Phys.org news

Phys.org / New tectonic plate boundary could be forming in Zambia, scientists say

Isotope analysis of gas from geothermal springs in Zambia could show that a new continental rift is forming, scientists say. Unexpectedly high helium isotope ratios indicate that a weakness in Earth's crust has broken through ...

1 hour ago
Phys.org / Scurvy's skeletal fingerprint found in California's Late Holocene archaeological sites

A recent study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology documented skeletal changes linked to scurvy in Late Holocene archaeological sites in California (500 BCE–1834 CE). The change observed shows the cascading ...

3 hours ago
Phys.org / JWST spots two early black holes growing far faster than their galaxies

Astronomers have discovered two early-universe galaxies where the central black holes appear to have grown far faster than their host galaxies. Observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveal that the black ...

10 hours ago
Phys.org / Why ocean warming experiments may be making misleading predictions

Accurate experiments on how ocean warming affects marine life are vital to ensure we can best prepare for the future, protect our food sources, and help safeguard ocean ecosystems. But some of these experiments may miss how ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Buried in Sudan's desert, 280 vast stone circles reveal a vanished cattle-herding culture

Recent satellite remote sensing surveys have identified 280 stone structures spread across the Atbai desert in Sudan. Twenty of these structures were previously identified by fieldwork or informal surveys, but were not systematically ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / Resilient quantum sensor monitors Earth's magnetic field from space for 10 months

From navigation to solar weather forecasting, many different areas of research require space-based sensors to measure Earth's magnetic field as accurately as possible at any given moment. So far, however, existing sensors ...

11 hours ago
Phys.org / New alien-life test could help Mars and Europa missions read organic molecules

For decades, the search for life beyond Earth has revolved around a key question: What molecules should scientists be looking for on other planets or moons? A new study, published in Nature Astronomy, suggests that the more ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / More Star Wars-like worlds emerge as 27 planet candidates with two suns discovered

There's so little we know about circumbinary planets—planets that orbit two stars instead of one—that they can feel like the stuff of fantasy. And for good reason: to date, we've only confirmed the existence of 18 circumbinary ...

14 hours ago
Phys.org / When uncertainty spikes, chasing rewards backfires and a more informed strategy pulls ahead

Humans and other animals are constantly required to make decisions under uncertain conditions or while in rapidly changing environments. Past psychology and biology studies showed that some decision-making strategies can ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Why prescribed fire often fails: Scorched invasive shrubs can resprout instead of die

Invasive woody plants present a major ecological challenge in eastern U.S. forests by outcompeting native species and spreading quickly, forming dense thickets that crowd out native plants and disrupt ecosystems. Land managers ...

4 hours ago
Phys.org / New AI tool predicts how cells choose their future—helping uncover hidden drivers of development

What are the first steps that chart the path for a cell to become a blood cell, neuron cell, or pigment cell? Scientists have developed increasingly powerful tools to track those changes, but one challenge has persisted: ...

8 hours ago
Phys.org / Hubble survey sets up Roman's future look near Milky Way's center

The Milky Way's galactic bulge, the bulbous region that surrounds the galactic center, contains a dense collection of stars, planets, and other free-floating objects. This region has been studied for decades with numerous ...

9 hours ago