Phys.org news
Phys.org / How plants balance woody xylem and fleshy tissues: Thermospermine targets methylated ribosomes
Scientists have identified a crucial mechanism that allows plants to shape their vascular systems, determining whether they grow soft edible storage organs or develop the rigid woody tissue characteristic of trees. Published ...
Phys.org / Strawberry guava prevents natural forest generation in Madagascar, project reveals
Rice University biologist Amy Dunham has spent decades studying the mountainous rainforests of Madagascar's Ranomafana National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was designated a national park in 1991. In a project ...
Phys.org / Fentanyl makeover: Core structural redesign could lead to safer pain medications
Fentanyl is one of the most effective drugs for managing severe pain, yet it carries substantial risks of addiction and respiratory depression, the dangerous and sometimes fatal slowed breathing. These safety concerns have ...
Phys.org / A DNA 'on-off' switch? Light and redox cues reversibly link strands for nanotech
DNA, the blueprint of life, is best known for its fundamental role as genetic material—storing and transmitting biological information through the precise sequence of its bases. For decades, this information-storage function ...
Phys.org / Predator stress makes road salt far deadlier for freshwater snails, study finds
Freshwater streams, ponds and lakes across the United States are becoming saltier, and new research from the University of Missouri shows the damage may be greater than scientists once thought. Scientists at Mizzou's College ...
Phys.org / How AI is distorting online research, from polls to public policy
Artificial intelligence is increasingly able to simulate human behavior and answer online surveys and political polls, putting the reliability of survey-based research at risk. Consequences can be serious, not only for science ...
Phys.org / Temperature affects the quality of male frogs' mating calls: Females can hear the difference
A study from the University of California, Davis, found that temperature affects the sound and quality of male frogs' mating calls. In the colder, early weeks of spring, their songs start off sluggishly. In warmer weather, ...
Phys.org / Drones with low-cost air quality sensors can improve air quality monitoring
A drone equipped with low-cost air quality sensors has revealed unexpectedly high concentrations of particulate matter at around 100 meters above ground level in Delhi. These new vertical insights could play an important ...
Phys.org / Ambitious climate action could save 1.32 million lives a year by 2040
Ambitious climate action to improve global air quality could save up to 1.32 million lives per year by 2040, according to a new study. The research, led by Cardiff University, shows how developing countries rely heavily on ...
Phys.org / Bio-based coating reveals harmful UV exposure by shifting color
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a coating using proteins and bacteria that could enable the development of T-shirts that warn of excessive sun exposure or labels that reveal damage to ...
Phys.org / How redox reactions drive bacteria's Na⁺-NQR sodium pump
The enzyme Na⁺-NQR is a sodium pump that drives the respiration of many marine and pathogenic bacteria. Using redox reactions, the process of exchanging electrons between materials, it powers the transportation of sodium ...
Phys.org / Only humans have chins: Study shows it's an evolutionary accident
Dashiell Hammett mentioned Sam Spade's jutting chin in the opening sentence of his novel, "The Maltese Falcon." Spade's chin was among the facial features Hammett used to describe his fictional detective's appearance, but ...
