Phys.org news

Phys.org / An iconic spear-throwing device likely wasn't used by prehistoric hunters until around 10,000 years ago

Archaeologists have long pictured prehistoric hunters taking down mammoths and other megafauna using the atlatl, a handheld spear-throwing device that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity and force when throwing darts. ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / One of the most distant 'leaky' galaxies ever found may reveal how the universe reionized

Astronomers have identified one of the most distant candidate galaxies known to leak ionizing radiation—the same kind of radiation thought to have transformed the early universe during the epoch of reionization.

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Open cluster NGC 6134 in Norma is 1.38 billion years old and hosts a core, tidal tail and diffuse halo

Indonesian astronomers have conducted a comprehensive study of an open cluster in the constellation Norma, known as NGC 6134. Results of the new study, available in a research paper published June 23 on the preprint server ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Nearby 'Super Earth' may be a better candidate for life than previously thought

Using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory, astronomers have taken a closer look at a nearby exoplanet and discovered it may be more Earth-like than previously thought. The planet, known as GJ 3378b, orbits ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Abundant catalyst converts methane into valuable liquid chemicals

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and their collaborators have demonstrated a promising new approach for converting methane—the primary component of natural gas—into liquid ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists teach human cells to compute like tiny computers

Researchers have developed a way to program human cells to perform calculations and make autonomous decisions, similar to how computer chips work.

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Astronomers find an enigmatic source that is most likely a Little Red Dot in formation

Astronomers have, for the first time, found a source in the process of becoming a Little Red Dot, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Little Red Dots are likely early galaxies and some of the most intriguing objects ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Houston power plant emerges as dominant source of cloud-forming aerosols

Research by atmospheric scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and colleagues pinpointed an individual coal-fired power plant in Houston as the main source of particles most likely to encourage the ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny ancient fish fossil with preserved brain offers clues to early fish evolution

Over 300 million years ago, a minnow-sized fish died and fell to the bottom of a prehistoric swamp near the village of Trawden, Lancashire, in northwest England. The remains of this tiny fish—known as Trawdenia planti—became ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Super-deep diamond discovery may rewrite Earth's role in preserving the building blocks of life

Two diamonds formed 700 kilometers below the Earth's surface reveal a life-giving synchronicity between shifting continents and the cycling of phosphorus, a vital building block of DNA and cell membranes.

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Cosmic eruption caught in the act by submillimeter array's new fastest response system

On Jan. 26, 2026, the Submillimeter Array (SMA) on Maunakea crossed an important threshold for time-domain astronomy. For the first time, scientists from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) demonstrated ...

Jun 30, 2026
Phys.org / Newly discovered corn trait may help improve crop drought tolerance

Researchers report some corn plants are genetically predisposed to develop longer, less constricted water-conducting tissues and deeper roots, which helps them deal with drought. That's the conclusion of a team led by Penn ...

Jun 30, 2026