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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 ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Poop as medicine? A Roman vial's chemistry backs up ancient medical texts

When some ancient Romans were feeling a little under the weather, they were treated with human feces. While this practice was mentioned in ancient Greco-Roman medical texts by figures such as Pliny the Elder, there was no ...

Feb 4, 2026 in Other Sciences
Medical Xpress / Frozen on the ice: The brain science behind perfect Olympic timing

Olympic skiers, bobsledders and speed skaters all have to master one critical moment: when to start. As athletes prepare for the upcoming Winter Olympics, that split second is in the spotlight because when everyone is fast, ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Neuroscience
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, ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Rare 'universal paralog' genes may reveal a pre-LUCA evolutionary record

All life on Earth shares a common ancestor that lived roughly four billion years ago. This so-called "last universal common ancestor" (LUCA) represents the most ancient organism that researchers can study. Previous research ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology
Tech Xplore / AI agents debate more effectively when given personalities and the ability to interrupt

In a typical online meeting, humans don't always wait politely for their turn to speak. They interrupt to express strong agreement, stay silent when they are unsure, and let their personalities shape the flow of the discussion. ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Hi Tech & Innovation
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 ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology
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 ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology
Medical Xpress / Mental health and heart attacks: What a 22-million-person review suggests

The Department of Medicine at University of Calgary led an analysis comparing several clinical mental disorders with risk of acute coronary syndrome, a term that includes heart attack and emergency chest pain resulting from ...

Feb 4, 2026 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Phys.org / 'Red Potato' galaxy discovered by astronomers

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new massive and quiescent red galaxy, which they dubbed "Red Potato." The discovery was reported in a research paper published ...

Feb 4, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
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 ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Two-day-old babies show brain signs of rhythm prediction, study finds

Babies are born with the ability to predict rhythm, according to a study published February 5 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Roberta Bianco from the Italian Institute of Technology, and colleagues.

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology