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How octopuses squeeze through too-small gaps

Octopuses are extraordinarily versatile. From walking across the seabed on their eight arms to jetting through the water, manipulating tools and squeezing through unimaginably tight spaces, the flexibility of octopuses almost defies belief. "Octopuses can change their body shape to squeeze through tiny holes, almost like water flowing through a gap, so their size doesn't always limit where they can go," says Wenci Xin from the National University of Singapore.

📅 2026-11-05 21:00:04 • Phys.org

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Born to be queen: A look inside fire ant hierarchy

A group of genes may give some fire ants an advantage, increasing their chances of growing larger and potentially becoming queens, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.

📅 2026-11-05 20:40:12 • Phys.org

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How private schools segregate students by class and strengthen social divisions

If you want to see how private schools in the U.K. can reinforce segregation between children of different social classes, the London Borough of Southwark provides a good example.

📅 2026-11-05 20:40:10 • Phys.org

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Avian influenza spread beyond a backyard coop on an Illinois farm, analysis finds

An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that nearly wiped out an Illinois farmer's backyard flock also spread to a domestic cat and wild rats on the farm, an analysis of the animals by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory found.

📅 2026-11-05 20:30:01 • Phys.org

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Newly identified protein mechanism helps explain how cells respond to physical forces

A newly published study is changing our understanding of how the protein talin functions at sites where cells attach to their surroundings. The findings uncover a previously unknown mechanism by which mechanical force regulates talin, a key protein controlling cell adhesion and mechanosensing. The paper is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

📅 2026-11-05 20:20:06 • Phys.org

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Clothes on the bed, nothing feels right: The psychology behind your seasonal wardrobe meltdown

The clocks have gone back, and suddenly getting dressed feels more difficult. The coat you wore constantly last winter is still hanging in the closet, but it no longer looks quite how you remember. The boots you loved in February don't seem to go with anything, while a sweater that once felt like you somehow doesn't anymore.

📅 2026-11-05 20:20:02 • Phys.org

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Hubble learns galactic history from stars

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image provides a lesson in galactic history. The sparkling collection of stars is named Messier 30 (M30) after the French astronomer Charles Messier, who cataloged M30 and other diffuse objects that might be mistaken for comets in the early telescopes of Messier's time. M30 lies about 27,500 light-years away in the constellation Capricornus.

📅 2026-11-05 20:00:09 • Phys.org

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New microscopy method reveals tiny cell structures and their molecular surroundings

How do cells respond to drugs? A new microscopy technique could provide more precise answers to this question in the future. Researchers from Bielefeld University and the University of Vienna have developed a method as part of the European CHEM-SCAN project that makes the smallest cellular structures visible while also showing how their molecular environment changes.

📅 2026-11-05 20:00:06 • Phys.org

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Linguist to record the magic songs of the Awajún people of Peru

There is magic in the traditional songs of the Awajún, an Indigenous people of northern Peruvian Amazonia. Otago linguist Dr. Simon Overall has been visiting this area for over 20 years and explains what gives these songs their powers.

📅 2026-11-05 19:40:08 • Phys.org