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Phys.org / What is dark energy? Research shines light on space's biggest question

Dark energy is still one of the greatest cosmic mysteries. For all the time, money and telescopes that humanity has used to uncover its nature, scientists are still asking a fundamental question: What is dark energy?

Jan 26, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Tech Xplore / All-powerful AI isn't an existential threat, according to new research

Ever since ChatGPT's debut in 2023, concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) potentially wiping out humanity have dominated headlines. New research from Georgia Tech suggests that those anxieties are misplaced. "Computer ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Business
Phys.org / PFAS contamination in Pawcatuck River traced back to old textile mill ponds

A study led by University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography alumnus Jarod Snook, Ph.D., identified a long-term source of PFAS, or "forever chemicals," entering the Pawcatuck River from two historically contaminated ...

Jan 23, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / OceanXplorer: a 'one-stop shop' for marine research

This month, AFP reported from OceanXplorer, a high-tech marine research vessel owned by billionaire-backed nonprofit OceanX, as it studied seamounts off Indonesia.

Jan 26, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Conservation may not be enough to sustain water supplies, researchers find

As temperatures rise and water supplies drop, public policy could bolster municipal water provisions under pressure. But one policy prescription—pushing conservation—will likely be insufficient as a standalone fix to ...

Jan 23, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Historic winter storm kills at least 10 across US

A monster storm barreling across swaths of the United States has killed at least 10 people and prompted warnings to stay off the roads, mass flight cancellations and power outages, as freezing conditions persisted into Monday.

Jan 26, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Gold 'supraballs' nearly double solar energy absorption in tests

Sunbeams contain a lot of energy. But current technology for harvesting solar power doesn't capture as much as it could. Now, in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, researchers report that gold nanospheres, named supraballs, ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Ancient Martian beach discovered, providing new clues to red planet's habitability

New findings from NASA's Perseverance rover have revealed evidence of wave-formed beaches and rocks altered by subsurface water in a Martian crater that once held a vast lake—considerably expanding the timeline for potential ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Florida reefs offer multimillion-dollar flood protection—if they survive

It's no secret that Florida's iconic coral reefs are in trouble. Repeated body blows from hurricanes, pollution, disease, climate change—and a near-knockout punch from a 2023 marine heat wave—has effectively wiped several ...

Jan 23, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Brewing possibilities: Using caffeine to edit gene expression

What if a cup of coffee could help treat cancer? Researchers at the Texas A&M Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology believe it's possible. By combining caffeine with the use of CRISPR—a gene-editing tool known ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / AI unlocks hundreds of cosmic anomalies in Hubble archive

A team of astronomers has employed a cutting-edge, artificial intelligence–assisted technique to uncover rare astronomical phenomena within archived data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The team analyzed nearly 100 ...

Jan 27, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Western governors called to Washington as Colorado River impasse drags on

With western states deadlocked in negotiations over how to cut water use along the Colorado River, the Trump administration has called in the governors of seven states to Washington to try to hash out a consensus.

Jan 23, 2026 in Earth