Phys.org news

Phys.org / Sun sets on the Sunlight glacier: Researchers document melting of Wyoming glacier

The glacier located near Sunlight Peak, Wyo., has been its icy self since the Yellowstone region's last major glaciation occurred some 20,000 years ago. The bulk of Sunlight's ice has remained ensconced in its northern Rocky ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Survival training in a safe space—how staged risk helps young predators learn dangerous prey

Adaptation is essential for survival. Across species, it occurs over many generations through evolution and natural selection. Individual animals, however, can also adapt within their own lifetimes—through learning. For ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Eye-tracking study explores fear of spiders

Whether it's a sudden dash across the garage or silhouette in a backyard web, spiders evoke fear in many people. But researchers don't have a clear picture of why, exactly, this phobia is so common. An interdisciplinary team ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / A crystal that 'comes alive': Heat-driven bubbles push it forward while it changes fluorescence color

In a study published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, researchers from National Taiwan University report that a seemingly solid, nonporous organic crystal can undergo dramatic structural and mechanical transformations ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Water interactions reveal how surface coatings reshape nanoparticle drug delivery

Researchers at Arizona State University have uncovered a key scientific principle that governs how what's coated on the surfaces of engineered nanoparticles may ultimately control how they work in our bodies. In a new study ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / New 2D membrane reactor improves photocatalytic synthesis

Chinese researchers have developed a photocatalytic membrane reactor that dramatically improves the synthesis of imines—a class of compounds essential to the production of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and advanced synthetic ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / 'Plug-and-play'—how plants steal genetic shortcuts to survive

Plants are fast-tracking their own evolution by "plugging in" genetic code stolen from their neighbors, according to new research that reveals the secret to their own successful genetic engineering. The study, led by Catherine ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How invasive house sparrows are helping scientists detect dangerous contaminants

The house sparrow is a highly invasive pest in North Carolina, and bluebird enthusiasts frequently throw their eggs out and remove their nests to keep them from overtaking the nestboxes that bluebirds call home. A new study ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Bird flu rampant among black vultures: Study points to year-round H5N1 circulation

More than four out of every five dead black vultures examined by University of Georgia researchers tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports. The actual ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Wildfire smoke silences grassland birds in New York state

On a hazy day in June 2023, doctoral students Trifosa Simamora and Timothy Boycott noticed that the birds at their field site had gone quiet. Now in a study published in Biological Conservation, they show that the culprit ...

Mar 2, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / AI cracks Roman-era board game

A smooth, white stone dating from the Roman era and unearthed in the Netherlands has long baffled researchers.

Mar 1, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Simulations show a path to 'ideal glass' with crystal-like entropy

The types of glass that we encounter in everyday life, such as window glass or smartphone screens, are disordered solids. This means that they consist of particles locked in place, like those in solids, but arranged randomly, ...

Mar 1, 2026 in Physics