Phys.org news

Phys.org / Full value added tax on meat: A first step towards pricing the environmental damages caused by diets

A study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Nature Food analyzes the ecological "footprint" from diets—and policy options to counteract through price signals. EU-wide, 23% of greenhouse gas emissions ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Get ready for smokier air: Record 2023 wildfire smoke marks long-term shift in North American air quality

A new analysis of air quality data from the past 70 years shows that Canada's record wildfire smoke in 2023 is part of a broader, continent-wide trend toward smokier skies across North America.

Jan 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Hot spring bathing doesn't just keep snow monkeys warm—it can disrupt lice distribution and reshape gut bacteria

Japanese macaques, colloquially referred to as snow monkeys, famously soak in steaming hot springs during winter. It's easy to see that this helps them stay warm in cold temperatures, but a team of researchers at Kyoto University ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Tracer reveals how environmental DNA moves through lakes and rivers

Forensics experts gather DNA to understand who was present at a crime scene. But what if the crime occurred in the middle of a lake, where DNA could be carried far and wide by wind and waves? That's the challenge faced by ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Bridging theories across physics helps reconcile controversy about thin liquid layer on icy surfaces

The ice in a domestic freezer is remarkably different from the single crystals that form in snow clouds, or even those formed on a frozen pond. As temperatures drop, ice crystals can grow in a variety of shapes: from stocky ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Ion trap enables 1 minute in the nanocosmos

At the Department of Ion Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Innsbruck, a research team has succeeded for the first time in storing electrically charged helium nanodroplets in an ion trap for up to one minute.

Jan 20, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Sinking salty ice suggests pathway for life-sustaining conditions in Europa's ocean

A recent study by geophysicists at Washington State University offers insight into how nutrients may reach the subsurface ocean of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons and a leading candidate for extraterrestrial life in the solar ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Ancient 'spaghetti' in dogs' hearts reveals surprising origins of heartworm

Research led by the University of Sydney is reshaping scientific understanding of one of the world's most widespread canine parasites, suggesting heartworm disease has a far deeper and more complex evolutionary history than ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Seismic 'snapshot' reveals new insight into how the Rocky Mountains formed

No one ever thought the birth of the Rocky Mountains was a simple process, but we now know it was far more complex than even geophysicists had assumed.

Jan 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Previously unknown chemical pathway for air pollution particle formation uncovered

An atmospheric scientist at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, has helped uncover a previously unknown chemical pathway that plays a major role in the formation of air ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / A century's worth of data could help predict future solar cycle activity

Research conducted by an international team of astronomers from Southwest Research Institute, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences in India and the Max Planck Institute in Germany could help predict upcoming ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Knock, knock... mapping comedic timing with a computational framework

Researchers propose a computational method to reveal the hidden timing structure of live performance. Vanessa C. Pope and colleagues present a framework, called Topology Analysis of Matching Sequences (TAMS), that algorithmically ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Other Sciences