https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from University of Birmingham Scientists have discovered that a highly unusual giant planet—sometimes called "forbidden"—could have an atmosphere with fewer heavier elements than its host star. University of Birmingham astrophysicist Dr. Anjali Piette worked with an international research team to analyze James Webb Space Telescope data from the exoplanet TOI-5205 b. This is a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a star about four times the size of Jupiter and about 40% the mass of the sun. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-giant-forbidden-planet-orbiting-small.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:40:01 EDT news694352942 Air pollution alerts issued by authorities in China's cities significantly reduce harmful pollution and save lives, a new study reveals. Publishing their findings in PNAS Nexus, an international research group led by University of Birmingham scientists analyzed five years of data from 57 cities in northern China to assess the impact of alerts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-air-pollution-big-health-benefits.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:50:01 EDT news694170955 Many seriously injured patients in Global South countries are failing to reach medical care within the lifesaving "golden hour" and ambulances are often associated with these delays. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-global-south-patients-medical-hour.html Sun, 22 Mar 2026 20:00:01 EDT news693123694 Students who attend schools with smartphone bans report missing sleep to make up for "lost time" on their phones but benefit from more face-to-face socializing in the school day, as a new UK study reveals a mixed picture of how phones affect secondary school students' experiences. In the latest study from the SMART Schools project published in Social Sciences and Medicine, a team of academics from the University of Birmingham conducted in-depth research with seven schools to identify ways in which smartphone policies influence well-being among students. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-school-policies-silver-bullet-student.html Education Wed, 18 Mar 2026 20:00:01 EDT news693058681 Strong organizational and management capabilities are key to implementing and getting the most out of successful remote and hybrid working practices. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-remote-linked-issues.html Economics & Business Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:50:01 EDT news693057541 Beavers could engineer riverbeds into promising carbon dioxide sinks, according to a new international study led by researchers at the University of Birmingham. The paper, published in Communications Earth & Environment, has for the first time calculated the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted and sequestered due to engineering work done by beavers in suitable wetland areas. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-beavers-stream-corridors-persistent-carbon.html Earth Sciences Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:20:02 EDT news693042241 A new clinic-ready web-based risk prediction tool called PsyMetRiC is now available to forecast the risk of young people with psychosis developing cardiometabolic disorders such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-tool-physical-health-young-people.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:30:05 EDT news692452561 Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together but orbiting in an oval path rather than a perfect circle just before they merged. This discovery challenges long-standing assumptions about how these cosmic pairs form and evolve. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-oval-orbit-black-holeneutron-star.html Astronomy Wed, 11 Mar 2026 05:00:01 EDT news692375433 An antibody test for the infectious disease mpox was successfully developed during the new clade 1b outbreak in Rwanda, the first time that an assay of its kind has been validated within this setting. The test, an IgG ELISA assay, is described in a new paper published in Lancet Infectious Diseases. Developed by a team from the University of Birmingham in collaboration with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) and the University of Rwanda, the highly accurate test for mpox antibodies was successfully trialed within the National Reference Laboratory in Kigali, Rwanda. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-mpox-immune-validated-rwandan-outbreak.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 19:30:01 EDT news692293381 Scientists have analyzed more than 40 years of astronomical data to uncover evidence that the sun's internal structure subtly changes from one solar cycle minimum to the next. Publishing their findings in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers from the University of Birmingham and Yale University reveal that even small differences in solar magnetic activity produce detectable changes inside the sun. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-decades-unique-insight-sun-life.html Astronomy Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:00:03 EST news691669092 Scientists have designed nanoagents that act like smart drug-delivery capsules—carrying an antibiotic deep into bacterial infection sites and releasing it only when activated by gentle ultrasound. Delivering antibiotics locally, directly to the site of an infection, is important, because treating the whole body with high doses increases the chances of bacteria developing resistance. Nanoagents can carry drugs straight to the infected area providing localized therapy with minimal amount of drug, reducing the risks of antibiotic resistance. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ultrasound-nanoagents-superbugs-biofilms.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:00:05 EST news691680361 As members of the public increasingly turn to AI with health concerns, University of Birmingham researchers are leading a global program to build the first definitive guide for safely navigating health information on AI-powered chatbots. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-world-safety-ai-health-chatbots.html Health informatics Sat, 28 Feb 2026 16:00:03 EST news691071688 While air conditioning protects people from dangerous heat, it also significantly worsens global warming—by 2050, potentially producing more carbon dioxide than the current annual emissions of the United States, a new study reveals. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-relief-higher-emissions-air-conditioning.html Environment Wed, 25 Feb 2026 05:00:06 EST news691165710 Rice becomes weaker when compressed quickly, while staying stronger under slow pressure—a discovery enabling scientists to design a new material that could be used to build "soft" robots that change stiffness automatically and protective gear that adapts to impact speed. Researchers harnessed this effect to design a new "metamaterial"—an artificially engineered composite structure designed to behave in ways impossible for natural materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-02-rice-robots-smart-materials.html Robotics Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:20:04 EST news691168741 Premenopausal women would benefit from a significantly more accurate diagnostic pathway for ovarian cancer, as a new study finds that an advanced ultrasound test, IOTA ADNEX, identified 9 out of 10 cancers in women who took part. Published in the BMJ, a team led by Professor Sudha Sundar—who conducted the ROCkeTS (Refining Ovarian Cancer Test Accuracy Scores) study—recommends replacing the current NHS triage test, the Risk of Malignancy Index (RMI), because it has low sensitivity for detecting cancer. Researchers found that in younger women, who haven't been through the menopause, the RMI missed more than half of the cancers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-diagnostic-ovarian-cancer-premenopausal-women.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:13:48 EST news690131581 Alongside traditional estates, we now leave behind digital remains after we die, from social media accounts and emails to AI-generated recreations of ourselves. Our digital legacies are creating new and potentially troubling questions about autonomy and dignity after death. Dr. Edina Harbinja, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Birmingham, is spearheading a pioneering initiative to modernize European law to respond to novel questions about access, inheritance and privacy. The new model laws Dr. Harbinja is creating will be the first of their kind and will set the standard for how digital succession is regulated around the world. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-digital-afterlife-law-pace-society.html Social Sciences Mon, 09 Feb 2026 22:50:01 EST news689857551 People are more likely to act helpfully in situations where there are poorer choices to give to others, according to a new study that tested willingness to help others in different contexts. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-people-poor-environments-rich-reveals.html Social Sciences Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:00:03 EST news689862645 Cooking even very fatty food in an air fryer produces fewer airborne particles than other forms of frying, according to a new study from the University of Birmingham. The work is one of the first studies detailing the spectrum of pollutants emitted from air frying, which consumer surveys suggest is quickly becoming one of the most used appliances in UK homes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-air-fryers-emit-vocs-ultra.html Health Wed, 28 Jan 2026 04:34:22 EST news688797185 Organic matter carried in rivers to the Russian part of the Arctic Ocean may be creating more clouds and keeping the region cooler, a new study has found. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-arctic-cloud-ice-formation-affected.html Earth Sciences Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:54:57 EST news688316041 A landmark UK study involving tens of thousands of families has shown that childhood screening for type 1 diabetes is effective, laying the groundwork for a UK-wide childhood screening program. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-national-childhood-diabetes-screening-thousands.html Diabetes Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:47:41 EST news688222021 Autistic and non-autistic people express emotions differently through their facial movements, according to a new study, which may help to explain why emotional expressions are sometimes misinterpreted between the two groups. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-autistic-differ-anger-happiness-sadness.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:13:52 EST news688032747 University of Birmingham scientists have developed a new way of measuring and analyzing indoor air pollution that—in initial trials—has established a clear link between office occupancy, physical activity, and air quality. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-movement-indoor-air-pollution.html Environment Wed, 14 Jan 2026 05:00:01 EST news687459121 People experiencing delusions during an episode of psychosis may be "living out" a deeply held emotion, according to new research that provides a "radically different perspective" on one of the most puzzling elements of psychosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-psychosis-patients-metaphor-radically-shifts.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 12 Jan 2026 18:30:08 EST news687429421 More than half a million patients in the UK have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and research suggests that up to 30% experience mental ill health as a result. Now, a new study outlines how many of the 25,000 new patients diagnosed each year could receive more tailored mental health support thanks to a simple tool that identifies psychological distress and predicts disease severity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-simple-tool-mental-health-burden.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:07:37 EST news686992021 Patients experience significant changes in gut bacteria at the onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a new international study has found—offering new hope for earlier diagnosis and future treatments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-gut-bacteria-shift-early-inflammatory.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 23 Dec 2025 05:00:02 EST news685369922 Adults who experience a head injury face a substantially higher risk of attempting suicide compared to those without such injuries, according to the findings from a new UK-based study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-brain-injuries-linked-potential-suicide.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 22 Dec 2025 16:00:04 EST news685639641 A protein essential to the human body for managing energy and regulating appetite relies on a partner protein, according to new research, and the findings could help researchers better understand genetic obesity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-satiety-helper-protein-appetite.html Overweight & Obesity Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:00:01 EST news685099482 Children with a rare form of cancer called neuroblastoma which hasn't responded to initial treatment or that has relapsed may benefit from adding antibody treatment to usual chemotherapy, according to new results from a clinical trial. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-adding-antibody-treatment-chemo-boosts.html Oncology & Cancer Fri, 12 Dec 2025 16:00:01 EST news684750901 As the Christmas shopping period begins in earnest following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, new research led by the University of Birmingham and the University of Bristol sheds light on how consumers' environmental and social concerns fail to translate into ethical purchasing actions during online shopping. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-online-harder-ethical-consumption-choices.html Social Sciences Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:23:21 EST news684753781 Researchers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have detected the strongest evidence yet for an atmosphere on a rocky planet outside our solar system. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ultra-hot-super-earth-thick.html Astronomy Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:00:01 EST news684583021