https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A new study by researchers at Kiel University and MPI-EvolBio describes how more efficient protein production drives the adaptation of fungi to the human body, potentially turning previously harmless species into emerging pathogens. In the wake of global change and the associated rise in temperatures, fungal infections are on the increase worldwide, threatening crops, wildlife and, also, human health. Many fungal species are completely harmless and fulfill important ecological functions, such as decomposing organic matter and releasing nutrients into the soil. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-fungal-infections-species-quickly-fat.html Evolution Sat, 07 Feb 2026 07:00:05 EST news689437087 Analysis of the second confirmed interstellar comet to visit our solar system suggests that the alien body could be covered in erupting icy, volcano-like structures called cryovolcanoes. Researchers also discovered that the comet has a metal-rich interior, which could challenge our understanding of how comets formed in our own planetary system. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-interstellar-icy-volcanoes-rewrite-comets.html Space Exploration Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:50:01 EST news683977271 About 400 years ago, a cross between cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc gave birth to cabernet sauvignon. Today, cabernet sauvignon is the world's most-planted wine grape, dominating vineyards from Napa to Bordeaux. New research from the University of California, Davis, reveals that the grape still carries a kind of gene memory of its parents. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-wine-grape-molecular-memory-ancestry.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:55:04 EST news682692901 Recent epic leaps in genetics have created a biodiversity library. As the genetic make-up of animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and viruses has been mapped, researchers racing to develop solutions to today's global challenges run into a question: https://phys.org/news/2025-11-mouse-genetic-advances-frontiers.html Education Tue, 11 Nov 2025 11:25:04 EST news682082702 James D. Watson, whose co-discovery of the twisted-ladder structure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on a revolution in medicine, crimefighting, genealogy and ethics, has died. He was 97. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-james-watson-discoverer-helix-dna.html Other Sat, 08 Nov 2025 05:52:09 EST news681803497 The world-first insemination of an Amur leopard in France has lifted hopes of animal lovers for the survival of Earth's rarest big cat. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-artificial-insemination-world-rarest-big.html Ecology Wed, 22 Oct 2025 02:24:31 EDT news680318641 As city dwellers may know, escaping to the beach can provide a much-needed change of scenery or a mental reset. Historically, some doctors even prescribed trips to the sea to treat diseases. And now, research published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters provides another reason to visit the coast. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-pathogenic-yeast-strains-urban-air.html Environment Wed, 01 Oct 2025 08:00:04 EDT news678445618 After humans started using the Baltic Sea, its diatom populations started to experience accelerated—and, so far, irreversible—changes in genetic composition and diversity, according a recent study led by researchers in Konstanz. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-baltic-diatoms-genetically-stable-millennia.html Ecology Fri, 26 Sep 2025 08:32:05 EDT news678094321 Every season, scientists from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) go on field trips to the Pyrenees. Their mission: gather snapdragon flowers to understand their genetic makeup. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-scientists-snapdragon-pyrenees-ancestry.html Evolution Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:14:04 EDT news677762041 Biological condensates are small, membraneless organelles typically consisting of multiple proteins and nucleic acids within cells. They are involved in a diverse array of cellular processes but, despite their importance, methods to quantify their molecular makeup are lacking. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-experimental-method-successfully-molecules-condensate.html Biochemistry Wed, 03 Sep 2025 13:15:03 EDT news676124101 Every living species on Earth has a unique geographical range, with some being widespread and others being very narrow. Several factors shape a species' range size—and one of them is the evolutionary age of a species. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-older-species-tend-large-ranges.html Evolution Wed, 27 Aug 2025 09:02:04 EDT news675504121 A University of the Sunshine Coast-led study has uncovered evidence that sex reversal is more common in wild birds than previously thought—with potential implications for threatened species. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-sex-reversal-australian-birds.html Plants & Animals Wed, 13 Aug 2025 09:25:19 EDT news674295914 Scientists have discovered four new species of pseudoscorpions, blind cave-dwelling arachnids with dragon-like jaws. The subterranean creatures were found deep inside caves in South Korea by Kyung-Hoon Jeong and colleagues at Jeonbuk National University. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-pseudoscorpion-species-dragon-jaws-korean.html Plants & Animals Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:29:53 EDT news671372986 For two centuries, scholars have sparred over the roots of the Piasts, Poland's first documented royal house, who reigned from the 10th to the 14th centuries. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-kings-poland-scotland-dna-evidence.html Archaeology Thu, 12 Jun 2025 11:09:04 EDT news668945341 A new study, led by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, and additional researchers, offers a unique lens for understanding the unprecedented extinction crisis of native Hawaiian forest birds. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-recovery-critically-endangered-hawaiian-honeycreeper.html Plants & Animals Thu, 29 May 2025 15:40:14 EDT news667752011 Why do some ancient animals become fossils while others disappear without a trace? A new study from the University of Lausanne, published in Nature Communications, reveals that part of the answer lies in the body itself. The research shows that an animal's size and chemical makeup can play an important role in determining whether it's preserved for millions of years—or lost to time. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-size-chemical-makeup-ancient-animals.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 01 May 2025 12:12:04 EDT news665320321 Archaea—one of the three primary domains of life alongside bacteria and eukaryotes—are often overlooked and sometimes mistaken for bacteria due to their single-celled nature and lack of a nucleus. Yet, archaea are found across diverse environments, from oceanic plankton to the human microbiome. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-mechanical-compression-multicellular-archaea.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 10 Apr 2025 11:53:04 EDT news663504782 Standard genetic sequencing approaches can tell you a lot about the genetic makeup and activity in a sample, like a piece of tissue or drop of blood. But they don't tell you where specific genetic sequences were located inside that sample, or their relationship to other genes and molecules. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-dna-microscope-3d-images.html Biotechnology Thu, 27 Mar 2025 06:00:03 EDT news662198281 Yerba mate, along with tea and coffee, is one of the world's most popular caffeinated beverages. Widely consumed in South America, this remarkable plant is rich in diverse, bioactive compounds that contribute many health benefits. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-yerba-genome-reveals-facts-evolution.html Evolution Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:19:05 EST news657800342 Rising carbon dioxide levels affect more than just the climate; they also affect the chemistry of the oceans. When saltwater absorbs carbon dioxide, it becomes acidic, which alters the aquatic animal ecosystem. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-acidic-oceans-affect-sex-oysters.html Plants & Animals Thu, 23 Jan 2025 14:32:35 EST news656865152 Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) collaborated with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to characterize the chemical makeup of 81 common household items. Researchers also evaluated the potential risk to users. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-screening-explores-chemical-exposure-household.html Environment Thu, 05 Dec 2024 04:50:15 EST news652596607 A team of scientists have identified a gene in poplar trees that enhances photosynthesis and can boost tree height. The study, "An orphan gene BOOSTER enhances photosynthetic efficiency and plant productivity," is published in Developmental Cell, and was a collaboration between the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-poplar-tree-photosynthesis-gene-boosts.html Plants & Animals Tue, 03 Dec 2024 15:19:04 EST news652461541 Viruses that infect bacteria—known as bacteriophages—could be used in a targeted manner to combat bacterial diseases. They also play an important ecological role in global biogeochemical cycles. Recent research by researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) has identified a previously unknown auxiliary metabolic gene in aquatic phages, thereby significantly expanding the previous understanding of these bacterial predators. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-bacteria-auxiliary-metabolic-genes-phages.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 15 Oct 2024 16:49:04 EDT news648229741 Before Earth became the blue planet, it was engulfed by a very different kind of ocean: a vast, deep magma ocean reaching down hundreds or perhaps even thousands of kilometers. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-magma-oceans-evolve-early-earth.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:58:52 EDT news647783929 Volcanoes were still erupting on the moon when dinosaurs roamed Earth, new research suggests. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-tiny-glass-beads-moon-volcanoes.html Earth Sciences Sat, 07 Sep 2024 15:40:01 EDT news644769414 Archaeologists have analyzed the DNA of a unique child burial at the precontact Mexican site of Paquimé, suggesting it is a rare example of close relative mating between elites for ritual sacrifice. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-dna-analysis-reveals-child-sacrifice.html Archaeology Tue, 13 Aug 2024 09:46:03 EDT news642761162 Makeup is one of the strategic tools for shaping one's image. To what extent can its intensity and form vary depending on the occasion and context? When and why can it be used as camouflage? Researchers from SWPS University attempted to answer these questions by investigating how women apply makeup. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-art-makeup-camouflage-amount-application.html Social Sciences Tue, 30 Jul 2024 12:44:26 EDT news641562261 Genetic diversity is essential to the survival of a species. It's easy enough to maintain if a species reproduces sexually; an egg and a sperm combine genetic material from two creatures into one, forming a genomically robust offspring with two distinct versions of the species' genome. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-asexual-reproduction-lack-genetic-diversity.html Plants & Animals Tue, 16 Jul 2024 12:35:31 EDT news640352128 In a new review paper, Carlo Maley and Arizona State University colleagues describe cell-in-cell phenomena in which one cell engulfs and sometimes consumes another. The study shows that cases of this behavior, including cell cannibalism, are widespread across the tree of life. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-widespread-cell-cannibalism-phenomena-tree.html Evolution Tue, 21 May 2024 15:31:56 EDT news635524310 Using the Gemini South telescope a team of astronomers have confirmed for the first time that differences in binary stars' composition can originate from chemical variations in the cloud of stellar material from which they formed. The results help explain why stars born from the same molecular cloud can possess different chemical composition and host different planetary systems, as well as pose challenges to current stellar and planet formation models. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-revealing-unexpected-differences-giant-binary.html Astronomy Mon, 29 Apr 2024 12:28:04 EDT news633612481