Phys.org news
Phys.org / A history of containers, an ancient technology hundreds of thousands of years in the making
We hardly give them a second thought, but everyday objects like bags and backpacks belong to a long technological tradition that may stretch back hundreds of thousands of years.
Phys.org / Small seabirds rely on crosswinds to navigate the open ocean
Storm petrels are among the smallest and most mysterious seabirds. Until recently, the use of biologgers to track their movements was impossible. A new study published in Biology Letters reveals that they routinely travel ...
Phys.org / How water fleas detect their predators
Daphnia, also known as water fleas, are artists of defense. When their predators live nearby, the water fleas change their body structure to make themselves more difficult to eat. Professor Linda Weiss from Ruhr University ...
Phys.org / Dual spacecraft capture both hemispheres of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS at once
The Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) instruments aboard ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft and NASA's Europa Clipper made unique observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS ...
Phys.org / Neanderthal dentists used stone drills to treat cavities nearly 60,000 years ago, ancient molar suggests
Neanderthals had the know-how to identify a tooth infection and the motor skills to drill out the damage, according to a study published May 13, 2026, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Alisa Zubova of Peter the Great ...
Phys.org / Recreating dying stars reveals hydrogen's key role in cosmic dust formation
Silicon carbide (SiC) dust is one of the most important ingredients in cosmic dust, the tiny particles floating throughout the cosmos that eventually give rise to new planets and stars. This compound of silicon and carbon ...
Phys.org / Slower winds help grasslands enhance carbon gain while saving water, study finds
Grasslands, covering 40% of Earth's vegetated surface, play a crucial role in the global carbon balance but are increasingly threatened by climate-driven water scarcity. A new study published in Science Advances finds, however, ...
Phys.org / Prehistoric Danish people continued to eat fish and hunt even after the rise of agriculture, study indicates
Agriculture reached the coast of southern Denmark around 4000 BCE, but these prehistoric Scandinavians continued to fish and hunt too, according to a study published in PLOS One by Daniel Groß from the Museum Lolland-Falster, ...
Phys.org / More selective breeding might help flat-faced dogs to breathe easier
Breeding programs could alter heritable dog characteristics to reduce the rates of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), a breathing disorder common in dogs such as Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and Pugs—according ...
Phys.org / AI tool boosts imperfect antibiotic candidates, with 85% working in lab tests
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed ApexGO, a novel, AI-powered method for turning promising but imperfect antibiotic candidates into more potent ones. Unlike many existing AI approaches to antibiotic ...
Phys.org / Geologists in films are the good guys... but they often die
It all began with a perfectly ordinary chat over coffee between four researchers. How many films featuring geologists can we think of? Quite quickly, the colleagues were able to come up with about 10 films. But then the scientific ...
Phys.org / Mostly empty foam overturns assumptions of electron beam stopping
When physicists fire beams of fast electrons at materials, they often need to know exactly how much energy those electrons will lose as they travel through. Through new research published in Physical Review Letters, a team ...
