All News

Dialog / Neural crest cells: Miniature electric muscles that colonize embryonic organs

Neural crest cells are a population of stem cells that invade the embryo in early development. They play a big role in what you look like: the pigments of your eyes, of your skin, and the bone structure of your face are all ...

Feb 10, 2026 in Biology
Tech Xplore / Solar-powered seesaw extractor simultaneously extracts lithium and desalinates water

The global demand for lithium has skyrocketed over the last several years due to the rapid growth of the electric vehicle market and grid-storage solutions. Currently, production capacity is limited and unlikely to meet future ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Engineering
Phys.org / A 'crazy' dice proof leads to a new understanding of a fundamental law of physics

Right now, molecules in the air are moving around you in chaotic and unpredictable ways. To make sense of such systems, physicists use a law known as the Boltzmann distribution, which, rather than describe exactly where each ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Scientists harness nature's chirality bias to design series of complex mechanically interlocked molecules

In nature, molecules often show a strong preference for partnering with other molecules that share the same chirality or handedness. A behavior that is quite evident in the phenomenon known as homochirality-driven entanglement, ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Chemistry
Medical Xpress / Growth of spreading pancreatic cancer is fueled by 'underappreciated' epigenetic changes, shows study

In a lab-grown cell study focused on potential new treatment targets for halting the spread of most pancreatic cancers, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists report they have found that a gene called KLF5 (Krueppel-like factor ...

Feb 10, 2026 in Genetics
Phys.org / The wild physics that keeps your body's electrical system flowing smoothly

Building on their pioneering 2018 research into how some of the body's cells, such as neurons and cardiac tissue, communicate via ions that flow through cellular channels, chemists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst ...

Feb 10, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Noise pollution is affecting birds' reproduction, stress levels and more: The good news is we can fix it

New research led by the University of Michigan is painting a more comprehensive picture of how noise pollution is impacting birds around the world. "The major takeaway from this study is that anthropogenic noise affects many ...

Feb 10, 2026 in Biology
Dialog / How charges invert a long-standing empirical law in glass physics

If you've ever watched a glass blower at work, you've seen a material behaving in a very special way. As it cools, the viscosity of molten glass increases steadily but gradually, allowing it to be shaped without a mold. Physicists ...

Feb 10, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / The radical propulsion needed to catch the solar gravitational lens

Sending a mission to the solar gravitational lens (SGL) is the most effective way of actually directly imaging a potentially habitable planet, as well as its atmosphere, and even possibly some of its cities. But, the SGL ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Management practices can enhance soil microbiome functions in plant defense

The soil microbiome is critical for the ecosystem, and agricultural practices that promote microbial diversity can support plant health and help protect against pests. But it is unclear which practices are most beneficial, ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Biology
Tech Xplore / Novel bond coat material enables thermal barrier coatings to operate at 1,200°C

A research team has developed a novel bond coat material that significantly improves the oxidation resistance of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) at 1,200°C, a critical advancement for next-generation ultra-high-thrust aero-engines. ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Engineering
Medical Xpress / Specific brain signals rapidly eliminate body fat in mice

Researchers at WashU Medicine have identified a potent pathway that begins in the brain and leads to loss of all body fat without reducing food intake. The study is reported in Nature Metabolism.

Feb 10, 2026 in Endocrinology & Metabolism