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Phys.org / Reproduction in space, an environment hostile to human biology

As commercial spaceflight draws ever closer and time spent in space continues to extend, the question of reproductive health beyond the bounds of planet Earth is no longer theoretical but now "urgently practical," according ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Political division in the US surged from 2008 onward, study suggests

Divisions within the US population on social and political issues have increased by 64% since 1988, with almost all this coming after 2008, according to a study tracking polarization from the end of the Reagan era to the ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Other Sciences
Medical Xpress / Shingles vaccination associated with delayed dementia onset in older adults

Every three seconds, someone, somewhere in the world, develops dementia. The number of people living with the condition is projected to rise dramatically, doubling from 78 million in 2020 to 139 million by 2050, making dementia ...

Phys.org / Supermassive black holes sit in 'eye of their own storms,' studies find

Gigantic black holes lurk at the center of virtually every galaxy, including ours, but we've lacked a precise picture of what impact they have on their surroundings. However, a University of Chicago-led group of scientists ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Tech Xplore / Neptunium study yields plutonium insights for space exploration

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are breathing new life into the scientific understanding of neptunium, a unique, radioactive, metallic element—and a key precursor for production of ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Energy & Green Tech
Phys.org / One-of-a-kind 'plasma tunnel' recreates extreme conditions spacecraft face upon reentry

Picture a spacecraft returning to Earth after a long journey. The vehicle slams into the planet's atmosphere at roughly 17,000 miles per hour. A shockwave erupts. Molecules in the air are ripped apart, forming a plasma—a ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Ancient Alaskan site may help explain how the first people arrived in North America

New evidence has emerged that sheds light on the possible first people to populate the Americas. Dating of stone and ivory tools found at an archaeological site in Alaska suggests that these early pioneers traveled through ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / A new class of strange one-dimensional particles

Physicists have long categorized every elementary particle in our three-dimensional universe as being either a boson or a fermion—the former category mostly capturing force carriers like photons, the latter including the ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Physics
Medical Xpress / Two in five cancers worldwide are likely preventable, says new research

Nearly 40% of new cancer cases worldwide in 2022 may be associated with modifiable risk factors, according to an analysis of 36 cancer types from 185 countries. The findings suggest that reducing exposures such as tobacco ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Phys.org / Urban light pollution disrupts nighttime melatonin in wild nurse sharks

Artificial light from major coastal cities can disrupt the nighttime biology of sharks, according to new research that provides the first-ever measurements of melatonin—a hormone tied to biological rhythms—in wild sharks.

Feb 3, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Innate biases of newborn animals inspire adaptive decision-making model

Precocial animals, the ones that move autonomously within hours after hatching or birth, have many biases they are born with that help them survive, finds a new paper led by Queen Mary University of London, published in Proceedings ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Biology
Medical Xpress / RNA molecule discovery could lead to potential new breast cancer therapy

QIMR Berghofer scientists have discovered a cancer-fighting RNA molecule that could hold the key to a new way of treating the most common form of breast cancer. The team are developing their findings into a potential RNA-based ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer