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Phys.org / Oldest known bony fish fossils uncover early vertebrate evolution

A research team led by Profs. Zhu Min, Lu Jing, and Zhu You'an from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences published two back-to-back cover stories in the ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / How an underground fungal map of the world's oldest, slowest-growing rainforest trees can boost Earth's resilience

The temperate rainforests of the Chilean Coast Range are home to a spectacular array of life: iridescent blue lizards, tiny wild cats called kodkods, and curly vines of waxy red bellflowers. Towering over this biodiversity ...

Mar 3, 2026
Tech Xplore / Zeolite 'thermal batteries' could cut data center cooling power up to 86%

Data centers—the warehouse-sized buildings that store photos, stream movies and train artificial intelligence—are voracious consumers of electricity. A surprisingly large share of that power never reaches a microchip. ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / Protecting wildlife from genetic collapse with newly identified 'early warning signals'

A new study reveals that habitat fragmentation can lead to sudden "tipping points" where a species' genetic health unexpectedly collapses after appearing stable for long periods. By merging network theory with population ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / A new clue to how the body detects physical force

Every time we feel a gentle tap on the skin, specialized nerve cells convert that physical force into an electrical signal the brain can interpret as touch. While scientists have long known that a protein called PIEZO2 acts ...

Mar 7, 2026
Phys.org / Wildlife imaging shows that AI models aren't as smart as we think

Using AI to identify wildlife reveals a potential "transferability crisis," researchers say. Marketing for AI imaging systems often suggests that models can easily tackle novel scenarios across ecosystems and settings, much ...

Mar 3, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists develop new model to accurately assess global salt marsh carbon sinks

A research team from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed an innovative model to accurately assess the carbon sequestration capacity of global salt marshes, addressing a long-standing ...

Mar 7, 2026
Medical Xpress / Brain-clearing cells offer clues to slowing Alzheimer's disease progression

Accumulation of the protein tau in the brain is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. In a paper published in Cell Press Blue, researchers report a previously unknown mechanism that appears to enable the buildup of ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Polymers that crawl like worms: How materials can develop direction without being told where to go

Researchers at the University of Vienna have uncovered a surprising phenomenon: polymer chains with segments that simply fluctuate at different intensities can spontaneously develop directional, persistent motion when densely ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Drones capture rare harbor porpoise mating behavior off Shetland

Drones flying above the waters of Shetland have captured rare footage of harbor porpoises gathering in unusually large groups and engaging in mating behavior. The footage, gathered between 2019 and 2023, provides one of the ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / With Evo 2, AI can model and design the genetic code for all domains of life

The DNA foundation model Evo 2 has been published in the journal Nature. Trained on the DNA of over 100,000 species across the entire tree of life, Evo 2 can identify patterns in gene sequences across disparate organisms ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / 3D imagery helps bring world's ant diversity to life

For more than a decade, Evan Economo's lab has been using micro-CT machines to scan insect specimens. The resulting X-ray images help researchers study the form and structure of insects—a subfield of entomology known as ...

Mar 5, 2026