Phys.org news
Phys.org / Sea level rise is swallowing US Mid-Atlantic farmland faster than expected, study finds
Ghost forests, the cemetery-like groupings of dead trees killed by saltwater intrusion, have become haunting symbols of sea level rise overtaking land along the Mid-Atlantic coast. But a new study published in Nature Sustainability, ...
Phys.org / Ancient Arctic fossils uncover three mammal species that survived months of darkness
Today's Arctic may feel remote and desolate, but more than 70 million years ago, it was a surprisingly lively place for some of Earth's ancient mammals.
Phys.org / Sea levels rising dramatically in some areas due to land subsidence
Densely populated coastal regions in many parts of the world are particularly vulnerable to flooding. The sinking of land masses exacerbates the impacts of rising sea levels in these areas, according to a study by researchers ...
Phys.org / A physicist's fresh look at the 'prisoner's dilemma' reveals hope for cooperation
The "prisoner's dilemma" is one of the most famous ideas in game theory. For decades, this game has been used to explain why selfishness often beats cooperation. In the prisoner's dilemma, two players can either cooperate ...
Phys.org / Bioengineers condense protein engineering and testing to a single day
Proteins are critical to life—and to industry. There are countless proteins that could be engineered to treat and even cure serious diseases and cellular dysfunctions. Industrial applications are similarly promising, with ...
Phys.org / Neanderthals gathered shellfish using the same strategies as modern humans, study finds
Neanderthal populations in southern Europe collected shellfish throughout the year, with a marked preference for the colder months, according to a new international study led by researchers from the Institute of Environmental ...
Phys.org / Nondestructive DNA sampling reveals 1,300 years of secrets in historic parchments
Researchers have demonstrated a nondestructive way to collect cellular material from historical parchment manuscripts, allowing them to conduct genetic analyses that offer new insights into everything from trade routes to ...
Phys.org / How much worse could western wildfires get? New modeling changes projections
Across the western United States, wildfires are increasing in size and intensity. As the climate continues to warm, more extreme wildfires will reshape landscapes and pose a growing risk to human health and natural ecosystems ...
Phys.org / The structure of water: Entropy determines whether ions stick
Water molecules do not simply swirl around in complete disorder; they can form certain preferred structures. This scientific fact is often presented in entirely unscientific ways. For example, when people speak of an alleged ...
Phys.org / Findings reconsider the existence of Europa's vapor plumes
Looking back at 14 years of Hubble telescope data for Jupiter's moon Europa has given Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists a better understanding of its tenuous atmosphere. The findings have cast doubt on previous ...
Phys.org / Mars reveals first Zwan-Wolf effect deep in its atmosphere during a solar storm
In December 2023, scientists looking at Mars data stumbled across something completely unexpected—observations of an atmospheric effect never before seen in the Red Planet's atmosphere. Using instruments aboard NASA's MAVEN ...
Phys.org / Galactic collision may have reset Milky Way disk 11 billion years ago
A new study led by researchers at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) reveals how the disks of galaxies like the Milky Way are affected ...