Phys.org news

Dialog / Scientists advance multi-purpose photocatalyst for clean hydrogen production and agricultural pollutant degradation

Can we use nothing more than sunlight and inexpensive materials to produce clean hydrogen fuel while also removing toxic pollutants from water? That question shaped our recent work with γ-In2S3, a semiconductor that has ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Turtle fossil narrows timeline of Cretaceous species migration

Before leaving on a fossil-hunting trip for a summer 2021 field paleontology class, a Montana State University junior made an apparently fate-tempting plea. "I kept joking through that whole class, 'Oh, please, just anything ...

Feb 9, 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
Phys.org / Microfluidic method boosts control and separation of tiny particles—a promising tool for medical research

In nanoscale particle research, precise control and separation have long been a bottleneck in biotechnology. Researchers at the University of Oulu have now developed a new method that improves particle separation and purification. ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Microbiomes interconnect on a planetary scale, new study finds

In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical region. By analyzing tens ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / When water meets rock: Exploring water quality impacts from legacy lithium mining in North Carolina

Starting just outside Charlotte, North Carolina, a vast underground deposit of lithium stretches south for 25 miles. A key component of rechargeable batteries and energy grid storage systems, the soft, silvery metal is a ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Engineered moths could replace mice in studies on antimicrobial resistance

A scientific breakthrough not only promises faster testing for antimicrobial resistance, but also an ethical solution to the controversial issue of using rodents in research. University of Exeter scientists have created the ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Physicists clarify key mechanism behind energy release in molybdenum-93

A team of physicists from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with collaborators, has identified the dominant physical mechanism responsible for energy release in the nuclear ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Discovering new connections between Great Lakes' winter storms and global climate patterns

About a year ago, researchers at the University of Michigan found that the extratropical cyclones that are the biggest drivers of winter weather in the Great Lakes region are warming and trending northward. That means, outside ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / A piece of Africa in Europe? New insights into plate tectonics of the Balkans

Around the Balkan Peninsula, the African plate is sinking beneath the European plate. A piece of deeply submerged African crust resurfaced 40 million years ago far away from the sinking zone. How this phenomenon of so-called ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Can't tally love: Tracking favors may hurt relationship, research indicates

They say that love is a two-way street, but that may only hold true to a point. It turns out that couples who obsess over equal give-and-take may be sabotaging their relationship, suggests a study involving University of ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Intense sunlight reduces plant diversity and biomass across global grasslands, study finds

The sun is the basis for photosynthesis, but not all plants thrive in strong sunlight. Strong sunlight constrains plant diversity and plant biomass in the world's grasslands, a new study shows. Temperature, precipitation, ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Biology