Phys.org news

Phys.org / Romance and sexual intimacy don't diminish with age, study suggests

A study by the University of New Hampshire challenges common assumptions about aging and intimacy, revealing that many single adults aged 60 to 83 continue to prioritize sexual activity in their romantic relationships—underscoring ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Dogs are more like toddlers than cats when it comes to helping humans

Why does your dog rush to "help" when you are searching for something, while your cat seems… eh, less concerned? New research suggests that this difference may stem from deep evolutionary roots—and that, in certain situations, ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Study of 40,000 cases links Somalia migration mainly to water scarcity

A study published in Nature Food by researchers from the Politecnico di Milano and the University of California at Berkeley provides forward-thinking answers to the debate on the role of environmental stresses on migration ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Peanut waste can be turned into high-quality futuristic graphene

Researchers at UNSW have discovered a new way to make graphene, a remarkable "wonder material," using just discarded peanut shells. The development opens the door to cheaper, more sustainable electronics and energy storage ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Mitochondria can reshape lipid storage in cells by repurposing a protein-insertion complex

A recent study by the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn and the University of Freiburg shows that the mitochondria appear to be able to influence the number of lipid droplets in the cell using a mechanism that ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / What does it mean to compute? Framework maps hidden computations running inside natural dynamic systems

Some computers are easy to spot. Artificial, human-built computers like those found in smartphones and laptops are abstract dynamic systems with observable computational elements like input, output, energy cost, and logical ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Human activity is influencing the behavior of Germany's wildcats

A research team led by Dr. Chris Baumann and Dr. Dorothée Drucker from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at the University of Tübingen has found that the European wildcat is increasingly using ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Will melting glaciers slow climate change? A prevailing theory is on shaky ground

For scientists who study the Southern Ocean, a long-standing silver lining in the gloomy forecast of climate change has been the theory of iron fertilization. As temperatures rise and glaciers in Antarctica melt, ice-trapped ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Grasslands are vanishing nearly four times faster than forests, global study finds

Along with forests, grasslands and wetlands are also being converted to cropland and pasture at an increasing rate around the world—often for livestock farming and the export of agricultural products. An international team ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / PFOS 'forever chemical' can accumulate in bees—and their honey

A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology has revealed the toxic "forever chemical," PFOS, can accumulate in exposed honeybee colonies and transfer to their honey, threatening pollinator viability, ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Carbon-based catalyst can use sunlight to degrade PFAS

An international team of scientists led by the University of Bath has developed a new catalyst—a substance that speeds up chemical reactions—that uses sunlight to break down so-called "forever chemicals" prevalent in ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Ancient mosquitoes developed a taste for early hominins, research reveals

The preference of some mosquitoes in the Anopheles leucosphyrus (Leucosphyrus) group—including those that transmit malaria—for feeding on humans may have evolved in response to the arrival of early hominins in Southeast ...

Feb 26, 2026 in Biology