Phys.org news

Phys.org / Rice gene discovery could cut fertilizer use while protecting yields

Researchers from the University of Oxford, Nanjing Agricultural University, and Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (Chinese Academy of Sciences) have finally identified the master regulator in plants that balances ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Tackling the global tuberculosis crisis: An emerging class of antibiotics offers hope

Researchers from the University of Sydney and the Centenary Institute have discovered how a promising class of experimental antibiotics disrupts the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), paving the way for urgently needed ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / PFOS 'forever chemical' can accumulate in bees—and their honey

A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology has revealed the toxic "forever chemical," PFOS, can accumulate in exposed honeybee colonies and transfer to their honey, threatening pollinator viability, ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Will melting glaciers slow climate change? A prevailing theory is on shaky ground

For scientists who study the Southern Ocean, a long-standing silver lining in the gloomy forecast of climate change has been the theory of iron fertilization. As temperatures rise and glaciers in Antarctica melt, ice-trapped ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Birds achieve sweet success: What adaptations to high-sugar diets reveal about metabolism

Anyone who has seen a hummingbird poking her beak deep into a trumpet creeper blossom, or a honeyeater using its brush-tipped tongue to extract nectar from eucalyptus flowers, has witnessed something that, from a human perspective, ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / New technique spots hidden defects to boost reliability of ultrathin electronics

Future devices will continue to probe the frontier of the very small, and at scales where functionality depends on mere atoms, even the tiniest flaw matters. Researchers at Rice University have shown that hard-to-spot defects ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Ancient mosquitoes developed a taste for early hominins, research reveals

The preference of some mosquitoes in the Anopheles leucosphyrus (Leucosphyrus) group—including those that transmit malaria—for feeding on humans may have evolved in response to the arrival of early hominins in Southeast ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How oxygen enriched Earth's atmosphere 2.5 billion years ago

Cyanobacteria, as they still exist today, were the first organisms to carry out photosynthesis and release oxygen. Produced in primeval oceans about 2.5 billion years ago, this oxygen accumulated in Earth's atmosphere on ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Turning over a new leaf in analyses of natural products

Scientists have developed a new way to help understand what happens in the body when people consume a plant product and the many chemicals it contains. The Journal of Natural Products published the method to quickly analyze ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Endangered giant clam feeding strategies could determine species' future survival

Giant clams (Tridacna gigas), members of the family Tridacnidae and among the most striking inhabitants of tropical coral reefs, are being driven toward extinction. Over-harvesting for jewelry, the aquarium trade, and food, ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Undergrads expand the chemical toolbox for cancer drugs

Thanks to modern therapies, a cancer diagnosis is no longer an automatic death sentence. But many patients still suffer from unwanted side effects and limited efficacy. In a recent Bioconjugate Chemistry publication, William ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / How RNA binding selectivity arises from disordered regions

RIKEN researchers have discovered how an enzyme modifies gene expression by targeting certain stretches of messenger RNA (mRNA) while leaving others alone. This finding could contribute to the rational design of drugs that ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology