All News

Phys.org / Neanderthal ancestry may lower defenses against common DNA viruses in people today

Researchers have found surprising links that show that Neanderthal ancestry influences our immune system today in ways more nuanced than previously recognized. Their work is published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution.

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Red dwarf stars detected 'eating' Earth-like planets

Astronomers have found some of the strongest evidence yet that stars can swallow their own planets. A new study, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, supports the long-held belief that young stars ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / A giant warm wave is crossing the Pacific, signaling an El Niño that could alter weather worldwide this year

Waves of higher, warmer water move eastward across the Pacific Ocean a few months before an El Niño emerges. Several have shown up in 2026 satellite data.

May 27, 2026
Phys.org / Mineral clues in Gale Crater track ancient Mars climate change

While NASA imagery has shown evidence of ancient rivers and lakes on Mars that transitioned to dry dunes, uncertainty remains over the timing of the environmental changes that may have contributed to these shifts.

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Turtles finally have a place in the tree of life thanks to an X‑ray study of South African fossils

The origin of turtles has always been a bit of a puzzle for scientists who study the evolution of animals. To this day, where they fit in the tree of life remains a highly debated topic.

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum teleportation carries microwave states at temperatures up to 4 K, beating classical limit

A growing number of quantum engineers worldwide have been trying to realize large-scale quantum networks, which consist of several connected quantum computers or devices that share information with each other. The successful ...

May 27, 2026
Phys.org / New ammonia-making method could upend one of industry's dirtiest processes

As our world's population grows, so does the demand for ammonia—a key ingredient in fertilizer. The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that ammonia production must quadruple by 2050 to feed the increase in global ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Memory-preserving transistors could bypass the Boltzmann limit

Researchers have created a new theoretical framework that shows how memory-preserving "memtransistors" could overcome the intrinsic limits in efficiency faced by conventional semiconductor transistors, imposed by the laws ...

May 27, 2026
Phys.org / How bacteria survive with almost no oxygen— and why blocking one enzyme could aid new antibiotics

Researchers in Leiden have, for the first time, observed how a specialized enzyme helps bacteria stay alive when oxygen levels are low, and how that process can be blocked. The study, published in Science Advances, opens ...

May 28, 2026
Science X / The mental cost of skipping meals may run higher than most people realize

Skipping a few meals here and there, or eating whenever one can make time in their schedule, might seem like a benign act. Research, however, shows that these habits are far from being harmless. A recent large-scale study ...

May 27, 2026
Medical Xpress / Lab-grown brain-spinal cord model shows 'irreversible' nerve damage may be reversed

Cambridge scientists have grown miniature circuits in the lab that mimic how the brain and spinal cord connect, which underlies human movement. They used this model to show how damage to these connections previously considered ...

May 28, 2026
Phys.org / Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere may owe its existence to cold subduction

Earth was mostly devoid of oxygen for much of its 4.5 billion year lifetime. That is, until certain processes started to allow for the eventual buildup of oxygen up to the levels we have now (around 21% of the atmosphere). ...

May 27, 2026