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Phys.org / Ancient hobbit-like humans may have survived on meat left behind by Komodo dragons

Arguably one of the most curious ancient human relatives is Homo floresiensis, a 3-foot-tall species that lived on the Indonesian island of Flores and has been nicknamed "hobbit" for its diminutive stature. Even though they ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / A new soccer concussion protocol could make one of the game's hardest calls much faster

The World Cup has the globe glued to TV screens, watching 22 soccer players work their magic on the field. Every so often, one of them takes a hard hit to the head from the ball or another player's head, and they often continue ...

Jul 7, 2026
Phys.org / Creating synthetic life in a lab? SpudCell falls short of the goal, but raises even more useful questions

Nature is beautiful, powerful and essential. But nature is not always gentle. The same biological world that gives rise to forests, coral reefs and human life also produces infections, cancer, genetic disease, crop blights ...

Jul 12, 2026
Phys.org / NASA's New Horizons spacecraft wakes from its longest hibernation in good health

Following its longest hibernation period ever of nearly a year, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has emerged in good health and is ready to begin transmitting science data gathered in the distant Kuiper Belt far beyond Pluto.

Jul 7, 2026
Medical Xpress / HIV vaccine triggers broadly neutralizing antibodies in 44% of primates

A new HIV vaccine developed by La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), Scripps Research scientists and IAVI has the potential to protect humans from developing HIV infection and AIDS. This HIV vaccine is the first to generate ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / New catalyst could make mixed plastic waste recyclable in one chemical step

Ever wondered where your plastics end up? A PET bottle can be washed, shredded, melted and given a second life. But most everyday items—toys, mattresses, car seats—are made from different plastics that refuse to mix when ...

Jul 9, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient fossil may reveal animal kingdom's earliest right-handedness at 550 million years old

Scientists have uncovered what may be the earliest evidence of "right-handedness" in the animal kingdom, dating back more than half a billion years. The discovery comes from the fossil record of Spriggina floundersi, an organism ...

Jul 9, 2026
Phys.org / First synthetic protein motor moves along DNA in controlled, programmable steps

Researchers from UNSW Sydney have built the first artificial protein motor capable of taking controlled, directional steps along a DNA track. The protein, dubbed Tumbleweed, moves by alternating between three "feet" that ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Chemists capture structure of the elusive borylnitrene trapped in a crystal using X-ray

Nitrenes are the ghosts of synthetic chemistry, formed in an instant and gone just as quickly, rearranging into something entirely different. These highly reactive intermediates are widely used in synthesis, yet remain notoriously ...

Jul 6, 2026
Medical Xpress / Video games might modestly sharpen your memory and other cognitive skills, review suggests

Because video games are a regular part of many people's everyday lives, researchers have spent a lot of time trying to determine whether they are beneficial or detrimental to brain health. A new study, published in Acta Psychologica, ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Traces of Earth's primordial magma ocean discovered in lava from a modern volcanic eruption

In May 2018, the island of Mayotte, between Madagascar and Mozambique, began to experience a series of earthquakes that led to the discovery of an underwater volcano, now called Fani Maoré. Multiple scientific expeditions ...

Jul 6, 2026
Phys.org / Rare color shifting discovered in iconic Australian frog

University of Newcastle researchers have documented one of the clearest examples of iridescence ever recorded in an amphibian, revealing that the endangered green and golden bell frog (Ranoidea aurea) possesses intricate ...

Jul 7, 2026