Phys.org news

Phys.org / Simple at-home tests strips can detect cat and dog viruses

Pet owners want quick answers when their beloved cat or dog is sick. And if these furry friends are experiencing digestive distress, lethargy and fever, it's important to rapidly rule out serious illnesses like feline panleukopenia ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Capturing the instant of electrical switching to pave the way for faster memory

As artificial intelligence advances, computers demand faster and more efficient memory. The key to ultra-high-speed, low-power semiconductors lies in the "switching" principle—the mechanism by which memory materials turn ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / DeepChopper model improves RNA sequencing research by mitigating chimera artifacts

Scientists in the laboratory of Rendong Yang, Ph.D., associate professor of Urology, have developed a new large language model that can interpret transcriptomic data in cancer cell lines more accurately than conventional ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Nanodevice tugs single proteins to reveal how cells sense force

Physical forces from gravity, muscle contraction, and more have strong impacts on how the cells in our bodies behave. For instance, weight-bearing exercise helps stave off osteoporosis because cells in our bones sense that ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / How the spring thaw influences arsenic levels in lakes

From 1948 to 1953, a gold mine called Giant Mine released about 5 tons of arsenic trioxide per day into the environment around Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Emissions declined from the 1950s until the mine closed ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Topological antenna could pave the way for 6G networks

Using ideas borrowed from topological photonics, researchers in Singapore, France and the US have designed a compact antenna capable of handling information-rich terahertz (THz) signals. Reporting their results in Nature ...

Feb 8, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / 2023–2024 El Niño triggered record-breaking sea level spike along African coastlines, study finds

Africa's coastlines are under growing threat as sea levels climb faster than ever, driven by decades of global warming caused by human activity, natural climate cycles, and warming ocean waters. Between 2009 and 2024, the ...

Feb 8, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / The 'Little red dots' observed by Webb were direct-collapse black holes

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was designed to look back in time and study galaxies that existed shortly after the Big Bang. In so doing, scientists hoped to gain a better understanding of how the universe has evolved ...

Feb 8, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Study of 400 children in five societies finds culture shapes how kids cooperate

How do children learn to cooperate with others? A new cross-cultural study suggests that the answer depends less on universal rules and more on the social norms surrounding the child.

Feb 8, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / The Arctic's first inhabitants shaped thousands of years of ecological development

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence for repeated prehistoric occupation in the remote island cluster of Kitsissut, north of Greenland, indicating the first people in the High Arctic were skilled seafarers who had a profound ...

Feb 8, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Why supermarkets may sell more by putting fresh meals in front

Why did the rotisserie chicken cross the aisle—and end up in your shopping cart? Maybe you grabbed the container that was closest to you, or maybe you examined all of the chickens, checking dates and timestamps to see when ...

Feb 8, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Skull fragments expand the frontiers of Iberian severed head ritual

The study of skull fragments from the Olèrdola (Olèrdola, Barcelona) and Molí d'Espígol (Tornabous, Lleida) sites has provided new evidence that would allow the ritual of "severed heads" from the northeast of the Iberian ...

Feb 8, 2026 in Other Sciences