Phys.org news
Phys.org / 'Bathtub ring' hints at ancient Martian ocean
Caltech researchers have identified geological features on Mars that could point to the existence of a long-dried ocean that once covered a third of the Red Planet's surface. The research was conducted by former Caltech postdoctoral ...
Phys.org / Cut off from making fat, parasitic wasps lose pheromones, fail to form eggs and cannot reproduce
The Easter holidays are over and many people have once again experienced firsthand how easily sweets can be converted into fat. Parasitic wasps are also capable of converting sugar into fat—a capability that long was thought ...
Phys.org / One battered skull exposes a lost killer from dinosaur dawn and a vanished bloodline
"You want to stick your finger in a dinosaur brain?" asked Simba Srivastava. Surrounded by cabinets full of ancient bones in the paleobiology lab, the Virginia Tech undergraduate student held out a lumpy, pockmarked fossil.
Phys.org / 'Safe' fertilizer linked to extreme water quality loss in Canadian Prairies
Research published in Nature Water found that widespread application of the common farm fertilizer, urea, severely degrades water quality in the Canadian Prairies. Researchers at the University of Manitoba and the University ...
Phys.org / Bolivian mummy rewrites scarlet fever's past, suggesting killer bacterium circulated centuries before colonization
Researchers have identified the genetic material of scarlet fever while examining a tooth from a naturally mummified skull housed at MUNARQ, the National Museum of Archaeology in La Paz. Using a method that reassembled previously ...
Phys.org / Jelly-like plankton fuel bigger, faster-growing reef fish across the Indo-Pacific
New research led by James Cook University shows huge differences in fish biomass and fish productivity between Caribbean and Indo-Pacific coral reefs, driven by the consumption of jelly-like gelatinous plankton. For their ...
Phys.org / Multitasking quantum sensors can measure several properties at once
A special class of sensors leverages quantum properties to measure tiny signals at levels that would be impossible using classical sensors alone. Such quantum sensors are currently being used to study the inner workings of ...
Phys.org / Quantum simulations reveal spin transport in 1D materials
Researchers from the Department of Energy's Quantum Science Center (QSC) headquartered at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have achieved a significant milestone by demonstrating the first digital quantum simulations of ...
Phys.org / Drought takes a heavy toll on bumblebees
Drought significantly reduces the reproductive success of bumblebee colonies, according to a new study conducted by a research team at the University of Würzburg and published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological ...
Phys.org / Back-to-basics approach can match or outperform AI in language analysis
A new study led by Dr. Andrea Nini at The University of Manchester has found that a grammar-based approach to language analysis can match or outperform advanced AI systems in identifying who wrote a text. The method, called ...
Phys.org / Pill bugs don't just use the minerals they eat—they rebuild them inside their bodies
Placing small stones in a bug cage is beneficial when raising pill bugs, a type of woodlouse. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have discovered that pill bugs do not directly incorporate ingested calcium carbonate ...
Phys.org / Subaru telescope captures comet 3I/ATLAS composition change
The Subaru Telescope observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on January 7, 2026, after it made its closest approach to the sun. By observing colors in the coma around the comet, astronomers could estimate the ratio of carbon ...
