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Phys.org / Different acceptance of labor migrants: Cross-border commuters vs. foreign residents

The Swiss job market is a popular location for workers from outside the country. At the end of 2024, the Swiss Federal Statistical Office reported about 400,000 cross-border commuters in Switzerland—that is, people who ...

Feb 15, 2026 in Other Sciences
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
Phys.org / Fentanyl makeover: Core structural redesign could lead to safer pain medications

Fentanyl is one of the most effective drugs for managing severe pain, yet it carries substantial risks of addiction and respiratory depression, the dangerous and sometimes fatal slowed breathing. These safety concerns have ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Ambitious climate action could save 1.32 million lives a year by 2040

Ambitious climate action to improve global air quality could save up to 1.32 million lives per year by 2040, according to a new study. The research, led by Cardiff University, shows how developing countries rely heavily on ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Reading to young kids improves their social skills, and it doesn't matter whether parents stop to ask questions

In 2024, 51% of families read aloud to their very young children, while 37% read aloud to their kids between the ages of 6 and 8 years old.

Feb 14, 2026 in Other Sciences
Tech Xplore / Power of the collective: Modular robot boosts resilience by sharing resources

EPFL roboticists have shown that when a modular robot shares power, sensing, and communication resources among its individual units, it is significantly more resistant to failure than traditional robotic systems, where the ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Robotics
Phys.org / 'Proportional representation' could reduce polarization in Congress and help more people feel heard

In the face of widespread pessimism about the political fate of the United States and growing political polarization, scholars and citizens across the country are reimagining how American democracy could better serve the ...

Feb 15, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Why only a small number of planets are suitable for life

For life to develop on a planet, certain chemical elements are needed in sufficient quantities. Phosphorus and nitrogen are essential. Phosphorus is vital for the formation of DNA and RNA, which store and transmit genetic ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Tech Xplore / A key barrier in protonic ceramics may be fading, and hydrogen tech could benefit

A newly developed ceramic material shows record-high proton conductivity at intermediate temperatures while remaining chemically stable, report researchers from Japan. Efficient hydrogen-to-electricity conversion is critical ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Engineering
Phys.org / First-of-its-kind automated root imaging platform speeds plant discoveries

The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has launched a novel robotic platform to rapidly analyze plant root systems as they grow, yielding AI-ready data to accelerate the development of stress-tolerant crops ...

Feb 14, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Climate change could halve areas suitable for cattle, sheep and goat farming by 2100

A new study conducted at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) shows that grassland-based grazing systems—currently covering a third of Earth's surface and representing the world's largest production system—will ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / A smashing success: Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider wraps up final collisions

Just after 9 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, final beams of oxygen ions—oxygen atoms stripped of their electrons—circulated through the twin 2.4-mile-circumference rings of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Physics