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Phys.org / Recent pandemic viruses jumped to humans without prior adaptation, study finds

A new University of California San Diego study published in Cell challenges a long-standing assumption about how animal viruses become capable of sparking human epidemics and pandemics. Using a phylogenetic, genome-wide analysis ...

Mar 9, 2026
Phys.org / Subway systems are uncomfortably hot—and worsening, study finds

For millions of commuters, the workday doesn't just begin with a train ride. It also begins with a blast of heat. In one of the largest studies ever conducted on thermal comfort in metro systems, Northwestern University scientists ...

Mar 10, 2026
Phys.org / 'Peculiar' crocodile ancestor started life on four legs before learning to walk on two

A "peculiar" ancient relative of the crocodile which experts believe began life on four legs before, in adulthood, it learned how to walk on just two has been revealed in a new study. Named Sonselasuchus cedrus, this archaic ...

Mar 9, 2026
Phys.org / How changes on the Y chromosome may make species reproductively incompatible

When closely related species mate, their offspring sometimes survive but cannot reproduce. This pattern often affects males first, with hybrid males frequently failing to produce functional sperm even when hybrid females ...

Mar 9, 2026
Medical Xpress / Brain immune cells may help build Alzheimer's plaques

A new study led by researchers from VIB and KU Leuven shows that immune cells called microglia can actively promote the formation of plaques in Alzheimer's disease, challenging the long-standing view that these cells serve ...

Mar 10, 2026
Phys.org / Antarctic sea ice rebounds in 2026, nearing average after four years

Antarctic sea ice coverage has likely rebounded this year, coming closer to its annual summer average after four years of extreme lows, US scientists said Monday.

Mar 9, 2026
Tech Xplore / PFAS waste can be used to extract lithium from high-salinity brine pools

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are primarily thought of as environmental pollutants, and most research on them focuses on removing them from the environment. Rice researcher James Tour, however, has ...

Mar 10, 2026
Phys.org / Multi-wavelength observations track bright gamma-ray blazar's three-year cycle

By analyzing the data from various space observatories and ground-based telescopes, European astronomers have performed a multiwavelength study of a bright gamma-ray blazar known as S5 1044+71. The new study, published Feb. ...

Mar 9, 2026
Phys.org / Raccoons solve puzzles for the fun of it, new study finds

They raid compost bins, outsmart latches and sometimes look gleeful doing it. A new study in Animal Behaviour suggests raccoons may not just be opportunistic—they may be genuinely curious.

Mar 9, 2026
Medical Xpress / How voluntary exercise reshapes tryptophan metabolism through the gut microbiota

Something happens when a rat starts running. Not just the obvious things, the faster heart, the warming muscles, the rhythmic percussion of paws against the wheel. Something quieter. Something that begins in the coiled darkness ...

Mar 10, 2026
Phys.org / Superconductivity controlled by a built-in light-confining cavity

For the first time, physicists have demonstrated that a material's superconductivity can be altered by coupling it to an in-built, light-confining cavity. In experiments published in Nature, a team led by Itai Keren at Columbia ...

Mar 8, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum entanglement offers route to higher-resolution optical astronomy

Researchers in the US have demonstrated how quantum entanglement could be used to detect optical signals from astronomical sources at the single-photon level. Published in Nature, a team led by Pieter-Jan Stas at Harvard ...

Mar 8, 2026