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31 articles from PhysOrg

Electronic map reveals 'rules of the road' in superconductor

Using a clever technique that causes unruly crystals of iron selenide to snap into alignment, Rice University physicists have drawn a detailed map that reveals the "rules of the road" for electrons both in normal conditions and in the critical moments just before the material transforms into a superconductor.

Nanocontainer ships titan-size gene therapies and drugs into cells

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine report they have created a tiny, nanosize container that can slip inside cells and deliver protein-based medicines and gene therapies of any size—even hefty ones attached to the gene-editing tool called CRISPR. If their creation—constructed of a biodegradable polymer—passes more laboratory testing, it could offer a way to efficiently ferry larger medical...

Researchers add order to polymer gels

Gel-like materials have a wide range of applications, especially in chemistry and medicine. However, their usefulness is sometimes limited by their inherent random and disordered nature. Researchers from the University of Tokyo's Institute for Solid State Physics have found a way to produce a new kind of gel which overcomes this limitation. It is still malleable and adaptable like existing gels,...

Philippines floods force 66,000 from homes

The Philippines' north has been hit by some of its worst flooding in decades, with torrents of muddy runoff forcing 66,000 from their homes and prompting rescues of trapped locals, authorities said Friday.

EU bans controversial pesticide

A controversial pesticide linked to developmental problems in humans will be definitively banned in the EU in 2020 after a vote on Friday by member states, the European Commission said.

Discovery of a new protein gives insight into a long-standing plant immunity mystery

When a plant senses an invading pathogen, it activates a molecular signaling cascade that switch on its defense mechanisms. One such mechanism involves sacrificing host cells to the pathogen. This is a tightly controlled process that involves the work of plant proteins to ensure that the sacrificial cells are only killed if the pathogen is attacking. This process, called the cell death response,...

Scientists have spotted new compounds with herbicidal potential from sea fungus

Scientists at the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) and the G.B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (FEB RAS) together with German colleagues spotted six new and three already known biologically active compounds in a new strain of the fungus Penicillium piltunensein the first time it has been isolated. One compound has a pronounced anti-inflammatory activity, others have...

Dial-a-frog: Researchers develop the 'FrogPhone' to remotely call frogs in the wild

Researchers have developed the 'FrogPhone', a novel device which allows scientists to call up a frog survey site and monitor them in the wild. The FrogPhone is the world's first solar-powered remote survey device that relays environmental data to the observer via text messages, whilst conducting real-time remote acoustic surveys over the phone. These findings are presented in the British...

Island 'soundscapes' show potential for evaluating recovery of nesting seabirds

Nocturnal seabirds nesting on remote islands can be extremely difficult to study. An increasingly important tool for monitoring these populations involves acoustic sensors deployed in the field to record sounds over long periods of time. But analysis of the resulting recordings to identify and count the calls of different species can be time-consuming, even with computers and artificial...

Using a molecular motor to switch the preference of anion-binding catalysts

Many organic molecules are chiral, which means that they are non-superimposable on their mirror image. Those mirror images are called enantiomers and can have different properties when interacting with other chiral entities, for example, biomolecules. Selectively producing the right enantiomer is therefore important in, for example, pharmaceuticals. University of Groningen chemists Ruth Dorel and...

Genetic typing of a bacterium with biotechnological potential

Pseudomonas putida is a bacterium occuring in soil, aquatic environments and plants. Although the virulence of Pseudomonas p.—the ability of the bacterium to infect its host and inflict a disease—is considered to be low, infection in severely ill patients can be lethal. P. putida strains (also called isolates) have been found in hospitals, e.g. in urine, blood or wound discharge from patients,...

Discovery of genes involved in the biosynthesis of antidepressant

St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is an ancient medicinal plant. It is known for the mild antidepressant properties of its bioactive compound hypericin, which is produced in the dark glands of the plant. By investigating the flowers of St. John's Wort, researchers identified genes involved in dark gland development and the biosynthesis of hypericin. The findings were published in the Plant...

Surface effects affect the distribution of hydrogen in metals

The researchers from Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) and Institute of Problems of Mechanical Engineering of the Russian Academy of Sciences studied the distribution of hydrogen in metals in the process of standard testing for hydrogen cracking. They found that there is a surface effect that does not let hydrogen enter the metal. This can result in errors in industrial...

Move over Jules Verne: Scientists deploy ocean floats to peer into Earth's interior

The release of more than 50 floating sensors, called Mobile Earthquake Recording in Marine Areas by Independent Divers (MERMAIDs), is increasing the number of seismic stations around the planet. Scientists will use the floating array to clarify the picture of the massive mantel plume in the lower mantel lying below the South Pacific Ocean. This effort will also establish one of the most...

Reduced soil tilling helps both soils and yields

Agriculture degrades over 24 million acres of fertile soil every year, raising concerns about meeting the rising global demand for food. But a simple farming practice born from the 1930's Dust Bowl could provide a solution, according to new Stanford research. The study, published Dec. 6 in Environmental Research Letters, shows that Midwest farmers who reduced how much they overturned the...