Phys.org news
Phys.org / AI reveals novel nighttime feeding behaviors in right whales
Right whales forage near the water's surface at night, putting them at greater risk of potentially fatal collisions with boats, Jay Kirkham at Dalhousie University, Canada, and colleagues report Sept. 16, 2026, in the journal ...
Phys.org / Light lets microswimmers switch between bacteria-like and algae-like propulsion
Physicists at Leipzig University and Charles University in Prague have developed a method for changing the swimming style of tiny artificial microswimmers in real time. They can make a single microscopic particle switch at ...
Phys.org / Sliding droplets point to charging mechanism beyond mobile ions
Whether on a windowpane at home or during the industrial cleaning of computer chips: droplets sliding over solid surfaces become electrically charged. Yet the physical mechanism behind this charging remains a subject of debate. ...
Phys.org / Conserving just 35% of the nation's waterways could sustain freshwater biodiversity
By evaluating the health of waterways across the U.S., researchers have identified a network encompassing about one-third of rivers and streams that, if conserved and restored, could sustain the nation's freshwater biodiversity ...
Phys.org / 3D scans reveal how lichen fungi grip algae across cell walls
Lichens colonize trees and rocks all over the world. They are symbiotic communities between fungi and photosynthetically active green algae or cyanobacteria, in which both partners benefit from each other: The fungal partner ...
Phys.org / Heat-related lost labor emerges as a major cost of carbon emissions
As the climate warms, people are more exposed to heat stress, which depresses productivity and the global economy. A study from the University of California, Davis, quantifies the cost of heat stress on global labor.
Phys.org / Beach-burrowing beasties may shovel more sand than any other animal on Earth
At just an inch (2.5 centimeters) long, the sand hoppers skipping across California's Isla Vista Beach at dawn don't exactly look like a force of nature. But a new study reveals that these shrimp-like creatures might be doing ...
Phys.org / Speeding glaciers drive half a century of polar ice loss
The longest satellite record ever assembled shows that Greenland and Antarctica have lost 11.3 trillion metric tons of ice since the 1970s, raising global sea level by more than 3 centimeters (1.2 inches)—and that most of ...
Phys.org / Most Americans reject political violence, but support can vary sharply by party
Republicans and conservatives are more likely than Democrats or liberals to justify political violence in 17 surveyed situations, according to a study published in PLOS One by Garen J. Wintemute of the University of California, ...
Phys.org / Pufferfish taste receptor more versatile than a human's, detecting both savory L- and sweet D-amino acids
Our sense of taste is critical for survival, alerting us to substances that provide vital nutrients and those that might poison us. Now, a team led by researchers from the University of Osaka has discovered how one such taste ...
Phys.org / New breeding approach targets crop rotations, not yield alone
Breeding crops for farming systems rather than yield alone could exploit untapped genetic potential and help farmers cut fertilizer bills.
Phys.org / Australia's ancient rainfall patterns more complex than previously believed
"Sediment and fossil records are a major pillar of our understanding of how the climate works—but climate scientists have gotten something wrong about Australia's ice age," says Dr. Alex F. Wall, lead author of a new research ...
