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Phys.org / Japan Trench geology confirmed as key driver of 2011 megaquake

Geologists from Heriot-Watt are part of an international research team that has confirmed why the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake off northeast Japan behaved in such an extreme and destructive way.

Jan 19, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Calm seas can drive coral bleaching, research reveals

New research by Monash University and the ARC Center of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st Century analyzed close to three decades of weather data during the coral bleaching season and identified the prevalence of "doldrum ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Earth
Medical Xpress / Turning MRI into a quantitative microscope to detect white matter injury

Early diagnosis and noninvasive monitoring of neurological disorders require sensitivity to elusive cellular-level alterations that emerge much earlier than volumetric changes observable with millimeter-resolution medical ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Neuroscience
Phys.org / Woodland birds living among native trees produce more chicks, study shows

Native trees, such as oaks, have long held a special place in our culture and countryside. Now, researchers have shown that these trees are also important to woodland birds and their offspring.

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology
Dialog / Off-the-shelf kitchen chemistry could make Li–S batteries thinner

Demand is booming for batteries that are faster, thinner and cheaper. We want electric cars and bikes that travel further, devices that last longer, charge quicker and cost less. Today, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) set the ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Energy & Green Tech
Medical Xpress / A new robotic system could perform delicate eye surgery

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a severe disease that occurs when a vein in the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye (i.e., the retina) becomes blocked, which results in a loss of vision. There are currently a few ...

Jan 18, 2026 in Ophthalmology
Phys.org / Deadly to amphibians, a fungal strain emerged in Brazil and spread around the world

The chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), or Bd for short, is considered one of the causes of the worldwide decline in amphibian populations. In recent years, researchers have identified different genetic strains ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Vibrational spectroscopy technique enables nanoscale mapping of molecular orientation at surfaces

Sum-frequency generation (SFG) is a powerful vibrational spectroscopy that can selectively probe molecular structures at surfaces and interfaces, but its spatial resolution has been limited to the micrometer scale by the ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Ecosystem productivity shapes how soil microbes store or release carbon, challenging old assumptions

Soils store more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined, with soil microorganisms playing the main role. As a result, the global soil carbon cycle—by which carbon enters, moves through, and leaves soils worldwide—exerts ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Earth
Tech Xplore / Solid-state material can store and release hydrogen using sunlight or LEDs

Hydrogen, a clean energy source, requires a highly reliable and safe storage system, which is currently lacking. Layered hydrogen silicane (L-HSi) is a promising, safe, lightweight, and energy-efficient solid-state hydrogen ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Engineering
Phys.org / Beta-decay half-life measurements reveal evolution of nuclear shell structure

An international team of researchers has systematically measured the β-decay half-lives of 40 nuclei near calcium-54, providing key experimental data for understanding the structure of extremely neutron-rich nuclei.

Jan 19, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / How pointing errors impact quantum key distribution systems

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is an emerging communication technology that utilizes quantum mechanics principles to ensure highly secure communication between two parties. It enables the sender and receiver to generate a ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Physics