Sea sponges offer hope for new medicines

(Phys.org)—Flinders University researcher Dr Jan Bekker is on a mission to chemically fingerprint South Australia's marine sponges, with the wider aim of identifying new compounds that could ultimately play an important ...

Sea urchin's spiny, elastic strength revealed

(Phys.org)—For the first time, a team of Australian engineers has modelled the microscopic mechanics of a sea urchin's spine, gaining insight into how these unusual creatures withstand impacts in their aquatic environment.

Study broadens understanding of quantum mechanics

(Phys.org)—Former and current USC Dornsife physicists have led a study that represents the first, quantitative account of the universal features of disordered bosons—or quantum particles—in magnetic materials.

Ancient enzymes function like nanopistons to unwind RNA

Molecular biologists at The University of Texas at Austin have solved one of the mysteries of how double-stranded RNA is remodeled inside cells in both their normal and disease states. The discovery may have implications ...

Lighting up the plant hormone 'command system'

Light is not only the source of a plant's energy, but also an environmental signal that instructs the growth behavior of plants. As a result, a plant's sensitivity to light is of great interest to scientists and their research ...

Gauging the forces between cells

Cell-cell junctions are important for communication, transport, signalling, waste evacuation and water homeostasis. An European project has investigated how biophysical forces can influence the fulfilment of this vast range ...

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