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Phys.org / Native Americans were making dice, gambling, exploring probability millennia before their Old World counterparts

A new study in American Antiquity presents evidence that the earliest known dice in human history were made and used by Native American hunter-gatherers on the western Great Plains more than 12,000 years ago at the end of ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / Protostars 'sneeze' and produce rings of gas and magnetic flux as they grow

Researchers have uncovered new insights into the early development of baby stars. As published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, a research team from Kyushu University and Kagawa University reports that during the early ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / Superconductivity switched on in material once thought only magnetic

Superconductivity—the ability of a material to conduct electricity without any energy loss to heat—enables highly efficient, ultra-fast electronics essential for advanced technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / NASA's Artemis II mission launches on first crewed lunar flyby in 50 years

Four astronauts blasted off aboard a massive NASA rocket Wednesday on a long-anticipated journey around the moon, the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / Virus-inspired DNA needle could pave the way for better medicines

Researchers at Aarhus University have developed a microscopic DNA needle that can deliver molecules directly into cells—and, crucially, help make sure they remain active once they get there. That addresses a major problem ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Microscopic coils and coffee trees lead to new fungal discovery

Yunnan Province in southwestern China is a global biodiversity hotspot, accommodating an incredible variety of plants and animals. It is also the heart of China's coffee industry, with Yunnan accounting for almost all of ...

Apr 2, 2026
Medical Xpress / Cannabis and tobacco use linked to smaller brain volume

Cannabis and tobacco—whether used on their own or together—can affect the brain's structure. A recent study involving systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 103 studies found that both substances are linked to reduced ...

Mar 31, 2026
Phys.org / Map shows scale of ecosystem disturbance across Australia

University of Queensland researchers are urging governments to use newly created national data to protect the country's last remaining ecosystems free of human pressures. The two new datasets map the extent of ecosystem disturbance ...

Apr 2, 2026
Phys.org / A 500-million-year-old clawed predator rewrites the origin of spiders and horseshoe crabs

It had been a long day of teaching for Rudy Lerosey-Aubril. As a reward, he returned to cleaning an intriguing Cambrian arthropod fossil he had recently received for review. At first, the specimen showed all the expected ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / How gossiping mushroom networks share your public urination secrets

Psst, have you heard that mushrooms can "gossip" and spread information to their neighbors? Underneath the umbrella-like shapes we see on the forest floor is a hidden underground network that allows mushrooms to communicate. ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Why subduction zones act as the Earth's 'gold kitchens'

Earth's "gold kitchen" lies deep beneath the seafloor. Island arcs, whose volcanoes form above subduction zones where one oceanic plate sinks beneath another, are often particularly rich in gold. The reasons for this have ...

Apr 1, 2026
Phys.org / Gaia analysis finds Messier 35 is larger and older than earlier estimates

Astronomers from Egypt and Turkey have conducted a comprehensive analysis of kinematic, structural, and astrophysical parameters of a nearby open cluster known as NGC 2168. Results of the new study, published March 23 on ...

Mar 31, 2026