Phys.org news

Phys.org / How early farming unintentionally bred highly competitive 'warrior' wheat

An evolutionary "arms race" for light and space led to the early domestication of wheat, according to new research that could offer fresh insights into crop design. The study led by Dr. Yixiang Shan and Professor Colin Osborne, ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / New generation of climate models sheds first light on long-standing Pacific puzzle

Researchers have long been puzzled by the observed cooling of the eastern tropical Pacific and the Southern Ocean accompanying global warming. Existing climate models have failed to capture this pattern. At the Max Planck ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Supercomputer simulations reveal rotation drives chemical mixing in red giant stars

Advances in supercomputing have made solving a long‐standing astronomical conundrum possible: How can we explain the changes in the chemical composition at the surface of red giant stars as they evolve?

Feb 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Scientists reveal best- and worst-case scenarios for a warming Antarctica

The climate crisis is warming Antarctica fast, with potentially disastrous consequences. Now scientists have modeled the best- and worst-case scenarios for climate change in Antarctica, demonstrating just how high the stakes ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / How massive lava fields formed in the Pacific Northwest

Volcanic eruptions are significant geologic hazards. Underwater volcanoes are challenging to study, yet they play an integral role in marine geology and may cause destructive tsunamis that can threaten coastal communities.

Feb 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Cleaner fish show intelligence typical of mammals

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan have discovered a previously undiscovered behavior in cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). When presented with a mirror, the tiny fish not only recognized themselves, ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / 'All-in-one,' single-atom could power both sides of water splitting

Green hydrogen production technology, which utilizes renewable energy to produce eco-friendly hydrogen without carbon emissions, is gaining attention as a core technology for addressing global warming. Green hydrogen is produced ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / 3D method can accurately measure gravity in wide binary stars, as demonstrated by pilot study

Since the third Gaia data release in 2022, wide binary stars with separation greater than several thousand astronomical units have been intensely investigated across the world, to probe the nature of gravity in the low acceleration ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / REGALADE: The most extensive catalog of galaxies for modern astronomy

An international team of scientists led by the Institute of Cosmos Sciences at the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) has presented REGALADE, an unprecedented catalog covering ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / A survival strategy inside stressed cells: Ribosomes in pairs

Ribosomes, the cell's protein-making factories, consume large amounts of energy as they build the proteins that keep cells alive and functioning. When cells experience stress—such as lack of nutrients or sudden drops in ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Phonon lasers unlock ultrabroadband acoustic frequency combs

Acoustic frequency combs organize sound or mechanical vibrations into a series of evenly spaced frequencies, much like the teeth on a comb. They are the acoustic counterparts of optical frequency combs, which consist of equally ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Quantum trembling: Why there are no truly flat molecules

Traditional chemistry textbooks present a tidy picture: Atoms in molecules occupy fixed positions, connected by rigid rods. A molecule such as formic acid (methanoic acid, HCOOH) is imagined as two-dimensional—flat as a ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Physics