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Tech Xplore / AI benchmark helps robots plan and complete their chores in the real world

No matter how sophisticated they are, robots can often be indecisive and struggle with multi-step chores in the real world. For example, if you tell a robot to tidy a messy room, it might understand the goal but not know ...

Mar 29, 2026
Phys.org / ZTF discovers a new mass-transferring brown dwarf binary system

Astronomers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and elsewhere report the discovery of a binary system consisting of two brown dwarfs undergoing stable mass transfer. The detection of the system, designated ...

Mar 29, 2026
Tech Xplore / UV glow test measures air disinfection performance in minutes

The effectiveness of air disinfection devices may now be measured in minutes, rather than hours, with a new technique from University of Michigan Engineering. This is important for researchers developing better antiviral ...

Apr 2, 2026
Tech Xplore / Do you trust me? A framework for making networks of robots and vehicles safer

From birds flying in formation to students working on a group project, the functioning of a group requires not only coordination and communication but also trust—each member must be confident in the others. The same is true ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / A color-changing phosphor can encode information

A new synthetic molecule switches between emitting green and blue light after application of a solvent or mild heat. The color-changing phosphor can be leveraged for a two-layered information encoding platform, according ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / How plants fight back against bacteria that promote waterlogging in leaves

Farmers, gardeners, and botanists have long observed that plant diseases tend to flare up during periods of high humidity, particularly after rainfall. Humid conditions help bacteria enter plant leaves, and once inside, certain ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Tracking the footsteps of West Africa's prehistoric metalworkers

The discovery of a 2,400-year-old metalworking workshop in Senegal provides new insights into the history of iron production in Africa. Despite decades of archaeological research, the origins of iron metallurgy in sub-Saharan ...

Mar 31, 2026
Phys.org / Gut bacteria may influence social behavior through smell

In a new study, Northwestern University neurobiologists discovered that gut bacteria and the nose work together to shape social behavior in mice, including who fights and who backs down. Using a combination of genetic and ...

Mar 30, 2026
Phys.org / Wildfires accelerate winter snowmelt in Oregon's western Cascades, study finds

The Pacific Northwest has seen below-normal snow this season—and new research from Portland State University suggests that the region's snowmelt-dependent water resources could face growing challenges in the years ahead as ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / Are relationship surveys measuring the wrong thing? How one 'Q-factor' shapes most answers

Commonly used self-report measures of romantic relationships may capture people's overall appraisal of their relationship more than measuring distinct relationship facets such as communication, conflict and affection, according ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Thawing permafrost becomes 25 to 100 times more permeable, experiments find

Experiments by University of Leeds researchers, published in Earth's Future, have shown that thawing of permafrost makes it between 25 and 100 times more permeable, allowing more climate change forcing gases to escape.

Mar 30, 2026
Medical Xpress / Study finds third dose of COVID-19 vaccine is crucial for immunocompromised patients

Because the immune systems of people with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) don't function like everyone else's, it was unclear until now how well COVID-19 vaccinations protected them. In a new study, posted on the medRxiv ...

Apr 2, 2026