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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
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 / 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
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 / Humans use local dialects to communicate with honeyguide birds, research shows

Researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT), working with international collaborators, have shown that people in northern Mozambique use regionally distinct "dialects" when communicating with honeyguide birds, revealing ...

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 / Arctic cloud and ice formation affected by Russian river runoff as region studied for first time

Organic matter carried in rivers to the Russian part of the Arctic Ocean may be creating more clouds and keeping the region cooler, a new study has found.

Jan 22, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Gaia data release reveals four substructures in open cluster NGC 752

By analyzing the data from ESA's Gaia satellite, Chinese astronomers have investigated the structure of a nearby open cluster known as NGC 752. The new study identified four substructures and delivered evidence for mass segregation ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Seismometer networks could track space junk as it falls to Earth

Space debris—the thousands of pieces of human-made objects abandoned in Earth's orbit—pose a risk to humans when they fall to the ground. To locate possible crash sites, a Johns Hopkins University scientist has helped ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Tech Xplore / Turning city traffic into a computer: Novel approach to AI could slash energy demands

What if traffic could compute? This may sound strange, but researchers at Tohoku University's WPI-AIMR have unveiled a bold new idea: using road traffic itself as a computer.

Jan 22, 2026 in Energy & Green Tech
Phys.org / Study reveals why light-driven chemical reactions often lose energy before bond-breaking

Florida State University researchers have discovered a pathway within a certain type of molecule that limits chemical reactions by redirecting light energy. The study could enable development of more efficient reactions for ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Chemistry