Phys.org news

Phys.org / Tiny insect brain discovery offers a blueprint for faster and more efficient AI and robots

The secret behind insects' lightning-fast reactions could offer a blueprint for more energy-efficient robots and self-driving cars, according to a new study challenging our understanding of how brains process information. ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Burned stone, child's bones, and lost jewelry hint at prehistoric mining camp high in the Pyrenees

In the past, scientists thought that prehistoric peoples only traveled briefly through high-altitude mountain areas, rather than staying to take advantage of their resources. But new evidence suggests that, starting about ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Carnivorous plants and wasps blur the line between friend and food

Acid-filled pitchers complete with fangs. Labyrinthine chambers decorated with bristles. Leaves that snap shut in less than a second. Employing strategies like these, carnivorous plants have a reputation as fearsome predators, ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Water and 13 hallmarks of complexity trace path from molecules to life

Many properties of molecules cannot be predicted from the properties of the atoms they consist of. These properties only emerge when they are combined—a phenomenon known in science as "emergence." A publication by Goethe ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Dog training choices may reflect owners' ethical views on animals

Whether a dog owner rewards their dog with a treat or corrects it by pulling on the leash is not simply a matter of what they believe to be the most effective training method. According to the study, owners' choice of training ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Planet 9 volunteers double known population of brown dwarfs

A new paper from NASA's Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project announces that volunteers have essentially doubled the number of known brown dwarfs, with over 3,000 new discoveries made over the past 10 years since the project ...

May 5, 2026
Dialog / 'Solar-blind' 2D heterostructure delivers 422-fold responsivity gain for UV sensing

Photodetectors remain a critical component in the development of advanced electronics and photonics, particularly in the role of signal readout through the conversion of photons into electrons. These digital imaging components ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Subglacial CH₄ export from the Greenland Ice Sheet linked to a mid-Holocene warm period

In a new paper, an international team led by scientists from Charles University, Czechia, has brought evidence linking widespread release of methane (CH₄)—a strong greenhouse gas—from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) to a warmer ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Relamination: A mechanism that has been shaping continents for billions of years

An international team led by researchers from the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC) has identified a key mechanism that has shaped Earth's continents over billions of years. This mechanism is the deep re-lamination ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / Dairy farms in California may transmit H5N1 virus through multiple sources

The H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in over 700 herds of dairy cows in California, the largest dairy-producing state in the U.S. A study published in PLOS Biology led by Seema S. Lakdawala ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / CPR simulator for space use tracks the differences of blood flow in reduced gravity

The new focus on manned missions to the moon and Mars presents countless pressing challenges, including keeping humans alive in hostile environments. What happens when an astronaut or space tourist has a cardiac emergency ...

May 5, 2026
Phys.org / A skull full of surprises: Discovering the evolutionary secrets of fish brains

A new study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals the surprising neurological landscape of fish brains. Harvard researchers map the internal structures of ray-finned fishes' brains in 3D detail, discovering brain ...

May 5, 2026