All News

Phys.org / Stress-reduction molecule has potential to treat aging and metabolic disorders

University of Queensland researchers say the discovery of a new stress reduction role for a naturally occurring molecule in the body could lead to new drugs and treatment for metabolic disorders and aging.

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Stingrays inspire smarter ocean robots: The physics of fin motion

Using robotic fins, researchers at the University of California, Riverside have learned how stingrays are able to swim with impressive control. These insights could help underwater vehicles avoid disastrous ground collisions.

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / AI model that found 370 exoplanets now digs into TESS data

Scientists have discovered over 6,000 planets that orbit stars other than our sun, known as exoplanets. More than half of these planets were discovered thanks to data from NASA's retired Kepler mission and NASA's current ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Domestication has changed the chemicals that squash flowers use to attract bees

Flowers emit scented chemicals to attract pollinators, but this perfume—and how pollinators interact with the plant—can go through profound changes as a crop becomes domesticated.

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Aging zoo animals threaten long-term species conservation goals

Many mammal populations in European and North American zoos are aging—a trend that jeopardizes the long-term viability of so-called reserve populations and, with it, a core mission of modern zoos in global species conservation. ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Medical Xpress / Afternoon naps can clear up the brain and improve learning ability

Even a short afternoon nap can help the brain recover and improve its ability to learn. In a study published on January 22, 2026, in the journal NeuroImage, researchers at the Medical Center–University of Freiburg (Germany), ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Neuroscience
Phys.org / Nash equilibria: The hidden math behind predator–prey behaviors

Animal survival depends on effective attack and defense strategies, yet how these behaviors arise remains unclear. Addressing this question, a recent study shows that predator and prey behaviors emerge naturally as stable ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Rewilding corn reveals what its roots forgot

Corn is a colossal grain in the global food and feed chain, with the U.S. producing roughly 30% of the world's supply, or nearly 278 million metric tons in the 2024–25 growing season alone. But its journey from wild grass ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Rainfall–salinity link sustains prolonged La Niña events, study reveals

La Niña—a climate phenomenon characterized by unusually cool sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean—can persist for multiple years, exerting significant climate impacts worldwide. ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Earth
Tech Xplore / New memristor training method slashes AI energy use by six orders of magnitude

In a Nature Communications study, researchers from China have developed an error-aware probabilistic update (EaPU) method that aligns memristor hardware's noisy updates with neural network training, slashing energy use by ...

Jan 18, 2026 in Hardware
Phys.org / 2D topological crystalline insulator turns decade-old prediction into reality

Physicists from University of Jyväskylä and Aalto University (Finland) have experimentally realized a two-dimensional topological crystalline insulator. This is a quantum material that has been theoretically predicted for ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Measuring the consequences of plastic contamination

Plastic pollution is everywhere—including where you would least expect it, especially when it's in tiny particle form. Today, scientists are working to measure the consequences of this contamination. There's the pollution ...

Jan 23, 2026 in Earth