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 Swedish artist is about to have the dream of a lifetime fulfilled: A little red model house he created will be launched into space this week and, if all goes according to plan, put on the surface of the moon. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-swedish-artist-house-permanent-home.html Space Exploration Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:21:12 EST news656086868 Seabirds are the most threatened group of birds in the world. A new study led by researchers at Bangor University reveals the sophisticated decision-making seabirds known as Manx shearwaters must make to find fish at sea. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-seabirds-clever-foraging-hundreds-kilometers.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 13:05:03 EST news656082301 News stories about the likely existence of extraterrestrial life, and our chances of detecting it, tend to be positive. We are often told that we might discover it any time now. Finding life beyond Earth is "only a matter of time", we were told in September 2023. "We are close" was a headline from September 2024. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-aliens-scientists.html Astrobiology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:50:05 EST news656080788 Mental health and emotional well-being hit an all-time low during the COVID-19 pandemic, but psychological problems continue to afflict many people in the U.S. Work stress may be a primary contributor—it being strongly associated with poorer emotional and physical well-being, as well as high absenteeism and low presenteeism. Around 8% of U.S. health care costs are attributable to work-related stressors, particularly among medical providers, with 45% reporting high levels of job burnout. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-digital-mindfulness-employee-happiness-engagement.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:46:03 EST news656081161 A new study highlighting the importance of a large protein complex called the exocyst in cell growth, division and communication reveals new functions and mechanisms that are essential to how molecules move across a membrane through vesicles in a cell. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-exocyst-reveals-roles-protein-complex.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:35:58 EST news656080549 A research team led by Professor Jiang Changlong from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed an innovative real-time multi-scenario fluorescence detection technology for monitoring methylglyoxal. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-real-fluorescent-sensor-precise-wine.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:35:55 EST news656080543 Using the MIRI instrument onboard the James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of scientists made the first-ever detection of a mid-IR flare from Sagittarius A*, the supermassive massive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way. In simultaneous radio observations, the team found a radio counterpart of the flare lagging behind in time. The paper is published on the arXiv preprint server. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-mid-infrared-flare-sagittarius-milky.html Astronomy Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:35:31 EST news656080522 In December 2022, less than six months after commencing science operations, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope revealed something never seen before: numerous red objects that appear small in the sky, which scientists soon called "little red dots" (LRDs). Though these dots are quite abundant, researchers are perplexed by their nature, the reason for their unique colors, and what they convey about the early universe. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-newfound-galaxy-class-early-black.html Astronomy Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:27:04 EST news656080021 Longer, more diverse rotations of crops fertilized with livestock manure have many environmental benefits, but carbon sequestration isn't one of them, according to a new study led by Iowa State University researchers. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-diversified-cropping-boost-nitrogen-soil.html Ecology Agriculture Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:08:04 EST news656078882 RNA molecules are an integral part of the human body: In cells, they ensure the transfer of genetic information and regulate the activity of genes. Some even act as catalysts, allowing chemical reactions to take place that would otherwise take place very slowly or not at all. Enzymes made of RNA are called "ribozymes." https://phys.org/news/2025-01-samuri-intricate-3d-insights-rna.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:01:03 EST news656078461 With antibiotic resistance a growing problem, University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have developed cutting-edge computer models that could give the disease-fighting drugs a laser-like precision to target only specific bacteria in specific parts of the body. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-sophisticated-door-antibiotics.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:58:04 EST news656078281 A team of UConn College of Engineering (CoE) researchers have achieved a major milestone in the field of phononics with the first experimental demonstration of an all-flat phononic band structure (AFB). Phononics concerns the study of sound and heat control. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-flat-phononic-band-vibrations-energy.html General Physics Condensed Matter Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:37:03 EST news656077021 Genetically speaking, it's a bacterium's worst-case scenario: During transcription, newly minted RNA sticks to its DNA template, forming a 3-stranded structure known as an R-loop. While these structures have some important roles to play in a cell, R-loops in the wrong place at the wrong time can be disastrous, leading to DNA breaks, mutations, and cell death. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-mechanism-genome-stability.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:34:04 EST news656076842 A cutting-edge AI tool can now predict how well seed potatoes will grow into healthy potato plants. Developed by biologists from Utrecht University in collaboration with the Delft University of Technology and plant breeders, the tool uses DNA data from bacteria and fungi found on seed potatoes and drone images of potato fields. "This marks the beginning of a new era in farming, where microbiology and AI come together to enhance agriculture." https://phys.org/news/2025-01-smart-farming-ai-potato-growth.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:22:14 EST news656076129 How can we ensure that life-saving drugs or genetic therapies reach their intended target cells without causing harmful side effects? Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) and Technical University Munich (TUM) have developed a method that, for the first time, enables the precise detection of nanocarriers—tiny transport vehicles—throughout the entire mouse body at a single-cell level. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-scp-nano-technology-visualizes-nanocarriers.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:16:04 EST news656075761 During the oocyte-to-embryo transition (OET), the length of the mRNA poly(A) tail is closely linked to its translational efficiency. Regulation of the poly(A) tail is essential for selective protein translation in early embryos. However, the mechanisms that determine and maintain the length of maternal mRNA poly(A) tails remain unclear. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-reveals-mechanism-mrna-polya-tail.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:06:03 EST news656075161 A research team led by Prof. Feng Wei at the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made significant strides in understanding the BORC complex, a key player in lysosome transport and localization. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-scientists-reveal-mechanism-key-player.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:03:03 EST news656074981 Most microscopes can only illuminate objects down to a certain size before tiny features blur together. This blurring is known as the diffraction limit of light. Super-resolution imaging techniques, however, can distinguish between tiny biomolecular features, especially when thermal fluctuations are minimized. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-uncurling-dna-molecule-gluing-sharpen.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:00:12 EST news656000881 Plant-based dairy products are a great alternative for people who avoid animal products, but manufacturers have a hard time replicating the creamy, cheesy qualities that make dairy so indulgent. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-gouda-quality-cheese-alternatives.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:00:10 EST news656002976 Hemp has become increasingly popular for its versatile uses: CBD-rich varieties are in high demand for pharmaceutical products, while fiber-rich varieties are valued for industrial applications like textiles. Now, a University of Houston study of hemp microbes, published in the journal Scientific Reports, may help scientists create special mixtures of helpful microbes to make hemp plants produce more CBD or have better-quality fibers. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-hemp-microbes-sustainable-farming-methods.html Cell & Microbiology Agriculture Tue, 14 Jan 2025 10:59:02 EST news656074741 Researchers at the University of Southampton have proposed that some wild plant species possess certain attributes which make them more suitable for human cultivation than others. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-scientists-species-ripe-domestication.html Evolution Agriculture Tue, 14 Jan 2025 10:55:04 EST news656074501 A team of physicists and engineers at the University of Strathclyde, in Scotland, working with a colleague from the University of Glasgow, has developed the means for 3D printing a microscope, including the lens, for under $60. In their paper posted on the bioRxiv preprint server, the group describes how they came up with the plans for the microscope and notes that the end result has a resolution strong enough to make out individual blood cells in test samples. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-team-3d-microscope-lens.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 10:15:41 EST news656072136 An international team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has developed a new strategy to enhance pharmaceutical production in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which are commonly used to manufacture protein-based drugs for treating cancer, autoimmune diseases and much more. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-genetic-tweak-drug-cells-decades.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 10:08:56 EST news656071732 CO2 emissions from road transport could peak worldwide this year thanks to rapid growth in electric vehicles and stricter new regulations, a German think tank said Tuesday. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-global-road-emissions-peak.html Environment Tue, 14 Jan 2025 10:07:41 EST news656071657 Physicists have spent more than a century measuring and making sense of the strange ways that photons, electrons, and other subatomic particles interact at extremely small scales. Engineers have spent decades figuring out how to take advantage of these phenomena to create new technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-quantum-entanglement-nanoscale.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Tue, 14 Jan 2025 10:01:08 EST news656071265 Iowa State University scientists have made a significant breakthrough in scientists' ability to identify specific proteins within individual plant cells. Professor Justin Walley and Christian Montes, a research scientist in the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology, led the work to develop a method for single-cell proteomics, or SCP. Their findings were published in New Phytologist. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-singlecell-proteomics-method-differentiates-arabidopsis.html Plants & Animals Cell & Microbiology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 10:00:17 EST news656071211 A research team from the Department of Chemistry at UNIST has announced that they have identified a novel pathway through which blue light can damage cellular proteins. Blue light, which emanates from sunlight, LED-based display devices, and indoor lighting, is a form of high-energy visible light that is not effectively blocked by standard sunscreen. This type of light can penetrate the cornea and lens of the eye, reaching the retina. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-pathway-blue-cellular-proteins-bypassing.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 10:00:08 EST news656071206 The operation and performance of quantum computers relies on the ability to realize and control entanglement between multiple qubits. Yet entanglement between many qubits is inherently susceptible to noise and imperfections in quantum gates. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-quantum-generates-range-entanglement-qubit.html Quantum Physics Tue, 14 Jan 2025 09:59:24 EST news656071152 Babies were weaned earlier in cities in the Roman Empire than in smaller and more rural communities, according to a study of ancient teeth. Urban weaning patterns more closely hewed to guidelines from ancient Roman physicians, mirroring contemporary patterns of adherence to medical experts in urban and rural communities. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-ancient-teeth-reveal-roman-urbanites.html Archaeology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 09:52:03 EST news656070721 While many studies have looked at possible evolutionary links between men's strength and sexual behavior, a Washington State University study included data on women with a surprising result. Women, as well as men, who had greater upper body strength tended to have more lifetime sexual partners compared to their peers. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-exploring-evolution-strength-sexual-behavior.html Evolution Tue, 14 Jan 2025 09:48:04 EST news656070481