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Phys.org / Arctic peatlands are expanding as temperatures continue to rise, new research confirms

The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet, with average temperatures increasing by about 4°C in the last four decades. A new study, led by the University of Exeter, shows peatlands have expanded since 1950, ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Could the discovery of a tiny RNA molecule explain the origins of life?

One of the greatest mysteries of our planet is how a soup of lifeless chemicals transformed into the first living cell. There are several competing theories about where this happened, from frozen polar ice to superheated ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Costa Rica digs up mastodon, giant sloth bones in major archaeological find

Researchers in Costa Rica have unearthed fossils from a mastodon and a giant sloth that lived as many as 40,000 years ago, officials announced Friday, calling it the biggest such find here in decades.

Feb 14, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Hunting dark matter 'stars' that mimic black holes

Hypothetical dark matter stars known as "boson stars" could leave telltale ripples across the cosmos, offering researchers a new way to probe the invisible forces shaping the universe. In 2019, a strange event was observed ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Medical Xpress / Why you hardly notice your blind spot: New tests pit three theories of consciousness

Although humans' visual perception of the world appears complete, our eyes contain a visual blind spot where the optic nerve connects to the retina. Scientists are still uncertain whether the brain fully compensates for the ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Neuroscience
Phys.org / Hurricane Helene did not shift US climate views or votes, study finds

Hurricane Helene, one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history, did not affect people's views on climate change or their intentions to vote for politicians advocating stricter climate policies. This is shown in a new study ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Social media feeds: Algorithm redesign could break echo chambers and reduce online polarization

Scroll through social media long enough and a pattern emerges. Pause on a post questioning climate change or taking a hard line on a political issue, and the platform is quick to respond—serving up more of the same viewpoints, ...

Feb 10, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / The radical propulsion needed to catch the solar gravitational lens

Sending a mission to the solar gravitational lens (SGL) is the most effective way of actually directly imaging a potentially habitable planet, as well as its atmosphere, and even possibly some of its cities. But, the SGL ...

Feb 11, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Tech Xplore / Organic molecule stores solar energy for years, then releases it as heat on demand

When the sun goes down, solar panels stop working. This is the fundamental hurdle of renewable energy: how to save the sun's power for a rainy day—or a cold night. Chemists at UC Santa Barbara have developed a solution ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Energy & Green Tech
Phys.org / Northern Britain's oldest human remains are of a young female child, DNA analysis reveals

The oldest human remains ever found in Northern Britain have been identified as a young female three years after being discovered in a Cumbrian cave. Excavated at Heaning Wood Bone Cave in Cumbria's Great Urswick by local ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / What we can learn from lovebirds, the rare birds that mate for life

Minutes after getting to a park in the middle of Phoenix, you can see flashes of green in the sky and hear chatter because love is in the air—or at least, the lovebirds are.

Feb 14, 2026 in Biology
Medical Xpress / Acupuncture can reduce migraine pain, and brain scans reveal who might benefit

Acupuncture may be an effective treatment for migraine without aura, a type of migraine that occurs without warning signs like flickering lights. A new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open showed that real acupuncture ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Neuroscience