Phys.org news

Phys.org / Coral reef fish recovery could boost sustainable seafood servings by up to 50 percent

With a human population of 8.3 billion people worldwide and millions facing malnutrition, food security is something to think about. But imagine if the ocean could help with that.

14 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Filamentous algae blooms alter river ecosystems without disrupting overall function

Algae is a ubiquitous feature in waterways throughout the globe, including western North America. Slippery, green epilithic algae is a familiar sight on river rocks. Toxic blue-green algae—cyanobacteria—is a visually ...

14 hours ago in Biology
Phys.org / Galactic globular cluster loses stars through tidal stripping, observations reveal

Using the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT), astronomers have observed a nearby galactic globular cluster known as NGC 6569. Results of the observational campaign, published December 22 on the arXiv preprint server, indicate ...

Jan 3, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / A better way to detect off-target genome changes from base editors

Scientists and physicians can better assess precision genome editing technology using a new method made public today by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Significant amounts of time and resources spent improving CRISPR ...

Jan 3, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Astronomers measure both mass and distance of a rogue planet for the first time

While most planets that we are familiar with stick relatively close to their host star in a predictable orbit, some planets seem to have been knocked out of their orbits, floating through space free of any particular gravitational ...

Jan 2, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Chess960's random setups still favor white, new study reveals

Chess is a relatively simple game to learn but a very difficult one to master. Because the starting positions of the pieces are fixed, top players have relied on memorizing the "best" opening moves, which can sometimes result ...

Jan 2, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Evidence of upright walking found in 7-million-year-old Sahelanthropus fossils

In recent decades, scientists have debated whether a seven-million-year-old fossil was bipedal—a trait that would make it the oldest human ancestor. A new analysis by a team of anthropologists offers powerful evidence that ...

Jan 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How juvenile lobsters fall into a deadly natural trap in the Florida Keys

In the shallow waters of the Florida Keys, juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters are unwittingly meeting their doom by stumbling into naturally occurring ecological traps, according to a new study published in the Proceedings ...

Jan 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Sudden breakups of monogamous quantum couples surprise researchers

Quantum particles have a social life, of a sort. They interact and form relationships with each other, and one of the most important features of a quantum particle is whether it is an introvert—a fermion—or an extrovert—a ...

Jan 2, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Origins of THC, CBD and CBC in cannabis revealed

Where do the well-known cannabis compounds THC, CBD and CBC come from? Researchers at Wageningen University & Research have experimentally demonstrated for the first time how cannabis acquired the ability to produce these ...

Jan 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Nanoparticle therapy reprograms tumor immune cells to attack cancer from within

Within tumors in the human body, there are immune cells (macrophages) capable of fighting cancer, but they have been unable to perform their roles properly due to suppression by the tumor. A KAIST research team led by Professor ...

Jan 2, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / First ancient herpesvirus genomes document their deep history with humans

For the first time, scientists have reconstructed the ancient genomes of human betaherpesvirus 6A and 6B (HHV-6A/B) from archaeological human remains more than two millennia old. The study, led by the University of Vienna ...

Jan 2, 2026 in Other Sciences