Phys.org news

Phys.org / Lake Chad supports 2.48 million waterbirds, emerging as one of Africa's top wetland refuges

A study titled "Monitoring major biodiversity stronghold in war zones: model predicts Lake Chad remains Africa's most important wetland for waterbirds" estimates that Lake Chad supports nearly 2.5 million waterbirds, making ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Webb reveals merger scars in galaxies that stopped forming stars 9 billion years ago

Research has shed new light on why some distant galaxies suddenly stop forming stars. An international team led by astronomers at the University of Nottingham has used the James Webb Space Telescope to study a large sample ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Sun-powered sponges may generate 11% of tropical coral reef productivity

In marine environments, sponges tend to eat other organisms to get their nutrients. But a study published in Functional Ecology by researchers at the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Orbit overload could devastate astronomy if 1.7 million proposed satellites brighten night sky

A new European Southern Observatory (ESO) study has found that current proposals to launch more than 1.7 million satellites into orbit, including extremely bright ones, would have "devastating consequences for astronomy." ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Cutting emissions more, removing carbon less could save 33,000 U.S. lives yearly

Published in Nature Climate Change, new research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison finds that reaching net-zero emissions by midcentury would substantially improve public health in the United States. However, climate ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Martian dust storms may generate atmospheric electrical conditions that could impact future missions

A new study by a doctoral researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, suggests global dust storms on Mars may organize the Martian atmosphere into regions favorable ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Superworms could be the future of skeleton cleaning

Superworms, a mealworm-like form of beetle larva commonly used as pet food, are efficient cleaners of skeletons, according to a study published in PLOS One by Fatemeh Rastekar of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, and ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Tree size, not age, may speed habitat recovery for endangered Indiana bats

Bugs run rampant in the summer, and if you have ever suffered a mosquito bite and regretted not putting on bug spray, you should know about nature's insect repellent: the Indiana bat. Federally endangered since 1967, the ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / From fields to space farming, new tool detects crop drought stress before it's visible

When it comes to drought stress, timing can be the difference between saving a crop and losing it, whether in a greenhouse or in the high-stakes environment of future space missions. In a recent study published in Plant Phenomics, ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Evolutionary origins of 'junk DNA' may provide new clues to cancer

In cancer research, one person's junk is increasingly becoming another person's treasure. Scientists have uncovered new evidence showing how recently evolved "junk DNA" genetic elements can become integrated into ancient ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Beyond 3-D: Data scientists introduce novel AI tool to interpret complex biological data

As humans, our eyes take in two-dimensional images that our brains convert to three-dimensional experiences. This ability enables us to be aware of our position in space, judge distances, possess depth perception, and visually ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / How giant earthquakes can form at fault planes where theory says they should not

A research group led by Satoshi Ide from the University of Tokyo has demonstrated that classic earthquake generation theory does not hold in areas where the angle at which a tectonic plate dips under another is sufficiently ...

Jul 1, 2026