Phys.org news

Phys.org / AI systems could identify math anxiety from student inputs and change feedback

Math anxiety is a significant challenge for students worldwide. While personalized support is widely recognized as the most effective way to address it, many teachers struggle to deliver this level of support at scale within ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Cosmic radiation brought to light: Researchers measure ionization in dark cloud for the first time

Where starlight doesn't reach, new things are born: For the first time, an international research team has directly measured the effect of cosmic radiation in a cold molecular cloud. The observation shows how charged high-energy ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Ozone-depleting CFCs detected in historical measurements—20 years earlier than previously known

An international research team led by the University of Bremen has detected chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in Earth's atmosphere for the first time in historical measurements from 1951—20 years earlier than previously known. ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Ancient American pronghorns were built for speed

The fastest land animal in North America is the American pronghorn, and previously, researchers thought it evolved its speed because of pressure from the now-extinct American cheetah. But recently, that theory has come under ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / New mineral sunscreen reduces white cast by using tetrapod-shaped zinc oxide

UCLA researchers have developed a mineral sunscreen formulation that significantly reduces the white, chalky cast that keeps many people from wearing sun protection daily. For decades, dermatologists have urged people to ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Maps offer neighborhood-level insight into American migration

California's most devastating wildfire—the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 and destroyed nearly 19,000 structures—forced nearly half of all residents living within designated fire perimeters to relocate within a year.

Feb 3, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / We ate space mushrooms and survived to tell the tale

The mushrooms spread out on the chopping board seemed normal enough. They were rich and dense, and had a strong earthy aroma. In the saucepan, they melted—along with the cheese—to form a creamy pasta sauce.

Feb 3, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Two huge hot blobs of rock influence Earth's magnetic field, study reveals

Exploring Earth's deep interior is a far bigger challenge than exploring the solar system. While we have traveled 25 billion km into space, the deepest we have ever gone below our feet is just over 12 km. Consequently, little ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Stacked graphene sandwich reveals switchable memory without traditional ferroelectrics

A research team led by Professor Youngwook Kim from the Department of Physics and Chemistry, DGIST, in collaboration with the research team of Professor Gil Young Cho at KAIST, have discovered a new memory principle that ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Tiny radio transmitters reveal a hidden survival tactic in birds

In Sturt National Park, near Tibooburra in central Australia where temperatures can range from freezing to nearly 50°C, there lives a small bird with a white back, forked tail and—as we've just discovered—a very clever ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Ultra-thin metasurface chip turns invisible infrared light into steerable visible beams

The invention of tiny devices capable of precisely controlling the direction and behavior of light is essential to the development of advanced technologies. Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / The unraveling of the shrew, in winter: Studies decode genetic basis of seasonal organ shrinkage in mammals

Some mammals hibernate to survive in winter, but the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus) employs Dehnel's phenomenon to get through it. This is a metabolic process that enables shrews to conserve energy by shrinking their ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Biology