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Phys.org / Unexpected bond-breaking order reveals a new path to bioluminescence

The dancing lights of fireflies and the eerie blue sparkle in crashing waves get their glow when a molecular square of carbon and oxygen atoms breaks. New research from Stanford University has shown that mechanical force ...

Aug 4, 2026
Medical Xpress / Large-scale brain scan study reveals unexpected differences in motor and visual regions linked to depression

Major depressive disorder, commonly referred to as depression, is a debilitating psychiatric disorder estimated to affect roughly 5% of the global population. Depression is characterized by persistent sadness and hopelessness, ...

Aug 2, 2026
Phys.org / How simple amber lights could make nights safer for insects

Approximately 40% of insect species worldwide are thought to be in decline and under threat of extinction. Among the key causes are habitat loss, pollution and climate change. Another threat is artificial light from sources ...

Aug 2, 2026
Phys.org / New museum find shows nature can't stop inventing seahorses

At first glance, it looks exactly like a seahorse. It has the same horse-shaped head tilted down from the body, the same curled, grasping tail and, in the males, a fully enclosed pouch for brooding the young.

Aug 3, 2026
Medical Xpress / How multinucleated cells help the brain reorganize after localized astrocyte loss

The human brain contains various types of cells that collectively support its functions. In addition to neurons, nerve cells that communicate via electrical and chemical signals, it also relies on star-shaped cells known ...

Aug 3, 2026
Phys.org / Geological evidence questions the role of Agulhas Leakage in Atlantic Ocean circulation

For decades, scientists have asserted that the leakage of warm, salty Indian Ocean water south of South Africa into the Atlantic is a major contributor to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a component ...

Aug 3, 2026
Phys.org / Marine microbes point to ancient seawater source beneath Antarctica's Blood Falls

Salty water flowing through Antarctica's Blood Falls contains a distinct community of marine-specific microorganisms, providing evidence that the brine system beneath the glacier has a marine origin, according to a paper ...

Aug 3, 2026
Phys.org / Laid to rest with care: Ancient infants, perhaps twins, found in 1,200-year-old latrine

More than 1,000 years ago, two babies were tucked away in an abandoned Roman toilet channel. Yet, despite what the location suggests, they were cherished, not discarded.

Aug 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / Has the definition of autism become too broad to be useful?

The definition of autism may have become so broad that it risks confusion and even misdiagnosis, according to a new editorial by UCL professor Dame Uta Frith, whose pioneering research in the 1960s and '70s laid the foundations ...

Aug 3, 2026
Phys.org / Rising seas are inundating US coastal wetlands, putting many on track to become open water

Along the three coasts of the contiguous United States, a silent race unfolds. Fueled by climate change, sea levels rise faster than at any time in recent geologic history. Meanwhile, coastal wetlands cling to a slim lead, ...

Aug 3, 2026
Medical Xpress / Medical AI benefits vary by expertise, with nonexperts more easily misled

A one-size-fits-all approach likely isn't the best strategy when designing artificial intelligence systems that assist users in disease diagnosis.

Aug 4, 2026
Phys.org / Homo antecessor skull layers resemble modern humans and Neanderthals, fragments suggest

A new study provides quantitative data on cranial vault thickness in Homo antecessor, based on the analysis of three parietal fragments recovered from the Gran Dolina site in the Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain.

Aug 3, 2026