Phys.org news

Phys.org / The compleximer: New type of plastic mixes glass-like shaping with impact resistance

Researchers at Wageningen University & Research have developed a new type of plastic that, according to materials theory, should not be able to exist. Its properties sit somewhere between those of glass and plastic: it is ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / CRISPR screen maps 250 genes essential for human muscle fiber formation

Muscles make up nearly 40% of the human body and power every move we make, from a child's first steps to recovery after injury. For some, however, muscle development goes awry, leading to weakness, delayed motor milestones ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / MXenes for energy storage: More versatile than expected

MXene materials are promising candidates for a new energy storage technology. However, the processes by which the charge storage takes place were not yet fully understood. A team at HZB has examined, for the first time, individual ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Thinking of AI-written vows? A study explains why it can backfire

Psychologists at the University of Kent are suggesting people think wisely about their use of ChatGPT this Valentine's Day after new research has revealed that we judge people most when they use AI to write love letters, ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Snowball Earth: Ancient Scottish rocks reveal annual climate cycles

Scientists at the University of Southampton have uncovered evidence from ancient rocks that Earth's climate continued to fluctuate during its most extreme ice age—known as Snowball Earth. During the Cryogenian Period, between ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Increasing pesticide toxicity threatens global biodiversity protection goal: Only one country is currently on target

At the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Canada, in 2022, nations committed to reducing the risks associated with pesticide use in agriculture by 50% by 2030. A new study by a research team from RPTUKaiserslautern-Landau, ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Two-day-old babies show brain signs of rhythm prediction, study finds

Babies are born with the ability to predict rhythm, according to a study published February 5 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Roberta Bianco from the Italian Institute of Technology, and colleagues.

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Study finds numbing the mouth may speed up silent reading

Parents often tell their children to sound out the words as they are learning to read. It makes sense: Since they already know how to speak, the sound of a word might serve as a clue to its meaning.

Feb 5, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Teaching machines to design molecular switches

In biology, many RNA molecules act as sophisticated microscopic machines. Among them, riboswitches function as tiny biological sensors, changing their 3D shape upon binding to a specific metabolite. This shape-change acts ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Sudanese Copts acquired malaria resistance thanks to a rapid evolutionary process, research reveals

An international study investigating the genomic diversity of the Sudanese population reveals that the Copts originating in Egypt—who settled in the country between the seventh and eleventh centuries—have acquired a genetic ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / YouTubers love wildlife, but commenters aren't calling for conservation action

YouTube is a great place to find all sorts of wildlife content. It is not, however, a good place to find viewers encouraging each other to preserve that wildlife, according to new research led by the University of Michigan. ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / CRISPR-based biosensors enable real-time ocean health monitoring

Oceanic ecosystems are increasingly threatened by global warming, which causes coral bleaching, species migration and, through the loss of habitats and biodiversity, food web disruptions on major scales. Also, pollutants ...

Feb 5, 2026 in Biology