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Phys.org / Resurrected ancient enzyme offers new window into early Earth and the search for life beyond it

By resurrecting a 3.2-billion-year-old enzyme and studying it inside living microbes, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have created a new way to improve our understanding of the origins of life on Earth ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Humans use local dialects to communicate with honeyguide birds, research shows

Researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT), working with international collaborators, have shown that people in northern Mozambique use regionally distinct "dialects" when communicating with honeyguide birds, revealing ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Medical Xpress / Exercise and enriched environments help protect brain barrier from stress-linked depression, finds study

A research team at Université Laval may have discovered why physical exercise and living in favorable socioeconomic conditions reduce the risk of depression. In lab animals exposed to chronic social stress, one of the main ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Neuroscience
Phys.org / Why some messages are more convincing than others

What kinds of marketing messages are effective—and what makes people believe certain political slogans more than others? New research from the University of California San Diego Rady School of Management explores how people ...

Jan 24, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Mining genomes for cyst nematode resistance could enable better soybean harvests

Soybean farmers around the world face a persistent and costly enemy hidden beneath the soil: soybean cyst nematode (SCN), a microscopic roundworm that attacks plant roots and drains yields. SCN is one of the most damaging ...

Jan 24, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Cells that are not our own may unlock secrets about our health

During pregnancy, maternal and fetal cells migrate back and forth across the placenta, with fetal cells entering the mother's bloodstream and tissues. They can settle in maternal organs such as the thyroid, liver, lungs, ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Biology
Tech Xplore / Newly discovered metallic material with record thermal conductivity upends assumptions about heat transport limits

A UCLA-led, multi-institution research team has discovered a metallic material with the highest thermal conductivity measured among metals, challenging long-standing assumptions about the limits of heat transport in metallic ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Engineering
Phys.org / Solar flares triggered by cascading magnetic avalanches, new observations reveal

Just as avalanches on snowy mountains start with the movement of a small quantity of snow, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has discovered that a solar flare is triggered by initially weak disturbances that quickly become ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Tungsten carbide phase control: Engineering a low-cost alternative catalyst for producing sustainable petrochemicals

Important everyday products—from plastics to detergents—are made through chemical reactions that mostly use precious metals such as platinum as catalysts. Scientists have been searching for more sustainable, low-cost ...

Jan 22, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / New quantum boundary discovered: Spin size determines how the Kondo effect behaves

Collective behavior is an unusual phenomenon in condensed-matter physics. When quantum spins interact together as a system, they produce unique effects not seen in individual particles. Understanding how quantum spins interact ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Physics
Tech Xplore / Emerging solar cell material sets new efficiency record

UNSW engineers have made a major step forward in the development of a new type of solar cell that could help make future solar panels cheaper, more efficient and more durable.

Jan 20, 2026 in Engineering
Phys.org / Battery-free nano-sensors could pave the way for next-generation wearables

Nano-sensors that work without batteries or wires could pave the way for more comfortable, less obtrusive sleep and health care monitoring at home, according to scientists at the University of Surrey.

Jan 22, 2026 in Nanotechnology