Phys.org news

Phys.org / JWST spots two early black holes growing far faster than their galaxies

Astronomers have discovered two early-universe galaxies where the central black holes appear to have grown far faster than their host galaxies. Observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveal that the black ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Scurvy's skeletal fingerprint found in California's Late Holocene archaeological sites

A recent study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology documented skeletal changes linked to scurvy in Late Holocene archaeological sites in California (500 BCE–1834 CE). The change observed shows the cascading ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / More Star Wars-like worlds emerge as 27 planet candidates with two suns discovered

There's so little we know about circumbinary planets—planets that orbit two stars instead of one—that they can feel like the stuff of fantasy. And for good reason: to date, we've only confirmed the existence of 18 circumbinary ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Buried in Sudan's desert, 280 vast stone circles reveal a vanished cattle-herding culture

Recent satellite remote sensing surveys have identified 280 stone structures spread across the Atbai desert in Sudan. Twenty of these structures were previously identified by fieldwork or informal surveys, but were not systematically ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / New alien-life test could help Mars and Europa missions read organic molecules

For decades, the search for life beyond Earth has revolved around a key question: What molecules should scientists be looking for on other planets or moons? A new study, published in Nature Astronomy, suggests that the more ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Resilient quantum sensor monitors Earth's magnetic field from space for 10 months

From navigation to solar weather forecasting, many different areas of research require space-based sensors to measure Earth's magnetic field as accurately as possible at any given moment. So far, however, existing sensors ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / When uncertainty spikes, chasing rewards backfires and a more informed strategy pulls ahead

Humans and other animals are constantly required to make decisions under uncertain conditions or while in rapidly changing environments. Past psychology and biology studies showed that some decision-making strategies can ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / How a single star can reshape an entire galaxy

Astronomers who simulate galaxies do not always get the same result, even when they start from identical conditions. New research from Leiden University shows that this is not a flaw, but a consequence of how galaxies behave—and ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Deep beneath Swiss Alps, researchers trigger 8,000 tiny quakes in controlled test

Researchers have made the ground shake in southern Switzerland, triggering thousands of tiny earthquakes in a monitored setting, as they seek to discover seismicity insights that could reduce risks.

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Heat index maps uncover when city greening cools most—and when it can backfire

Tree shade is one of the fastest ways to make heat more bearable. It cuts direct sunlight, protects people walking or working outdoors, and remains essential for heat action plans. A new study by researchers from the Indian ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Shark face study uncovers 400-million-year-old blueprint shared across jawed vertebrates

Most of what scientists know about face development comes from studies in bony vertebrates such as mice, chickens, and zebrafish. However, their evolutionary counterparts, cartilaginous fishes, have remained largely unexplored. ...

May 11, 2026
Phys.org / Hubble survey sets up Roman's future look near Milky Way's center

The Milky Way's galactic bulge, the bulbous region that surrounds the galactic center, contains a dense collection of stars, planets, and other free-floating objects. This region has been studied for decades with numerous ...

May 11, 2026