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Phys.org / Elevated lead levels could flow from some US drinking water kiosks

After high-profile water crises like the one in Flint, Michigan, some Americans distrust the safety of tap water, choosing to purchase drinking water from freestanding water vending machines or kiosks. Yet this more expensive ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Root microbes could help oak trees adapt to drought

Microbes could help oak trees cope with environmental change. Publishing in Cell Host & Microbe, a study observing oaks growing in a natural woodland found that the trees' above- and below-ground microbiomes were resilient ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Underestimated wake: Shipping traffic causes more turmoil in the Baltic Sea than expected

Commercial shipping not only affects the Baltic Sea on the surface, but also has a significant impact on the water column and the seabed. A study by the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) and Kiel ...

Feb 10, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Extreme plasma acceleration in monster shocks offers new explanation for fast radio bursts

In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, scientists have performed the first global simulations of monster shocks—some of the strongest shocks in the universe—revealing how these extreme events in magnetar ...

Feb 6, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Fermi data help refine orbital parameters of a gamma-ray binary

Using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Chinese astronomers have observed a gamma-ray binary system known as PSR J2032+4127. Results of the new observations, published February 3 on the arXiv preprint server, shed more ...

Feb 10, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Leading AI models struggle to solve original math problems

Mathematics, like many other scientific endeavors, is increasingly using artificial intelligence. Of course, math is the backbone of AI, but mathematicians are also turning to these tools for tasks like literature searches ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Other Sciences
Medical Xpress / Mice with miniature goggles reveal how different visual experiences give rise to different neural wiring

Visual experience triggers the formation of a web of neural connections in different brain areas in order to make sense of the world—and in particular, of feedback connections, which send information from higher-level visual ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Neuroscience
Phys.org / Escape from Fukushima: Pig-boar hybrids reveal a genetic fast track in the wake of nuclear disaster

A new genetic study examines an unusually large hybridization event that followed the Fukushima nuclear accident, when escaped domestic pigs bred with wild boar. The research shows that domestic pig maternal lineages sped ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Biology
Medical Xpress / 'Dancing molecules' paralysis treatment heals lab-grown human spinal cord organoids

Northwestern University scientists have developed the most advanced organoid model for human spinal cord injury to date. In a new study, the research team used lab-grown human spinal cord organoids—miniature organs derived ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Fragile X study uncovers brainwave biomarker bridging humans and mice

Numerous potential treatments for neurological conditions, including autism spectrum disorders, have worked well in lab mice but then disappointed in humans. What would help is a noninvasive, objective readout of treatment ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Why working out may not help you lose weight

According to conventional wisdom, a great way to lose weight is to do some exercise. While being active is beneficial in many ways for our health, it may not be very helpful if you want to shed a few inches off your waistline. ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Overweight & Obesity
Medical Xpress / Tiny worm offers clues to combat chemotherapy neurotoxicity

Chemotherapy remains one of the most powerful tools in the fight against cancer, yet it often comes with significant long-term side effects that can dramatically affect patients' quality of life. Among the most debilitating ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Immunology