Phys.org news

Phys.org / Getting the jump on evolution: Cane toads adapt at speed

A new study comparing invasive cane toads in Japan and Australia has found substantial changes in body size and shape have developed much more rapidly than suggested by long-held ideas of the pace of evolution. Researchers ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / North African-linked stone tools reached Iberia 700,000 years ago, evidence suggests

Members of the Atapuerca Research Team from the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), the University of Burgos, and the ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Photonic chip generates milliwatt-level UV light, 100 times brighter than before

Researchers from the University of Twente and Harvard University have developed a new way to generate ultraviolet (UV) light on a photonic chip at power levels high enough for real-world use. For the first time, the technique ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Collagen analysis finds wider prey use by Neanderthals and modern humans

The Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) has taken part in a study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology that provides new insights into subsistence strategies during the ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Breathing new life into an ancient mystery: Unlocking the trilobite's respiratory secrets

For more than 270 million years, trilobites were among the most successful and diverse creatures on Earth, with over 22,000 known species spanning the Paleozoic Era. Yet, despite their abundance in the fossil record and their ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Your phone's next speed boost may come from a strange magnetic jump that rewrites how chips handle heat

A new technology has been proposed that could fundamentally solve the issue of smartphones overheating during high-spec gaming or extended video streaming. Researchers at KAIST have discovered the principle of processing ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Plastics found in tomato and wheat crops stunt growth, study finds

A study investigating microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in agricultural settings has found they reduced plant growth and entered plant tissues through the soil, raising new concerns about food safety and human exposure. ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Better-fed calves are more motivated to play, pioneering study shows

New research has revealed dairy calves that are fed less complete tasks faster and remember more in pursuit of milk, but miss out on play. Calves that were given more food were more inclined to play. The study, led by the ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / New research reveals cell proteins that drive severe viral infections

Researchers at Umeå University have identified two human cell proteins, NUP98 and NUP153, that play a crucial role in how viruses such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), West Nile virus, and dengue virus replicate in ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / The edge of the Milky Way's star-forming disk revealed

How far the Milky Way's disk extends has long been difficult to define—it doesn't end sharply, but fades away gradually at its outer edges. Now, for the first time, an international team of astronomers has identified the ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / What Bronze Age people ate and drank: South Caucasus pottery reveals a surprisingly diverse menu

What culinary practices prevailed in the South Caucasus during the Bronze Age? A new study shows that the cuisine was remarkably diverse. The evidence highlights a multi-ingredient cuisine alongside the central role of dairy ...

Apr 21, 2026
Phys.org / Before the melt begins, sea stars show hidden immune collapse and tissue failure driving a coastal die-off

Scientists are homing in on a mysterious wasting disease that has killed billions of sea stars along the Pacific coast of North America since 2013. Sea star wasting disease can rapidly wipe out entire populations, leaving ...

Apr 21, 2026