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Phys.org / Symbiotic bacteria in planthoppers break record for smallest non-organelle genome ever found

Many insects rely on heritable bacterial endosymbionts for essential nutrients that they cannot get through their diet. A new study, published in Nature Communications, indicates that the genomes of these symbiotic bacteria ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Automated catalyst testing uses two coordinated robots, cutting 32 days of work to 17 hours

A technology has been developed that uses robots rather than humans to evaluate the performance of newly developed catalysts. By operating 45 times faster than manual work while also improving precision, it is expected to ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Americans reveal deepening split between self and country

American reports of individual well-being have remained relatively stable over decades, but confidence in the nation has sharply declined. James N. Druckman and colleagues analyzed long-term survey data from two projects: ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Ocean carbon blind spot may skew climate forecasts

A new report by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO reveals a critical lack of understanding of how the ocean absorbs and stores carbon. This glaring uncertainty about our planet's largest carbon ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Earth
Medical Xpress / The brain's primitive 'fear center' is actually a sophisticated mediator, research reveals

A Dartmouth study challenges the conventional view that the amygdala—the two-sided structure deep in the brain involved in emotion, learning, and decision making—is simply the brain's primitive "fear center," reflexively ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Phys.org / Making sense of a chaotic planet: How understanding weather, climate risks depends on supercomputers like NCAR's

Have you ever stopped to wonder how forecasters can predict the weather days in advance, or how scientists figure out how the climate might evolve under different policies?

Feb 25, 2026 in Earth
Medical Xpress / HPV vaccination provides 'sustained protection' against cervical cancer, study shows

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is associated with a significantly reduced risk of invasive cervical cancer, with no indication of waning protection up to 18 years after vaccination, finds a study from Sweden published ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Why do falls rise with age? Study points to cerebellar neuron firing

A new McGill University study has found a direct link between age-related declines in neuron activity in the cerebellum and worsening motor skills, including gait, balance and agility. While it is well known that these abilities ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Neuroscience
Phys.org / The bouba-kiki effect: Baby chicks match sounds to shapes just like humans

When we hear certain sounds, our brains often pair them with specific shapes. For example, most people will associate a sharp-sounding word with a jagged, pointed shape, while a soft, rolling word is linked to something smooth ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Young 'sun' caught blowing bubbles by Chandra

For the first time, a much younger version of the sun has been caught red-handed blowing bubbles in the galaxy by astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The bubble—called an "astrosphere"—completely surrounds ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Near-infrared study finds no clear counterpart to mysterious gamma-ray source

Spanish astronomers have conducted a near-infrared study of an ultra-high energy gamma-ray source designated LHAASO J2108+5157. The new study, published February 11 on the arXiv preprint server, tries to unravel the mysterious ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Methane's missing emissions: The underestimated impact of small sources

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with an impact estimated at 80 times that of CO₂. Although efforts are being made to reduce the contribution of big polluters to methane in Japan, new research from Osaka Metropolitan ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Earth