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Phys.org / Volcano myths unravel, from 'smoke' plumes to Yellowstone catastrophe claims

Volcanoes emit smoke. Beneath a volcano lies a huge chamber filled with liquid magma. A series of earthquakes means an eruption is imminent. And if a "supervolcano" like Yellowstone were to awaken, a global catastrophe would ...

Aug 19, 2026
Phys.org / Oxygen vacancies unlock fast lithium-ion transport in battery material

Lithium titanate (LTO, Li4Ti5O12) is a well-established battery material that in its pristine state is a poor conductor of lithium ions. It develops high ionic conductivity only during charging, when additional lithium ions ...

Aug 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / How being 'on‑call' for work can disrupt your sleep—even if the call never comes

It's 4 a.m., you've finally drifted off, and then the phone rings. It's work calling. You have to go in. The right to disconnect from work has been protected by law in Australia since 2024. This means most employees can refuse ...

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / How sex sheds evolutionary baggage

Why is there sex—or, more precisely, sexual reproduction? If you're an evolutionary biologist, the answer isn't obvious. Sexual reproduction is biologically costly, requiring not only competition for mates but also the creation ...

Aug 20, 2026
Phys.org / UK forecasts 'biggest' El Nino will smash records, spark hottest year

This year's El Niño weather pattern will be the biggest in more than a century and could make 2027 the hottest year globally, Britain's national weather agency predicted Friday.

Aug 21, 2026
Phys.org / A new kind of polymer with two faces and a twist control electron spin

Researchers from the University of Osaka have developed a new class of chiral semiconducting polymers that can generate highly spin-polarized electrical currents. The team's unique molecular design allows the polymers to ...

Aug 20, 2026
Phys.org / Rethinking how we name and classify our human ancestors following recent evolutionary discoveries

Recent advances in our understanding of human evolution challenge the way we currently name and classify our ancestors, according to new research from Monash University. The study, published in the American Journal of Biological ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / First pair of feeding supermassive black holes found in a Green Pea galaxy

Astronomers have discovered the first confirmed dual active galactic nucleus in a Green Pea galaxy, revealing two supermassive black holes growing at the same time inside a compact, intensely star-forming system. X-ray observations ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Blocc chemistry could automate molecular discovery and democratize access to new materials

A paper published in the journal Science lays out a roadmap for broadening access to the process of discovering molecular tools that can benefit society, including medicines, materials and a wide range of everyday consumer ...

Aug 20, 2026
Phys.org / How well do past extinctions predict extinction risk today?

In the last few centuries, mammals and other animals have been going extinct at least 100 times faster than they did before humans arrived on the scene. So who will be next? Which species are most likely to survive, and which ...

Aug 20, 2026
Medical Xpress / Younger adults with lung cancer more likely to have targetable genetic changes, study finds

Younger adults with non-small cell lung cancer are significantly more likely than older patients to have genetic alterations that can be matched with targeted therapies, according to a large international study led in part ...

Aug 21, 2026
Medical Xpress / Multiple working hypotheses could clarify COVID-19 origins debate

A Viewpoint article published in the journal BioScience argues that the contentious debate over the origins of SARS-CoV-2 could benefit from a well-established scientific approach for weighing competing explanations.

Aug 20, 2026