Phys.org news

Phys.org / A survival strategy inside stressed cells: Ribosomes in pairs

Ribosomes, the cell's protein-making factories, consume large amounts of energy as they build the proteins that keep cells alive and functioning. When cells experience stress—such as lack of nutrients or sudden drops in ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Cleaner fish show intelligence typical of mammals

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan have discovered a previously undiscovered behavior in cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). When presented with a mirror, the tiny fish not only recognized themselves, ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / 3D method can accurately measure gravity in wide binary stars, as demonstrated by pilot study

Since the third Gaia data release in 2022, wide binary stars with separation greater than several thousand astronomical units have been intensely investigated across the world, to probe the nature of gravity in the low acceleration ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / REGALADE: The most extensive catalog of galaxies for modern astronomy

An international team of scientists led by the Institute of Cosmos Sciences at the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) has presented REGALADE, an unprecedented catalog covering ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Scientists reveal best- and worst-case scenarios for a warming Antarctica

The climate crisis is warming Antarctica fast, with potentially disastrous consequences. Now scientists have modeled the best- and worst-case scenarios for climate change in Antarctica, demonstrating just how high the stakes ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / How choices made by crowds in a train station are guided by strangers

In crowds, most people are strangers to you, and everyone else for that matter. However, until now, the effect of stranger-to-stranger interactions on the choices people make in crowds has not been properly examined. Ziqi ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Impact-formed glass provides evidence of cosmic collision in Brazil about 6 million years ago

For the first time in Brazil, researchers have identified a field of tektites. These are natural glasses formed by the high-energy impact of extraterrestrial bodies against Earth's surface. These structures, named geraisites ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Quantum trembling: Why there are no truly flat molecules

Traditional chemistry textbooks present a tidy picture: Atoms in molecules occupy fixed positions, connected by rigid rods. A molecule such as formic acid (methanoic acid, HCOOH) is imagined as two-dimensional—flat as a ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Phonon lasers unlock ultrabroadband acoustic frequency combs

Acoustic frequency combs organize sound or mechanical vibrations into a series of evenly spaced frequencies, much like the teeth on a comb. They are the acoustic counterparts of optical frequency combs, which consist of equally ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Birds change altitude to survive epic journeys across deserts and seas

Every year, billions of birds undertake extraordinary migrations, crossing vast deserts and open seas with no place to stop, feed, or rest. A new international study published in iScience by a consortium of researchers from ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Americium, curium and californium—crystallizing the rarest elements

Actinides are a group of heavy, radioactive elements that include uranium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium and californium. Understanding how these elements bond with other atoms (known as coordination chemistry), ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / How root growth is stimulated by nitrate: Researchers decipher signaling chain

When 200 natural accessions of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana grown in a nitrate-enriched medium were compared, one observation stood out: some accessions formed significantly longer lateral roots than others. Genetic ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology