LUCA) represents the most ancient organism that researchers can study. Previous research ...
Phys.org / A smarter way to watch biology at work: Microfluidic droplet injector drastically cuts sample consumption
Watching proteins move as they drive the chemical reactions that sustain life is one of the grand challenges of modern biology. In recent years, X-ray free-electron lasers, or XFELs, have begun to meet that challenge, capturing ...
Phys.org / DNA provides a solution to our enormous data storage problem
Since the dawn of the computer age, researchers have wrestled with two persistent challenges: how to store ever-increasing reams of data and how to protect that information from unintended access. Now, researchers with Arizona ...
Phys.org / Listening to polymers collapse: 'Water bridges' pull the strings
It is not easy to follow the interactions of large molecules with water in real time. But this can be easier to hear than to see. This is how an international team deciphered the role of water in the collapse of PNIPAM.
Phys.org / Faster enzyme screening could cut biocatalysis bottlenecks in drug development
A team of biochemists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has developed a faster way to identify molecules in the lab that could lead to more effective pharmaceuticals. The discovery advances the rapidly growing ...
Phys.org / Seeds 'listen' to mom: Study finds mother plants send ABA hormone signals that set seed dormancy
Whatever challenges life throws, mothers often know best as they guide offspring through the risky stages of early development. This scenario, familiar when applied to humans, turns out to be true for plants too, according ...
Phys.org / 2018 Kīlauea earthquake may have stalled fault's slow slip for decades
The magnitude 6.9 earthquake that took place in 2018 on the south flank of Kīlauea on the Island of Hawaiʻi may have stalled episodes of periodic slow slip along a major fault underlying the volcano, according to a new ...
Phys.org / Surgery for quantum bits: Bit-flip errors corrected during superconducting qubit operations
Quantum computers hold great promise for exciting applications in the future, but for now they keep presenting physicists and engineers with a series of challenges and conundrums. One of them relates to decoherence and the ...
Phys.org / Skua deaths mark first wildlife die-off due to avian flu on Antarctica
More than 50 skuas in Antarctica died from the high pathogenicity avian influenza virus H5N1 in the summers of 2023 and 2024, marking the first documented die-off of wildlife from the virus on the continent. That is confirmed ...
Phys.org / Philadelphia communities help AI machine learning get better at spotting gentrification
Over the last several decades, urban planners and municipalities have sought to identify and better manage the socioeconomic dynamics associated with rapid development in established neighborhoods. The term "gentrification" ...
Phys.org / CRISPR screen maps 250 genes essential for human muscle fiber formation
Muscles make up nearly 40% of the human body and power every move we make, from a child's first steps to recovery after injury. For some, however, muscle development goes awry, leading to weakness, delayed motor milestones ...
Phys.org / Thinking of AI-written vows? A study explains why it can backfire
Psychologists at the University of Kent are suggesting people think wisely about their use of ChatGPT this Valentine's Day after new research has revealed that we judge people most when they use AI to write love letters, ...
