Phys.org news

Phys.org / Better-fed calves are more motivated to play, pioneering study shows

New research has revealed dairy calves that are fed less complete tasks faster and remember more in pursuit of milk, but miss out on play. Calves that were given more food were more inclined to play. The study, led by the ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / New research reveals cell proteins that drive severe viral infections

Researchers at Umeå University have identified two human cell proteins, NUP98 and NUP153, that play a crucial role in how viruses such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), West Nile virus, and dengue virus replicate in ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / The edge of the Milky Way's star-forming disk revealed

How far the Milky Way's disk extends has long been difficult to define—it doesn't end sharply, but fades away gradually at its outer edges. Now, for the first time, an international team of astronomers has identified the ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / What Bronze Age people ate and drank: South Caucasus pottery reveals a surprisingly diverse menu

What culinary practices prevailed in the South Caucasus during the Bronze Age? A new study shows that the cuisine was remarkably diverse. The evidence highlights a multi-ingredient cuisine alongside the central role of dairy ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Before the melt begins, sea stars show hidden immune collapse and tissue failure driving a coastal die-off

Scientists are homing in on a mysterious wasting disease that has killed billions of sea stars along the Pacific coast of North America since 2013. Sea star wasting disease can rapidly wipe out entire populations, leaving ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / More effective, longer-lasting sunscreen made from natural extracts

Scientists from the Laboratory of Dermatological Photobiology of the University of Malaga, in collaboration with Cantabria Labs España, have carried out a study in which, for the first time, they have demonstrated how a natural ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Half of America sits in democratic limbo—and that silent middle may decide what breaks next

If you were to ask democracy scholars what they consider the greatest threat to American democracy, you might assume it is voters who support undemocratic practices or policies. But the real answer may surprise you: These ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Self‑replicating circular RNA persists in extreme environments: Insights from hot spring microbiomes

Although the genetic material of most living organisms is DNA, various self-replicating agents rely instead on RNA, including RNA viruses and viroids, which are infectious RNA molecules that are smaller and structurally simpler ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Cell membranes may store memories after electrical stimulation

The science of memories has been pursued and studied since the days of ancient Greece and Aristotle. Today, research conducted by Dima Bolmatov, assistant professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Texas Tech University, ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Crabs' iconic sideways walk evolved from common ancestor, study suggests

Researchers have provided new insights into the evolutionary origin of sideways walking in crabs. Their study, published today as a Reviewed Preprint in eLife, presents the largest comparative dataset on crab locomotion to ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Deep-rooted grass stores significantly more carbon, says new study

Soil biologist Eric Slessarev has some advice for conservationists, landscapers, and farmers with fallow fields: Go touch deep-rooted grass. Or better yet, go plant some. Slessarev, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Astronomers precisely date rare brown dwarf companion, offering new test for how these objects cool

Astronomers at the University of Hawaiʻi have precisely measured the age of a nearby sun-like star and its unusual companion, known as a brown dwarf, an object that falls between a planet and a star. The discovery offers ...

Apr 21, 2026