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Phys.org / Australia has pledged to restore nature. But could we ever bring back lost ecosystems?

Nature is not doing well in Australia. Many unique mammals, birds and insects are struggling. Entire ecosystems are collapsing.

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Oldest known giant rock scallop bead suggests California coastal trade began millennia earlier

Archaeologists have discovered two giant rock scallop beads that push back the clock on the first appearance of these high-status ornaments. The discovery shows that these prized marine beads were traded hundreds of miles ...

Aug 9, 2026
Phys.org / Astronomers catch massive star's death from the first explosive moment

In March 2026, the Einstein Probe detected a brief flash of soft X-rays emitted from a galaxy about 500 million light-years away. The flash, dubbed EP260321a, immediately triggered a worldwide observing campaign. Within an ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / XENONnT detector narrows the hunt for dark matter

Using a detector filled with nearly 9 metric tons of liquid xenon, researchers have delivered some of the most sensitive dark matter results ever recorded. In the latest analysis from the XENON collaboration, working at the ...

Aug 7, 2026
Phys.org / Galactic spins carry fingerprints of the primordial universe

The origin of spin in spiral and elliptical galaxies has posed a long-standing puzzle for astronomers. One idea, known as tidal torque theory, proposes that galaxies' spins are an imprinted record of the early universe, imparted ...

Aug 7, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny vortices discovered on the sun's surface

Researchers from the U.S. National Science Foundation National Solar Observatory (NSF NSO), the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, and the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) in the U.S. have made ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / Using the Earth's magnetic field to hunt for axions and dark photons

Dark matter's existence is all but certain—astronomers believe it makes up about a quarter of the universe's total energy content—yet its true identity has eluded us for decades. Two of the leading candidates for dark matter ...

Aug 5, 2026
Phys.org / 'Flying focus' laser overcomes key limitation in plasma-based particle accelerators

In a new Nature Physics study, researchers accelerated electrons to more than twice the energy predicted by the traditional dephasing limit for laser-plasma accelerators operating over the same distance. This was made possible ...

Aug 8, 2026
Phys.org / Crossing into a mirror world: Particles turn to wisps of fog, and the magnetic monopole paradox dissolves

In Goethe's ballad "Erlkönig," immortalized in Schubert's fevered 1815 setting, a dying boy riding through the night sees a spectral king beckoning from the darkness. His father calms him: "Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif"—my ...

Aug 7, 2026
Phys.org / Sticky alpine flower confirms Darwin's 150-year-old carnivorous plant prediction

A flowering plant has been confirmed as a new carnivorous lineage, according to research published in Nature Communications. The findings show that Saxifraga candelabrum can attract, trap, digest and absorb nitrogen from ...

Aug 4, 2026
Phys.org / Pulsed radiofrequency magnetic fields may disorient migratory birds, experiments suggest

Every year, millions of migratory birds travel between different geographical regions on Earth to find food, escape cold weather or reach safe environments to raise chicks. To determine which direction to fly, these birds ...

Aug 8, 2026
Phys.org / Swarms of tiny robots remove microplastics from soil and water

Microplastics, which are plastic particles under 5 millimeters, are a major and growing threat in both soil and water. They damage soil fertility, disrupt nutrient cycling, harm aquatic and terrestrial life, and can move ...

Aug 8, 2026