Phys.org news
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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / The compleximer: New type of plastic mixes glass-like shaping with impact resistance
Researchers at Wageningen University & Research have developed a new type of plastic that, according to materials theory, should not be able to exist. Its properties sit somewhere between those of glass and plastic: it is ...
Phys.org / MXenes for energy storage: More versatile than expected
MXene materials are promising candidates for a new energy storage technology. However, the processes by which the charge storage takes place were not yet fully understood. A team at HZB has examined, for the first time, individual ...
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 / Snowball Earth: Ancient Scottish rocks reveal annual climate cycles
Scientists at the University of Southampton have uncovered evidence from ancient rocks that Earth's climate continued to fluctuate during its most extreme ice age—known as Snowball Earth. During the Cryogenian Period, between ...
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, ...
Phys.org / Increasing pesticide toxicity threatens global biodiversity protection goal: Only one country is currently on target
At the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Canada, in 2022, nations committed to reducing the risks associated with pesticide use in agriculture by 50% by 2030. A new study by a research team from RPTUKaiserslautern-Landau, ...
