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Phys.org / AI method accelerates liquid simulations by learning fundamental physical relationships

Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have developed a method using artificial intelligence that can significantly speed up the calculation of liquid properties. The AI approach predicts the chemical potential—an indispensable ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / A new framework could transform national flood prediction

When severe weather strikes, the National Weather Service's (NWS) Office of Water Prediction (OWP) makes critical flood forecasts with the National Water Model. Despite improvements over time, the model's performance has ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / It takes three types of thinking to be smart

Do you know what it means to be smart? It's a more complicated question than it may seem. There are several ways to think about intelligence—as the well-known "book-vs.-street smart" binary illustrates. By most people's ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Space mining without heavy machines? Microbes harvest metals from meteorites aboard space station

If humankind is to explore deep space, one small passenger should not be left behind: microbes. In fact, it would be impossible to leave them behind, since they live on and in our bodies, surfaces and food. Learning how they ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Acoustic communication—an overlooked driver in boxfish evolution

A new international study reveals the unexpected importance of acoustic communication in the evolution of boxfishes. This discovery offers new perspectives on the role of acoustic communication in the evolutionary history ...

Feb 10, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Where did that raindrop come from? Climate model ensemble captures worldwide water isotopes over 45 years

Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen, and sometimes these atoms are slightly heavier than usual. These heavier forms are called isotopes. As water evaporates or moves through the atmosphere, the amount of these isotopes changes ...

Feb 10, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Fire-footed rope squirrels identified as a natural reservoir for monkeypox virus

Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH), a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), together with an interdisciplinary team of partners, have identified the fire-footed rope squirrel ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How big can a planet be? With very large gas giants, it can be hard to tell

Gas giants are large planets mostly composed of helium and/or hydrogen. Although these planets have dense cores, they don't have hard surfaces. Jupiter and Saturn are the gas giants in our solar system, but there are many ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Medical Xpress / 'Dancing molecules' paralysis treatment heals lab-grown human spinal cord organoids

Northwestern University scientists have developed the most advanced organoid model for human spinal cord injury to date. In a new study, the research team used lab-grown human spinal cord organoids—miniature organs derived ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Neuroscience
Phys.org / Wildflower season starts early: Big displays emerge a month before mid-March

Though superbloom is not a scientific term, that doesn't stop legions from hoping for a giant display of wildflowers come springtime. UC Riverside plant ecologist Loralee Larios weighs in here on the outlook for such a show ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Biology
Medical Xpress / As nights warm, study flags possible prenatal link to autism risk

Higher nighttime temperatures during pregnancy may be associated with a higher risk of autism diagnosis in children, according to a new study led by researchers at Tulane University. The research examined nearly 295,000 mother–child ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Autism spectrum disorders
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