Phys.org news

Phys.org / Meta-study reveals mechanisms of animals' adaptations to cope with climate change

Climate change has a wide range of effects on wildlife. It affects seasonal migration, reproduction times, body size and mass, and disrupts ecological processes, thereby posing challenges for the populations of some species. ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Scientists uncover hidden 'winter memory' inside plants

Scientists have developed a powerful new microscope that reveals, for the first time, how plants store a 'memory' of winter deep inside their cells.

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Ancient CO₂ surge triggered widespread forest fires and erosion 56 million years ago

The climate warmed up almost as quickly 56 million years ago as it is doing now. When a huge amount of CO2 entered the atmosphere in a short period of time, it led to large-scale forest fires and erosion. Mei Nelissen, Ph.D. ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Mercury's BepiColombo Mio and Earth's GEOTAIL show shared wave frequency properties across planetary magnetospheres

An international team from Kanazawa University (Japan), Tohoku University (Japan), LPP (France), and partners has demonstrated that chorus emissions, natural electromagnetic waves long studied in Earth's magnetosphere, also ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Protein Rac1 plays dual roles in repairing damaged kidney, study finds

The kidney's proximal tubule reabsorbs water, glucose, ions and other small molecules from the urine and thus maintains the body's supply of these essential constituents. The tubule can be easily damaged by ischemia, or poor ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Japan Trench geology confirmed as key driver of 2011 megaquake

Geologists from Heriot-Watt are part of an international research team that has confirmed why the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake off northeast Japan behaved in such an extreme and destructive way.

Jan 19, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Seychelles leads the way in the protection of sharks and rays, finds study

A new study published in Ecology and Evolution has evaluated the extent to which recently identified Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) in the Western Indian Ocean overlap with existing marine protected areas.

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Polar weather on Jupiter and Saturn hints at the planets' interior details

Over the years, passing spacecraft have observed mystifying weather patterns at the poles of Jupiter and Saturn. The two planets host very different types of polar vortices, which are huge atmospheric whirlpools that rotate ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Golden Gate method enables fully-synthetic engineering of therapeutically relevant bacteriophages

Bacteriophages have been used therapeutically to treat infectious bacterial diseases for over a century. As antibiotic-resistant infections increasingly threaten public health, interest in bacteriophages as therapeutics has ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / 3D mapping of fault beneath Marmara Sea reveals likely sites for future earthquakes

According to researchers from Science Tokyo, a new three-dimensional model of the fault beneath the Marmara Sea in Turkey reveals where a future major earthquake could take place. Using electromagnetic measurements, the team ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Atomistic simulation software CP2K enables AI models

The CP2K open-source package is among the top three most widely used research software suites worldwide for simulating the behavior of atoms and molecules. Among other applications, CP2K plays an important role in generating ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Woodland birds living among native trees produce more chicks, study shows

Native trees, such as oaks, have long held a special place in our culture and countryside. Now, researchers have shown that these trees are also important to woodland birds and their offspring.

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology