Phys.org news

Phys.org / All ears: New study pinpoints what determines ear length in dogs

Ever see a basset hound and find yourself wanting to (gently) grab its long, floppy ears and give them a little waggle? The cute aggression caused by those droopy eared canines is real. And researchers at the University of ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Beta-decay half-life measurements reveal evolution of nuclear shell structure

An international team of researchers has systematically measured the β-decay half-lives of 40 nuclei near calcium-54, providing key experimental data for understanding the structure of extremely neutron-rich nuclei.

Jan 19, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / New structural insights reveal how human respiratory chain complexes assemble

A new study shows how one of the cell's most important energy-producing machines is built. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have mapped late steps in the formation of the human respirasome, a large protein assembly that ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Reprogramming the cancer messenger: A new era of tumor extracellular vesicle engineering

Researchers at National Taiwan University have developed a modular platform to reprogram tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), transforming them from oncogenic messengers into safe, customizable drug delivery vehicles ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Humans returned to British Isles earlier than previously thought at the end of the last Ice Age

The return of humans to the British Isles after the end of the last ice sheet, which covered much of the northern hemisphere, happened around 15,200 years ago—nearly 500 years earlier than previous estimates.

Jan 19, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / COVID-era trick could transform drug and chemical discovery

Laboratories turned to a smart workaround when COVID‑19 testing kits became scarce in 2020. They mixed samples from several patients and ran a single test. If the test came back negative, everyone in it was cleared at once. ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Lifting magnetic fingerprints using scanning probe microscopy

A Czech and Spanish-led research team has demonstrated the ability to distinguish subtle differences between magnetic ground states using a new form of scanning probe microscopy.

Jan 19, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / 'Supercooling' keeps salamanders from freezing in Canadian winters

On a frigid April day, Brock University Professor of Biological Sciences Glenn Tattersall, then-Ph.D. student Danilo Giacometti and wildlife researcher Patrick Moldowan ventured out into Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park ...

Jan 19, 2026 in Biology
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 / 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 / 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