Phys.org news

Phys.org / Adélie penguins use colony cues to switch foraging sites if their previous trip was unsuccessful

Many animals live in groups. Among seabirds in particular, most species form colonies during the breeding season. Although coloniality entails costs, such as increased competition for food and disease transmission, its repeated ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / How animals use leveling behaviors to put alphas in their place

Inequality is not unique to human groups and societies. Individuals with relatively little power possess a variety of behavioral strategies to counterbalance or regulate power differences. In humans, these strategies include ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists discover a 3.5-billion-year-old asteroid impact on the moon

The first few billion years of Earth's history saw the rise of life, the atmosphere and the oceans. Still, that time is shrouded in mystery: Not many rocks remain that preserve a record of those early iterations of our modern ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / New 3D microscope technology captures high-resolution tissue images at a fraction of the cost

A team led by Raju Tomer, professor of biological sciences at Columbia University, has created a new design for microscopes and microscope lenses that could push 3D tissue imaging beyond state-of-the-art systems while drastically ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Chloroplast map reveals 'missing link' in plant growth and solar energy

For decades, science has understood the basics of photosynthesis, the process by which plants turn sunlight into food. However, photosynthesis occurs on uniquely specialized membranes that we have only begun to understand. ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Nature's 'master painters': Study reveals how damselflies break optical barriers to create saturated colors

Scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have uncovered for the first time the "ingenious" biological strategies that allow blue-tailed damselflies to produce strikingly vivid, angle-independent colors. The ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists uncover RNA's hidden role as protein chaperone

Proteins are how cells get work done. They carry out nearly every important cellular task, from ferrying messages to controlling which genes are turned on or off. And in order for proteins to perform their various roles, ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Hardy ice plant's optical innovation inspires reflective design possibilities

Nature is filled with remarkable visual phenomena created by microscopic surface structures that interact with light in fascinating ways. The iridescent wings of butterflies, the shimmering feathers of birds and the glossy ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Tea compound boosts seaweed hydrogel strength fivefold, while tuning adhesion and breakdown

Could wound healing dressings adhere better, and could drug delivery patches become more sophisticated? A KAIST research team has developed a technology that leverages natural ingredients derived from plants to increase the ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Q&A: Combating antibiotic resistance with nanotechnology, robotics and AI

Aeron Tynes Hammack, a physicist by training and currently interim facility director of the Nanofabrication Facility at the Molecular Foundry, likes to work with nanoscale objects to better understand the world and solve ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / New warning system forecasts wildlife heat risk up to nine months ahead

An international group of scientists led by Josep M. Serra-Diaz, researcher at the Botanical Institute of Barcelona (IBB, CSIC-MCNB), has developed the first global early warning system capable of forecasting when and where ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Why are sloths slow? It's in their DNA

Sloths are the slowest mammals on the planet, but living in dense jungles has made them notoriously difficult to study. For the first time, scientists have now sequenced and analyzed the two-toed sloth genome and revealed ...

Jun 9, 2026