Phys.org news
Phys.org / Stone tools suggest Neanderthals once inhabited Arabian deserts
Neanderthals are largely associated with colder climates across Eurasia. But researchers know that both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals moved through nearby Southwest Asia between about 100,000 and 50,000 years ago, and Arabia ...
Phys.org / Scarce emergence of new species drove the decline of African megaherbivores, study suggests
A study by the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), the National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH) and the University of Alcalá offers a new explanation for the decline of African megaherbivores. These ...
Phys.org / A little Big Bang: Bowling-pin-shaped nuclei shed new light on the universe's first moments
What happened in the first moments of the universe—before the building blocks of life and the world we know today came into existence? Physicists at the CERN research facility in Switzerland are trying to answer this question ...
Phys.org / Thinner lenses, brighter colors: Metalens research clears two hurdles for AR and VR glasses
AR and VR glasses once seen only in science fiction may soon be realized not as bulky stacks of lenses but as a single eyeglass-like optical element. That future is now closer to reality.
Phys.org / Neanderthal hips challenge long-standing hypothesis of a trade-off between childbirth and bipedal walking
The most prominent difference between human male and female skeletons is the pelvis, which anthropologists often use to determine the sex of ancient remains. Scientists have long believed the human pelvis evolved mainly as ...
Phys.org / Rising carbon dioxide is supercharging grass growth in African savannas, study finds
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide is boosting grass growth in Africa's water-limited savannas, according to a new study led by the University of Sheffield.
Phys.org / Dark energy and quantum gravity may be deeply intertwined
For close to a century, physicists have pursued a way to unite gravity with quantum mechanics. Known as quantum gravity, this goal has remained frustratingly out of reach so far. Similarly elusive is the force of dark energy, ...
Phys.org / New measurements explain how silicon and diamond achieve extreme reversible stretching
A research team led by Yang Lu from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has uncovered the microscopic physical nature of ultralarge elasticity in covalent ...
Phys.org / Rising ocean temperatures reduce the natural carbon storage capacity of seagrass meadows
A new study published in Communications Earth & Environment, with contributions from researchers at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), shows that higher seawater temperatures could significantly reduce ...
Phys.org / Hypersonic impact rapidly transforms diamond into graphite, revealing energy-absorbing mechanism
Rice University researchers have developed a way to stabilize diamond during high-temperature and low-pressure processing, creating a strong bulk composite and discovering that high-speed collisions can rapidly transform ...
Phys.org / Alternative mRNA modification lets ribosomes move nearly twice as fast
In a new study, scientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine report that an experimental mRNA-based platform has the potential to help deliver next-generation mRNA therapeutics, including vaccines to fight infectious diseases, ...
Phys.org / North Sea wind farm expansion may shift rain offshore, simulations suggest
Offshore wind farms are a key pillar of the energy transition. The European Union plans to expand offshore wind capacity in the North Sea by 2050. A new study by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon indicates that a very extensive ...