Phys.org news

Phys.org / Exploring how the Gulf Stream affects the climate system and the carbon cycle

It is well documented that the Gulf Stream plays a pivotal role in the climate system through its transfer of heat, which ultimately supplies warmth to northern latitudes in the North Atlantic. What remains less well understood ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / A DNA 'on-off' switch? Light and redox cues reversibly link strands for nanotech

DNA, the blueprint of life, is best known for its fundamental role as genetic material—storing and transmitting biological information through the precise sequence of its bases. For decades, this information-storage function ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Predator stress makes road salt far deadlier for freshwater snails, study finds

Freshwater streams, ponds and lakes across the United States are becoming saltier, and new research from the University of Missouri shows the damage may be greater than scientists once thought. Scientists at Mizzou's College ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Fentanyl makeover: Core structural redesign could lead to safer pain medications

Fentanyl is one of the most effective drugs for managing severe pain, yet it carries substantial risks of addiction and respiratory depression, the dangerous and sometimes fatal slowed breathing. These safety concerns have ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Drones with low-cost air quality sensors can improve air quality monitoring

A drone equipped with low-cost air quality sensors has revealed unexpectedly high concentrations of particulate matter at around 100 meters above ground level in Delhi. These new vertical insights could play an important ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Silver European eel discovered in Cyprus for the first time

As part of a new study, researchers from Bournemouth University (BU) have discovered European eels, Anguilla anguilla, at the stage of silvering living in the inland waters of Cyprus for the first time. The paper is published ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Strawberry guava prevents natural forest generation in Madagascar, project reveals

Rice University biologist Amy Dunham has spent decades studying the mountainous rainforests of Madagascar's Ranomafana National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was designated a national park in 1991. In a project ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Rolling out the carpet for spin qubits with new chip architecture

Researchers at QuTech in Delft, The Netherlands, have developed a new chip architecture that could make it easier to test and scale up quantum processors based on semiconductor spin qubits. The platform, called QARPET (Qubit-Array ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Temperature affects the quality of male frogs' mating calls: Females can hear the difference

A study from the University of California, Davis, found that temperature affects the sound and quality of male frogs' mating calls. In the colder, early weeks of spring, their songs start off sluggishly. In warmer weather, ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How AI is distorting online research, from polls to public policy

Artificial intelligence is increasingly able to simulate human behavior and answer online surveys and political polls, putting the reliability of survey-based research at risk. Consequences can be serious, not only for science ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Rich medieval Christians bought graves 'closer to God' despite leprosy stigma, archaeologists find

Medieval Christians in Denmark showed off their wealth in death by buying prestigious graves: the closer to the church, the higher the price. Researchers used these gravesites to investigate social exclusion based on illness, ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Bio-based coating reveals harmful UV exposure by shifting color

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a coating using proteins and bacteria that could enable the development of T-shirts that warn of excessive sun exposure or labels that reveal damage to ...

Feb 12, 2026 in Chemistry