Neutron scattering helps clarify magnetic behavior in altermagnetic material

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have identified the true source of a magnetic effect seen in the material ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂), helping resolve an active debate in the rapidly growing field of altermagnetism. The study is published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-neutron-magnetic-behavior-altermagnetic-material.html

A new method to decode how DNA 'switches' control gene activity

DNA is the blueprint of life. Genes encode proteins and serve as the body's basic components. However, building a functioning organism also requires precise instructions about when, where, and how much those components should be produced.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-method-decode-dna-gene.html

How the humble silkworm could help us discover new anti-aging treatments

When scientists want to study aging and how to slow it down, they often turn to microscopic worms or lab mice among other models. The former are too different from humans, while the latter are expensive and take too long to study. But there's a new model in town that can potentially help us wind the clock back, and that is the silkworm (Bombyx mori).

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-humble-silkworm-anti-aging-treatments.html

World's smallest QR code, read via electron microscope, earns Guinness recognition

Just how small can a QR code be? Small enough that it can only be recognized with an electron microscope. A research team at TU Wien, working together with the data storage technology company Cerabyte, has now demonstrated exactly that. The QR code covers an area of just 1.98 square micrometers—smaller than most bacteria. The record has now been verified and officially entered into the Guinness World Records.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-world-smallest-qr-code-electron.html

Will AI eat into your jobs? The sharp divide between layoffs and evolution at India AI impact Summit

Several experts argue that AI could drive significant benefits, such as boosting productivity. However, they also stress that society must quickly adapt to these changes.

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/will-ai-eat-into-your-jobs-the-sharp-divide-between-layoffs-and-evolution-at-india-ai-impact-summit-11771259961977.html

Injured seabird desperately pecks at hospital door for help

An injured seabird sought help by pecking at the door of an emergency room at a hospital in Germany until medical staff noticed it and called firefighters to help with its rescue.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-seabird-desperately-hospital-door.html

India set to host AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam tomorrow: When and where to watch live

India will host the AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam from February 16 to 20, bringing together global leaders, tech CEOs and policymakers. Here is when and how to watch the livestream.

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/india-set-to-host-ai-impact-summit-2026-at-bharat-mandapam-tomorrow-when-and-where-to-watch-live-11771176159697.html

Strong correlations and superconductivity observed in a supermoiré lattice

Two or more graphene layers that are stacked with a small twist angle in relation to each other form a so-called moiré lattice. This characteristic pattern influences the movement of electrons inside materials, which can give rise to strongly correlated states, such as superconductivity.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-strong-superconductivity-supermoir-lattice.html

When AI meets physics: Unlocking complex protein structures to accelerate biomedical breakthroughs

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how scientists understand proteins—these are working molecules that drive nearly every process in the human body, from cell growth and immune defense to digestion and cell signaling. At NUS, researchers are harnessing AI to fast-track discoveries, offering fresh insights into life at the molecular level and new strategies against disease.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ai-physics-complex-protein-biomedical.html

Gradient cathodes boost stability of Li-rich batteries

Recently, a research team led by Prof. Zhao Bangchuan from the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. Xiao Yao from Wenzhou University, developed a composition gradient strategy to precisely regulate the internal stress distribution and electronic structure of Li-rich Mn-based cathode materials. The findings are published in Nano Letters.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-gradient-cathodes-boost-stability-li.html

Porous material uses green and blue light to repeatedly store and release CO₂

Scientists at the University of Groningen, led by Nobel laureate Ben Feringa and colleagues, have created a new porous material that captures and releases carbon dioxide using only visible light. The breakthrough could pave the way for more energy-efficient and sustainable carbon capture technologies that help combat climate change.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-porous-material-green-blue.html

Living in space can change where your brain sits in your skull: New research

Going to space is harsh on the human body, and as a new study from our research team finds, the brain shifts upward and backward and deforms inside the skull after spaceflight.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-space-brain-skull.html

Collaboration between universities and hospitals intensifies in times of crisis, finds study

Economic and public health conditions influence universities' research priorities. A study led by INGENIO, a joint research center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), reveals how, in times of economic growth, cooperation between universities and businesses increases, while in times of crisis and high disease burdens, collaboration with hospitals is strengthened.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-collaboration-universities-hospitals-crisis.html

Fear or dread? How intensity of emotion may shape climate policy support

New research has found that we are more likely to back policies aimed at tackling climate change when we feel fearful, but feelings of dread make us less likely to support such policies.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-dread-intensity-emotion-climate-policy.html

Parabolic mirror-enhanced Raman spectroscopy enables high-sensitivity trace gas detection

A research team led by Prof. Fang Yonghua from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed and systematically optimized a novel parabolic mirror cavity-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (PMCERS) technique, achieving a marked improvement in gas detection sensitivity through the integration of advanced optical design and signal processing methods. These results were published in Optics & Laser Technology.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-parabolic-mirror-raman-spectroscopy-enables.html

Taxing Africa's informal economies: Technology's promise and pitfalls

Changes in the development finance world—especially the sharp drop in foreign aid and fewer cheap loans for low-income countries—have pushed taxation back into the spotlight.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-taxing-africa-economies-technology-pitfalls.html

Goats can play a role in multi-pronged restoration of buckthorn-invaded woodlands

Goats are increasingly being used in efforts to manage invasive common buckthorn in Midwestern woodlands. New research demonstrates when and how they are best used.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-goats-play-role-multi-pronged.html

Apple reportedly readies iOS 26.4 with smarter Siri and Intelligence tools: What to expect

Apple’s iOS 26.4 is expected to bring a major Siri overhaul with Apple Intelligence, personal context, on-screen awareness and cross-app actions. The developer beta could arrive this month, with a public release tipped for March.

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/apple-reportedly-readies-ios-26-4-with-smarter-siri-and-intelligence-tools-what-to-expect-11770571528463.html

The 'Little red dots' observed by Webb were direct-collapse black holes

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was designed to look back in time and study galaxies that existed shortly after the Big Bang. In so doing, scientists hoped to gain a better understanding of how the universe has evolved from the earliest cosmological epoch to the present. When Webb first trained its advanced optics and instruments on the early universe, it discovered a new class of astrophysical objects: bright red sources that were dubbed "Little Red Dots" (LRDs). Initially, astronomers hypothesized that they could be massive star-forming regions, but this was inconsistent with established cosmological models.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-red-dots-webb-collapse-black.html

Over 2,000 GCCs signal India’s rising clout in AI and technology services: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says India’s IT sector is shifting to an AI-led services model, backed by data centres, global capability centres and updated curricula, as government, industry and academia work together to position the country as a global hub for AI solutions.

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/over-2-000-gccs-signal-india-s-rising-clout-in-ai-and-technology-services-union-minister-ashwini-vaishnaw-11770485192206.html

Q&A: Using AI to accelerate the discovery and design of therapeutic drugs

In the pursuit of solutions to complex global challenges including disease, energy demands, and climate change, scientific researchers, including at MIT, have turned to artificial intelligence, and to quantitative analysis and modeling, to design and construct engineered cells with novel properties. The engineered cells can be programmed to become new therapeutics—battling, and perhaps eradicating, diseases.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-qa-ai-discovery-therapeutic-drugs.html

Almost half of the world's aquatic environments are severely contaminated by waste, research reveals

"Dirty" or "extremely dirty": these are the classifications of 46% of the world's aquatic environments. This conclusion comes from a study that compiled and systematized data from 6,049 records of waste contamination in aquatic environments on all continents over the last decade.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-world-aquatic-environments-severely-contaminated.html

The Amaterasu particle: Cosmic investigation traces its origin

Cosmic rays are extremely fast, charged particles that travel through space at nearly the speed of light. The Amaterasu particle was detected in 2021 by the Telescope Array experiment in the U.S. It is the second-highest-energy cosmic ray ever observed, carrying around 40 million times more energy than particles accelerated at the Large Hadron Collider. Such particles are exceedingly rare and thought to originate in some of the most extreme environments in the universe.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-amaterasu-particle-cosmic.html

Simulations and supercomputing calculate one million cislunar orbits

Satellites and spacecraft in the vast region between Earth and the moon and just beyond—called cislunar space—are crucial for space exploration, scientific advancement and national security. But figuring out where exactly to put them into a stable orbit can be a huge, computationally expensive challenge.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-simulations-supercomputing-million-cislunar-orbits.html

Photosynthesis: Study reveals how minerals are involved in homeostasis of chloroplasts

Plants fix 258 billion tons of CO2 in their chloroplasts through photosynthesis every year. For these cell organelles to work properly, they require certain minerals—particularly ions of the metals iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn). Disruptions of ion homeostasis impair photosynthesis and thus growth and yields. A team with members from Munich, Bochum, Columbia (MO), and Saarbrucken, led by LMU biologist Professor Hans-Henning Kunz has now deciphered the chloroplast ionome—the totality of metal ions in the chloroplast—of various plant species.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-photosynthesis-reveals-minerals-involved-homeostasis.html

Nanotubes with lids mimic real biology

When water and ions move together through channels only a nanometer wide, they behave in unusual ways. In these tight spaces, water molecules line up in single file. This forces ions to shed some of the water molecules that normally surround them, leading to the unique physics of ion transport. Biological channels are especially adept at this behavior, often choreographing channel openings and closings to achieve complex behaviors such as signals in the nervous system.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-nanotubes-lids-mimic-real-biology.html

"No Economic Strategy, Statesmanship": P Chidambaram On Union Budget 2026

Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram dismissed the Union budget 2026 presented today by Nirmala Sitharaman, saying it does not address any of the major challenges pointed out in the economic...

source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/union-budget-2026-no-economic-strategy-statesmanship-p-chidambaram-10927236

Scientists have identified unique sounds for 8 fish species

Have you ever wished you could swim like a fish? How about speak like one? In a paper recently published in the Journal of Fish Biology, our team from the University of Victoria deciphered some of the strange and unique sounds made by different fish species along the coast of British Columbia.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-scientists-unique-fish-species.html

Unlocking the high-performance potential of CF₃SF₄

Fluorine has changed the world of medicine. You might not see it, but newly approved drugs contain at least one fluorine atom. This tiny but powerful element is the "hidden engine" that makes our medications more stable and effective. Over the past decades, chemists have turned the trifluoromethyl (CF3) group into the "gold standard" in organic chemistry.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-high-potential-cfsf.html