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. ...
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.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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.
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 ...
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 ...
