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Phys.org / Harvesting rainwater from rooftops could help cities stay cool and cut the number of heat wave days

Collecting rainwater from rooftops and using it to spray buildings during hot weather could help cities cut air conditioning use, lower urban temperatures and lessen the impact of heat waves, according to new research from ...

Aug 5, 2026
Tech Xplore / AI models nearly erase female characters when they write kids stories about animals

Last year, Melanie Walsh, a University of Washington assistant professor in the Information School, wrote an article examining how 300 popular children's books gendered their animal characters. Of the 13 most common animals, ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / As urban tree shade shrinks, mortality rises

As trees disappear from urban neighborhoods, lives may be lost with them. In a new study, Northwestern University scientists tracked death rates and fluctuations in tree canopy cover across an 11-year period in Chicago. They ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Women with narcissistic tendencies may struggle with forgiveness

Narcissism is associated with selfishness and other negative traits like a grandiose sense of self-importance, a constant need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. So it may not be surprising that narcissists ...

Aug 4, 2026
Medical Xpress / Structural studies reveal how lipid-transport proteins may influence neurodegenerative disease

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have conducted the first comprehensive structural analyses of a class of proteins whose dysfunction is associated with neurodegenerative diseases.

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Genomic evidence suggests coral reefs may be rewriting their genetic future in real time

The 2019 heat wave that struck Mo'orea—a volcanic island in French Polynesia—swept through its coral reefs like an invisible wildfire. Colorful, lively corals bleached into ghostly, chalk-white skeletons as soaring ocean ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Well-worn wins: Wild capuchin monkeys prefer stones with a proven track record of cracking nuts

A new study provides experimental evidence that wild capuchin monkeys use more than just physical cues when selecting stone tools; they also rely on visible signs that a stone has previously been used for this purpose.

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Electric field reverses phonon chirality and spin direction in ferroelectric crystal

Chiral phonons are groups of atoms that move in a circular direction when excited by an energy source, such as heat. As the phonons move through a material, they propagate that circular motion, or angular momentum, through ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Artificial cells reveal how living ones take shape

Using simple artificial cells, a research group led by Makito Miyazaki of the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) in Japan has uncovered fundamental physical principles that govern how living cells change ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / A temperature dial for more realistic quantum simulations

Scientists from Rice University in the U.S. have developed a way to precisely tune the temperature inside a trapped-ion simulator. The breakthrough means they will be able to run quantum simulations at precise temperatures ...

Aug 4, 2026
Phys.org / A new species of Ice Age toad discovered at La Brea Tar Pits: The spadefoot toad Spea labreae

For the first time, researchers have discovered a new species of extinct amphibian from Ice Age Los Angeles at La Brea Tar Pits: a spadefoot toad they have named Spea labreae. Only one other extinct Pleistocene amphibian ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / How humans process the extraordinary—most report positive long-term effects

One-fourth of people who undergo an extraordinary experience report immediate discomfort, but more than half say the experience caused positive long-term effects, according to a study published Aug. 5, 2026, in the open-access ...

Aug 5, 2026