Phys.org news
Phys.org / Nature might have a universal rhythm
Animal communication can look wildly different—flashing lights, chirping calls, croaking songs and elaborate dances. But new research from Northwestern University suggests many of these signals share a surprising feature: ...
Phys.org / Blended satellite data reveal what drove methane's 2019–2024 rise worldwide
Because methane has around 80 times the warming potential of CO2 over a 20-year period, it has been a major focus for climate action groups. The Global Methane Pledge, launched at COP26 in November 2021, aims to cut human-caused ...
Phys.org / Museum drawer fossil reveals 200-million-year-old crocodile relative with a powerful bite
The fossil record has given us another new prehistoric species, named Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa (from the Greek personification of the morning star—the planet Venus), a member of the group called Crocodylomorpha, which includes ...
Phys.org / JWST spots methane on a giant exoplanet, but its star may be distorting the signal
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and elsewhere have observed a giant exoplanet known as HATS-75 b. Results of the new observations, published April 8 on the arXiv ...
Phys.org / Sperm whale clicks follow similar rules to human speech
Sperm whales produce powerful clicks to communicate. To our ears, they sound nothing more than a series of repetitive, mechanical taps. But we could be a step closer to understanding some of their complex communication, as ...
Phys.org / First physical evidence of Peruvian Hairless Dogs at Wari site uncovered in Peru
A study published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology combined zooarchaeology with multi-isotopic analysis to reveal the diverse life histories of ancient dogs in the Wari Empire (ca. 600–1050 CE). Not only has ...
Phys.org / Wasps move in on ant-plant partnership, disrupting a 10‑million‑year mutualism
An international team of scientists from Queen Mary University of London, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and other institutions has uncovered surprising new behavior in ...
Phys.org / Scientists solve 100-year-old mystery behind rubber that powers modern life
Every time you drive, board a plane or water your lawn, you're relying on a material that has quietly powered modern life for nearly a century—reinforced rubber. It's in car and aircraft tires, industrial seals, medical devices ...
Phys.org / Quantum-inspired algorithm solves 268 million-site quasicrystal simulation in a heartbeat
Quantum technologies like quantum computers are built from quantum materials. These types of materials exhibit quantum properties when exposed to the right conditions. Curiously, engineers can also trigger quantum behavior ...
Phys.org / Next-generation CT scanner reveal new details inside 2,300-year-old Egyptian mummy remains
Egyptian mummy remains were examined at Semmelweis University's Medical Imaging Center (OKK). The archaeological finds arriving from the Semmelweis Museum of Medical History, Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Center ...
Phys.org / How farming changed us: Ancient DNA reveals natural selection sped up in recent human evolution
A massive study of ancient DNA from nearly 16,000 people across more than 10,000 years in West Eurasia reveals that natural selection has shaped modern human genomes far more than previously thought.
Phys.org / 4,000-year-old clay tablets inscribed with magical spells… and beer tabs
For over 100 years, the National Museum has housed a large collection of inscribed tablets from the earliest civilizations of the Middle East—many over 4,000 years old and written in languages that are now extinct. The tablets ...