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First standalone spin-wave chip operates without external magnets for future telecom (phys.org)

The Politecnico di Milano has created the first integrated and fully tunable device based on spin waves, opening up new possibilities for the telecommunications of the future, far beyond current 5G and 6G standards. The study, published in the journal Advanced Materials, was conducted by a research group led by Riccardo Bertacco of the Department of Physics of the Politecnico di Milano, in collaboration with Philipp Pirro of Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität and Silvia Tacchi of Istituto Officina dei Materiali—CNR-IOM.

2026-01-13 20:59:25 +0100
New tool lets anyone audit a country's methane claims (phys.org)

For years, countries have told the United Nations how much methane they emit using a kind of bottom-up bookkeeping: Count the cows and oil barrels, estimate the volume of trash, and multiply by standard emission factors.

2026-01-13 20:53:36 +0100
New global standard set for testing graphene's single-atom thickness (phys.org)

Graphene could transform everything from electric cars to smartphones, but only if we can guarantee its quality. The University of Manchester has led the world's largest study to set a new global benchmark for testing graphene's single-atom thickness. Working with the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and 15 leading research institutes worldwide, the team has developed a reliable method using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that will underpin future industrial standards.

2026-01-13 20:51:17 +0100
Western populations endorse support for Ukraine despite nuclear escalation fears, finds study (phys.org)

Most people in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy clearly endorse military support for Ukraine. They overwhelmingly reject Russia's positions on territorial claims and restrictions on Ukraine's political sovereignty.

2026-01-13 20:34:19 +0100
New combination therapy developed for frequent form of lung cancer (medicalxpress.com)

A research team at the Medical University of Vienna has discovered a new approach to treating a particularly frequent and difficult-to-treat form of lung cancer. The study shows that a combination of two well-studied classes of drugs—ERBB inhibitors and Aurora kinase inhibitors—is significantly more effective against KRAS-mutated lung adenocarcinomas than existing therapies. The research, currently published in the journal npj Precision Oncology, opens up a new and promising path for patients for whom there are currently only limited treatment options.

2026-01-13 20:28:54 +0100
Smart transparent woods can block UV and save energy (techxplore.com)

Environmentally friendly buildings are highly attractive for sustainable development and efficient energy consumption. Recently, scientists have made significant strides toward the development of energy-efficient smart windows—with features such as optical modulation, high transparency, low thermal conductivity, and ultraviolet (UV) blocking and heat shielding capabilities—to replace traditional glass windows. Smart windows are a lucrative technology to protect household items as well as human health from the adverse effects of UV radiation.

2026-01-13 20:25:47 +0100
A dry surface thanks to fluid physics: Contact-free method gently remove liquids from delicate microstructures (phys.org)

Researchers at the University of Konstanz have developed a gentle, contact-free method to collect liquids and remove them from microscopic surface structures. The method uses vapor condensation to generate surface currents that transport droplets off surfaces.

2026-01-13 20:22:30 +0100
Microbial genes could improve our understanding of water pollution (phys.org)

Underground environments like soil and aquifers teem with microbial life. These tiny microbes play a big role in cycling nutrients and breaking down or transforming pollutants. However, scientists still struggle to reliably model how microbes grow and decay.

2026-01-13 20:16:15 +0100
A tiny mouse hints at why some mammal mothers may benefit from choosing more than one father (phys.org)

Many animals do something that still surprises researchers: females often mate with more than one male. This behavior—polyandry—has long raised a blunt question. Why divide offspring among multiple fathers, and does it help mothers or young survive?

2026-01-13 20:15:18 +0100
Enthusiasts used their home computers to search for ET—scientists are homing in on 100 signals they found (phys.org)

For 21 years, between 1999 and 2020, millions of people worldwide loaned UC Berkeley scientists their computers to search for signs of advanced civilizations in our galaxy.

2026-01-13 20:07:24 +0100
Hubble nets menagerie of young stellar objects (phys.org)

A disparate collection of young stellar objects bejewels a cosmic panorama in the star-forming region NGC 1333 in this new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. To the left, an actively forming star called a protostar casts its glow on the surrounding gas and dust, creating a reflection nebula.

2026-01-13 20:03:42 +0100
Myth of Native Hawaiians causing bird extinctions debunked by study (phys.org)

Challenging a 50-year-old narrative about Hawaiʻi's native birds, a new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa found no scientific evidence that Indigenous People hunted waterbird species to extinction. Published in the journal Ecosphere, the research debunks this long-held myth and offers a new, integrated theory to explain the disappearances.

2026-01-13 20:02:22 +0100
Tiny sensor could transform head injury detection (medicalxpress.com)

A tiny sensor that detects hazardous head impacts the instant they occur could reshape safety monitoring in sports, transportation and other high-risk settings.

2026-01-13 19:40:01 +0100
Microsoft says will foot AI's massive power bill (techxplore.com)

Microsoft said Tuesday it will shoulder the full electricity costs of its US data centers to prevent American households from facing higher power bills driven by surging AI energy demand.

2026-01-13 19:39:49 +0100
AI could be your next line manager (techxplore.com)

AI is already doing a pretty good job at taking on some of the world's workload. It has produced academic papers, enhanced space exploration and developed medical treatments.

2026-01-13 19:34:35 +0100
Ancient Rome meets modern technology as tourists visit restored, frescoed home via livestream tours (phys.org)

One of the best-preserved ancient Roman homes on the Palatine Hill is opening to the public for the first time, albeit via a livestreamed tour of its hard-to-reach underground frescoes and mosaics.

2026-01-13 19:30:01 +0100
Rural areas have darker skies but fewer resources for students interested in astronomy. Telescopes in schools can help (phys.org)

The night sky has long sparked wonder and curiosity. Early civilizations studied the stars and tracked celestial events, predicted eclipses and used their observations to construct calendars, develop maps and formulate religious rituals.

2026-01-13 19:24:35 +0100
How exercise helps aging muscles repair themselves (medicalxpress.com)

Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have uncovered how exercise helps aging muscles regain their ability to repair themselves, shedding light on why physical activity remains one of the most effective ways to preserve strength and mobility later in life.

2026-01-13 19:23:55 +0100
Slanguage: How '6-7' makes sense even though it means nothing (phys.org)

The expression "6-7" spread like wildfire last year, making its way outside the realm of usual adolescent slang and into the collective discourse, popping up at public sports events, in Halloween costumes and even in teachers' lesson plans.

2026-01-13 19:22:32 +0100
Martin Luther King Jr. was ahead of his time in pushing for universal basic income (phys.org)

Each year on the holiday that bears his name, Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered for his immense contributions to the struggle for racial equality. What is less often remembered but equally important is that King saw the fight for racial equality as deeply intertwined with economic justice.

2026-01-13 19:21:52 +0100
How hands-on textile work inspires creativity and growth (phys.org)

Seated on the stone floor of a medieval fortress in Italy's Tuscan hills, students rip thin, one-inch strips of fabric. They then knot the strips together to create extra chunky yarns. With these chunky yarns, they use oversized, thick crochet hooks, knitting needles and six foot-by-six foot tapestry looms.

2026-01-13 19:20:19 +0100
People with ME/CFS have a consistent faulty cellular structure, new research confirms (medicalxpress.com)

A faulty ion channel function is a consistent biological feature of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), providing long-awaited validation for hundreds of thousands of Australians living with the debilitating illness.

2026-01-13 19:12:28 +0100
AI 'CHEF' could help those with cognitive declines complete home tasks (techxplore.com)

In the United States, 11% of adults over age 45 self-report some cognitive decline, which may impact their ability to care for themselves and perform tasks such as cooking or paying bills. A team of Washington University in St. Louis researchers has integrated two novel vision-language models that create a potential artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that could help people remain independent.

2026-01-13 19:10:03 +0100
Asexual yam species employs mimicry to trick birds and spread farther (phys.org)

Evolutionarily speaking, the ultimate goal of a lifeform is to reproduce and stave off extinction. Many plants and animals have evolved unique tricks to do so. One of these tricks is mimicry, which might be used to trick other species into believing it is dangerous in order to avoid becoming a meal, or to increase the likelihood of reproduction.

2026-01-13 19:10:01 +0100
Researcher affirms human creativity's value amid AI (techxplore.com)

As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly enter classrooms, workplaces, and creative industries, questions about what these systems mean for human creativity have become increasingly urgent. Can AI truly be creative? Does it level the playing field by expanding access to ideas and inspiration? Or does it risk weakening the very skills education is meant to develop?

2026-01-13 19:05:48 +0100
Fluid gears rotate without teeth, offering new mechanical flexibility (phys.org)

A team of New York University scientists has created a gear mechanism that relies on fluids to generate rotation. The invention holds potential for a new generation of mechanical devices that offer greater flexibility and durability than do existing gears—whose origins date back to ancient China.

2026-01-13 19:05:04 +0100
Adaptive motion system helps robots achieve human-like dexterity with minimal data (techxplore.com)

Despite rapid robotic automation advancements, most systems struggle to adapt their pre-trained movements to dynamic environments with objects of varying stiffness or weight. To tackle this challenge, researchers from Japan have developed an adaptive motion reproduction system using Gaussian process regression.

2026-01-13 19:00:31 +0100
Marine sediments suggest glaciers retreated in sync across both hemispheres (phys.org)

An international team of scientists has uncovered evidence glaciers in the Southern and Northern hemispheres were synchronous during the last ice age.

2026-01-13 18:54:26 +0100
AI-driven virtual screening uncovers two potent CDK9 inhibitors with anticancer effects in lab tests (medicalxpress.com)

A new and important discovery comes from the field of oncological research thanks to the joint work of researchers from the Sbarro Institute in Philadelphia, the National Cancer Institute—Pascale Foundation, and the University of Pisa.

2026-01-13 18:46:43 +0100
Researchers urge unified approach to sustainable agriculture innovation and policy reform (phys.org)

The agricultural industry may be producing more food than ever before, but it is also damaging the climate, harming the soil and eroding biodiversity.

2026-01-13 18:41:24 +0100
Bilayer ceramic coating shown to significantly increase tool life in titanium alloy micromachining (techxplore.com)

Researchers have demonstrated a new bilayer ceramic coating to extend the service life of tools needed in the machining of the world's most widely used titanium alloy by more than 300%.

2026-01-13 18:37:29 +0100
Circular economy startups can create new opportunities in resistant markets (phys.org)

A new study published in Business Strategy and the Environment, from the University of Eastern Finland offers a fresh perspective on how circular economy startups succeed in developing their business in markets where consumer demand for sustainable products is equivocal, institutional support is lacking and dominant players are slow to adapt.

2026-01-13 18:36:19 +0100
New framework verifies AI-generated chatbot answers (techxplore.com)

How do you know if a chatbot is giving the correct answer? This is an important question for companies that use large language models to communicate with their customers. The Dutch company AFAS was using chatbots to generate answers, which had to be checked by a human employee before being sent to the customer.

2026-01-13 18:35:31 +0100
Over-the-counter medications may alter cancer immunotherapy outcomes (medicalxpress.com)

Immunotherapy is offering new hope for cancers that once had grim prognoses by harnessing the body's own immune system to fight the disease, often sparing patients from the harsh side effects of chemotherapy. But its success may hinge on everyday medications people are taking during treatment.

2026-01-13 18:24:38 +0100
Study searches Strava to reveal secrets to happier runs (medicalxpress.com)

As runners set their New Year's resolutions, Simon Fraser University researchers have dug thousands of Strava posts to map the emotional highs and lows of running and see what makes people stick with it.

2026-01-13 18:23:21 +0100
One way brain 'conductors' find precise connection to target cells (medicalxpress.com)

New research reveals how a class of neurons that help coordinate communication in the brain link up with their target cells, identifying two molecules that must be present before synapses, the structures that carry signals between these partners, can form on the target neurons.

2026-01-13 18:19:27 +0100
Atomistic model explains how memory metals can change their shape (techxplore.com)

Shape memory alloys are exotic materials that can be deformed at room temperature and return to their "remembered," pre-deformed shape when heated. They are used in a broad range of applications, such as heart stents, dental braces, actuators that move wing flaps, and energy harvesting. Mechanical engineer Francesco Maresca and his team from the University of Groningen have worked out how memory metals change shape at the atomic level.

2026-01-13 17:49:52 +0100
Power grid testing boosts distribution innovations to utility scale (techxplore.com)

A historic legacy now translates to pioneering capabilities in electric grid technology at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The secure electrical infrastructure that enabled World War II nuclear advances under the Manhattan Project has evolved into the ideal test bed for modernizing the nation's grid for the 21st century.

2026-01-13 17:49:25 +0100
Biopsy-derived cryo-EM structures reveal patient-specific amyloid fibrils (medicalxpress.com)

Prof. Liu Cong from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators, has revealed the high-resolution structures of amyloid fibrils directly extracted from biopsy samples of living patients with systemic light chain (AL) amyloidosis, providing new molecular insights into how patient-specific protein sequences and tissue environments shape amyloid architecture.

2026-01-13 17:40:01 +0100
Minimum wage hikes linked to lower rates of pregnancy-related hypertension (medicalxpress.com)

Increases to the minimum wage may do more than bolster household income, reduce inequality and enhance worker well-being: They may also help make pregnancies safer, according to new research from Rutgers University.

2026-01-13 17:39:28 +0100
WhatsApp data reveal people often deceive themselves (techxplore.com)

How quickly we reply, how active we really are in chats—many people misjudge their own behavior. Researchers at Bielefeld University have, for the first time, used anonymized WhatsApp metadata to make such misperceptions visible. Their study shows that personalized, data-based feedback can help people better understand their own communication habits; an important building block for digital well-being and successful relationships.

2026-01-13 17:31:32 +0100
First pediatric classifications for suicide risk in adolescents and kids published (medicalxpress.com)

Today, pediatric experts from Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado) announced published research in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that identifies five classifications of youth who have died by suicide. Using 10 years of national suicide data, Joel Stoddard, MD, MAS, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Children's Colorado, and his team found that nearly half of youth who died by suicide did not have clinical contact or a known risk of suicide. These findings are critical for recommending new and increased suicide interventions for youth.

2026-01-13 17:29:38 +0100
Three-dimensional magnetic torque enables heart mechanics in organoids (medicalxpress.com)

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet progress in understanding and treating cardiac disorders is limited by the shortcomings of existing experimental models. Traditional animal models often fail to capture human-specific cardiac biology, while conventional two-dimensional cell cultures lack the functional and structural complexity of heart tissue.

2026-01-13 17:28:07 +0100
Sperm RNAs help explain how a father's health influences offspring (medicalxpress.com)

A study in mice on small RNAs in sperm helps explain how the health of fathers can influence the health of their offspring. Bin He and colleagues explored how paternal immune activation in mice affects a specific class of small RNAs in sperm, known as 28S-rsRNAs.

2026-01-13 17:11:34 +0100
Understanding ammonia energy's tradeoffs around the world (techxplore.com)

Many people are optimistic about ammonia's potential as an energy source and carrier of hydrogen, and though large-scale adoption would require major changes to the way it is currently manufactured, ammonia does have a number of advantages. For one thing, ammonia is energy-dense and carbon-free. It is also already produced at scale and shipped around the world, primarily for use in fertilizer.

2026-01-13 17:06:41 +0100
Simple tool predicts who is most at risk of dementia after stroke (medicalxpress.com)

A new international study led by researchers from UNSW Sydney's Center for Healthy Brain Aging (CHeBA) has developed the first practical, five-year dementia risk prediction tool for stroke survivors—using only information that's routinely collected in hospitals and clinics.

2026-01-13 17:02:53 +0100
Vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease could deliver $1.3 billion a year in global livestock benefits (medicalxpress.com)

The new foot-and-mouth disease vaccine developed by researchers at Diamond Light Source is projected to deliver over $1.3 billion in annual benefits and transform global livestock resilience.

2026-01-13 16:39:30 +0100
10-inch folding phones are coming: Is their market ready to expand? (techxplore.com)

What if you could put a 10-inch tablet in your pocket as easily as your smartphone?

2026-01-13 16:35:26 +0100
New Barbie with autism aims to help kids feel seen and included (medicalxpress.com)

For many children, toys are more than playthings, they're a way to feel understood.

2026-01-13 16:24:15 +0100
Preservative-free artificial tears aid eye symptoms in digital device users (medicalxpress.com)

Preservative-free artificial tears reduce subjective symptoms in people with digital eye strain (DES) and dryness symptoms, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

2026-01-13 16:10:08 +0100
Smart gate paves way for reliable hydrogen from seawater (techxplore.com)

Researchers have developed a simple, scalable way to reliably generate hydrogen with impure water, such as seawater or industrial wastewater.

2026-01-13 15:49:51 +0100
Pushing organic solar cell efficiency past 18% (techxplore.com)

A joint research team from National Taiwan University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, and National Tsing Hua University has discovered a precise molecular engineering strategy. By adjusting the side chains of organic materials, the team has achieved a power conversion efficiency of 18.13%.

2026-01-13 15:40:09 +0100
What a virtual zebrafish can teach us about autonomous AI (techxplore.com)

Aran Nayebi jokes that his robot vacuum has a bigger brain than his two cats. But while the vacuum can only follow a preset path, Zoe and Shira leap, play and investigate the house with real autonomy.

2026-01-13 15:29:34 +0100
Want to get better at using ChatGPT? New research highlights empathy (techxplore.com)

For an increasing number of Americans, a new kind of co-worker is making their work easier.

2026-01-13 15:18:35 +0100
Google's corporate parent joins $4 trillion club as investors continue to bet on AI breakthroughs (techxplore.com)

Google parent Alphabet Inc. on Monday became the fourth Big Tech powerhouse to be valued at $4 trillion, a once seemingly unfathomable milestone that's become more like a rite of passage amid an artificial intelligence arms race.

2026-01-13 11:06:24 +0100
Electric vehicles could catch on in Africa sooner than expected (techxplore.com)

The number of vehicles in Africa is expected to double between now and 2050—faster than on any other continent. The question is not whether mobility will increase, but how. A new study led by researchers at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, in collaboration with African partners from Makerere University, University of Port Harcourt and Stellenbosch University, shows that electric vehicles, combined with solar-powered off-grid charging systems, could be economically competitive in many African countries well before 2040.