All News

Tech Xplore / Meet the soft humanoid robot that can grow, shrink, fly and walk on water

Humanoid robots look impressive and have enormous potential to change our daily lives, but they still have a reputation for being clunky. They're also heavy and stiff, and if they fall, they can easily break and injure people ...

Jan 26, 2026 in Robotics
Phys.org / Novel 'XFELO' laser system produces razor-sharp X-ray light

A team of engineers and scientists has shown for the first time that a hard-X-ray cavity can provide net X-ray gain, with X-ray pulses being circulated between crystal mirrors and amplified in the process, much like happens ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Surprising green ice on Lake Lipno: Cyanobacteria bloom in mid-winter

An unusual natural phenomenon appeared on Lake Lipno in South Bohemia, the Czech Republic, at the end of 2025. Large amounts of accumulated cyanobacteria in the water caused the ice to turn green. The phenomenon was thoroughly ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Hearing angry or happy human voices is linked to changes in dogs' balance

In a small study, dogs experienced both stabilization and destabilization of their balance upon hearing angry or happy human voices, but angry voices were linked to the biggest destabilizing effects. Nadja Affenzeller and ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / South African San rock art reveals trance dances and initiation ceremonies

In a study published in Telestes, Dr. Joshua Kumbani and Dr. Margarita Díaz-Andreu categorized the various dance scenes depicted in South African rock art, drawing on ethnographic sources, published studies, and the comprehensive ...

Jan 25, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Pesticides significantly affect soil life and biodiversity, study finds

Seventy percent of soils in Europe are contaminated with pesticides. A Europe-wide study co-led by researchers of the University of Zurich now shows that their effects on soil life are substantial, as pesticides suppress ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Another kind of student debt is entrenching inequality: 'Time inheritance'

In November 2012, during my first year as a Ph.D. student, a 23-year-old medical student knocked on my door. Earlier that day, we had been discussing our ages in our shared kitchen. At 30, I had stayed silent, feeling a sharp ...

Jan 29, 2026 in Other Sciences
Tech Xplore / Apple's iPhone sales surge to new quarterly high despite early missteps in artificial intelligence

Apple's iPhone sales soared to a new quarterly record during the holiday season, despite artificial intelligence blunders that prompted the technology trendsetter to get a helping hand from Google.

Jan 30, 2026 in Consumer & Gadgets
Phys.org / Chip-sized optical amplifier can intensify light 100-fold with minimal energy

Light does a lot of work in the modern world, enabling all types of information technology, from TVs to satellites to fiber-optic cables that carry the internet across oceans. Stanford physicists recently found a way to make ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Rare fossils reveal 91 new species that survived ancient mass extinction

Almost a hundred new animal species that survived a mass extinction event half a billion years ago have been discovered in a small quarry in China, scientists revealed Wednesday.

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Medical Xpress / Sleep-disordered breathing affects many neonates with myelomeningocele, study finds

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) affects more than half of neonates with myelomeningocele, with prematurity independently linked to higher apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), in adjusted models, according to a study published in ...

Jan 30, 2026 in Pediatrics
Phys.org / Breakthrough laser technique holds quantum matter in stable packets

For the first time, physicists have generated and observed stable bright matter-wave solitons with attractive interactions within a grid of laser light.

Jan 25, 2026 in Physics