Phys.org news

Phys.org / Can our pets really say 'I love you'? Science is finding out

Purrs of contentment. Soulful eyes locked on yours over dinner. Valentine's Day? Not for pet owners. For those of us who share our lives with animals, this is a daily—if not exactly romantic—experience. So are the various ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Fossil evidence reveals how gray wolves adapt diets to climate change

Gray wolves adapt their diets as a result of climate change, eating harder foods such as bones to extract nutrition during warmer climates, new research has found. The study, led by the University of Bristol in collaboration ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / X-ray platform images plasma instability for fusion energy and astrophysics

Harnessing the power of the sun holds the promise of providing future societies with energy abundance. To make this a reality, fusion researchers need to address many technological challenges. For example, fusion reactions ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / New astronauts launch to the International Space Station after medical evacuation

A new crew rocketed toward the International Space Station on Friday to replace the astronauts who returned to Earth early in NASA's first medical evacuation.

Feb 13, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Scientists decipher how two bacterial species cooperate to avoid being eaten

Back in 2021, Pierre Stallforth and his team at the Leibniz-Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) showed that bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas and Paenibacillus join forces to protect ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Ancestral motif enables broad DNA binding by NIN, a master regulator of rhizobial symbiosis

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have uncovered a master transcriptional regulator that controls rhizobial symbiosis between plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. By identifying an amino acid motif that emerged before ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / A 'ring of fire' solar eclipse will dazzle people and penguins in Antarctica

The first solar eclipse of the year will grace Antarctica, and only a lucky few will get to bask—or waddle—in its glow.

Feb 13, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Stressed couples may benefit most from 'joint savoring,' new research suggests

Couples who spend more time savoring the pleasurable moments they share are happier together, argue less, and are more confident their relationship will last, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers say in a new ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / AI captures particle accelerator behavior to optimize machine performance

Keeping high-power particle accelerators at peak performance requires advanced and precise control systems. For example, the primary research machine at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator ...

Feb 13, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Failed supernova provides clearest view yet of a star collapsing into a black hole

Astronomers have watched a dying star fail to explode as a supernova, instead collapsing into a black hole. The remarkable sighting is the most complete observational record ever made of a star's transformation into a black ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Scientists uncover Iron Age origins of Vietnamese tooth blackening practices

Not everyone wants their teeth to be white and gleaming. Tooth blackening is a recognized part of modern Vietnamese culture, and a recent discovery hints that the roots of this practice may stretch all the way back to the ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Elephant trunk whiskers exhibit material intelligence, revealing the secret behind an amazing sense of touch

A new study from an interdisciplinary German research collaboration, led by the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS), reveals the secret to the gentle dexterity of the ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Biology