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Phys.org / Did NASA's Curiosity rover find signs of ancient life on Mars? An astrobiologist explains how we determine 'life'

NASA's Curiosity rover has identified seven new organic compounds on the planet Mars, according to new research published in Nature Communications.

Apr 23, 2026
Tech Xplore / Tiny, knotted robots jump, fly and plant seeds

When a knot lets go, it doesn't just fall apart. It snaps. That simple observation led Penn Engineers to rethink what a knot can do. Instead of treating it as something that holds tension, they asked a different question: ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Turning vibrations into value—a new catalyst converts CO₂ into useful CO

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a catalyst that uses vibrational energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO), an important industrial feedstock. The work, published in the Journal ...

Apr 22, 2026
Phys.org / A huge tectonic boundary shook the ground where dinosaurs once stood

Scientists have discovered a Jurassic tectonic plate boundary that could help to predict what the planet might look like millions of years into the future. Dr. Jordan Phethean, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the University ...

Apr 23, 2026
Tech Xplore / These penny-size ultrasonic tags ditch batteries and silently turn everyday objects into private smart home trackers

Most smart home devices require power one way or another. You have to plug them in, recharge them, or replace their batteries at some point. Georgia Tech researchers think they have a better way with small metal tags that ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Brazil unearths a bizarre beaked reptile with a trans-Atlantic prehistoric link

Paleontologists from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) have published a new study in the scientific journal Royal Society Open Science, in which they describe a new species based on a fossil skull approximately ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Crab shell by-products could help regulate the marine lifetime of biodegradable plastics

Biodegradable plastics hold potential for reducing marine plastic pollution, but degrade too quickly, limiting their practical use. Researchers from Gunma University now show that crab shell by-products can reduce the breakdown ...

Apr 26, 2026
Medical Xpress / Genetic study reveals likely cause of common heart valve defect

New clues from genetic research may help explain what causes the most common heart defect present at birth. Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Karolinska Institutet have identified rare DNA changes during ...

Apr 24, 2026
Medical Xpress / Dopamine deficiency found to drive memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease

Why do memories fade in Alzheimer's disease—and can they be restored? University of California, Irvine researchers have uncovered a key mechanism underlying memory loss, showing for the first time that dopamine dysfunction ...

Apr 23, 2026
Phys.org / Bonuses can lower self-set goals and reduce performance, experiment suggests

Financial bonuses are often used to motivate employees to meet targets and boost productivity. But do they actually work? New research from Tilburg University suggests these incentives can sometimes have the opposite effect. ...

Apr 25, 2026
Phys.org / North African-linked stone tools reached Iberia 700,000 years ago, evidence suggests

Members of the Atapuerca Research Team from the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), the University of Burgos, and the ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Water simulation of famous quantum effect reveals unexpected wave patterns

In the quirky quantum world, particles can be affected by forces that they never directly encounter. A classic example is the Aharonov–Bohm (AB) effect, where electrons are affected by a magnetic field, despite not passing ...

Apr 20, 2026