Phys.org news
Phys.org / Brazilian fossil site yields smallest rhynchosaur fossil ever recorded
A study published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology describes the smallest rhynchosaur fossil ever recorded from the Brazilian Triassic, with the reconstructed skull only measuring around 2.5 cm (~1 inch). Additionally, ...
Phys.org / Hidden atomic dichotomy drives superconductivity in ultra-thin compound
Physicists in China have unveiled new clues to the origins of high-temperature superconductivity in an iron-based material just a single unit-cell thick. Led by Qi-Kun Xue and Lili Wang at Tsinghua University, the team's ...
Phys.org / How an underground fungal map of the world's oldest, slowest-growing rainforest trees can boost Earth's resilience
The temperate rainforests of the Chilean Coast Range are home to a spectacular array of life: iridescent blue lizards, tiny wild cats called kodkods, and curly vines of waxy red bellflowers. Towering over this biodiversity ...
Phys.org / Wildlife imaging shows that AI models aren't as smart as we think
Using AI to identify wildlife reveals a potential "transferability crisis," researchers say. Marketing for AI imaging systems often suggests that models can easily tackle novel scenarios across ecosystems and settings, much ...
Phys.org / A fanged frog long thought to be one species is revealing itself to be several
When a new species is discovered, it's tempting to imagine an adventure novel, said Chan Kin Onn of Michigan State University. "Most people have this image of an intrepid explorer braving an isolated mountain or some other ...
Phys.org / Ancient plant-eater with a twisted jaw and sideways-facing teeth was a 'living fossil' in its own time
In a dry riverbed in Brazil, in a dense forest near the Amazon, a team of paleontologists found a fossilized jawbone from an ancient animal. Over the course of their fieldwork, they found eight similar bones, each around ...
Phys.org / Rewilding could fill gap left by Panama's lost giants
Many large herbivores that once roamed modern-day Panama have declined or died out—including the 6-meter-long giant ground sloth and elephant-related creatures called Cuvieronius. New research suggests that introducing ...
Phys.org / Tiny Purgatorius fossils in Denver Basin hint at early primate spread southward
New minuscule fossils of Purgatorius, the earliest-known relative of all primates—including humans—have been unearthed in a more southern region of North America than ever before, and the breakthrough is providing paleontologists ...
Phys.org / Newly excavated Maya wetland settlement shows the civilization's adaptation to changing climate
Past civilizations have been significantly affected by climate change, but how they adapted to new conditions centuries ago is less clear. In research newly published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, ...
Phys.org / Brain structure volume linked to increased social tolerance in macaques
Researchers have found that the size of the amygdala—a region of the brain involved in processing emotions—could be linked to social tolerance in macaque monkeys. Their research, published today in eLife, is described ...
Phys.org / Radiocarbon dating rewrites angiosperm trees' lifespan records worldwide
For decades, scientists have relied on tree rings to estimate how long trees can live. But new research suggests that this widely used method may have been underestimating the lifespan of many flowering trees—sometimes ...
Phys.org / Late scientist's notebooks help finish study of rare 55-million-year-old tarpon fossil
Recently-revealed notebooks belonging to a late paleontologist contain the missing information needed to help researchers finish their study of a remarkable fossil discovered nearly three decades ago.
