Phys.org news

Phys.org / Koala population crash came before humans, genomic study reveals

A genomic study has reshaped our understanding of the evolutionary history of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), revealing the iconic Australian marsupial experienced a severe population decline around 100,000 years ago, ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / These underwater 'living pink rocks' help store carbon: Scientists just found four new species

Rhodoliths may look like small rocks on the seafloor, but they are actually living algae that create habitats for marine life and contribute to long-term carbon storage. A new study found that the deeper, low-light waters ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / 'Seismic champagne effect' may explain why fires break out long after earthquakes

Following the devastating urban fire that broke out in Wajima City after Japan's 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, investigators struggled to identify a clear ignition source, despite widespread destruction and unusual reports ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Savanna chimpanzees use tools for capturing and feeding on army ants, study shows

Chimpanzees are the only great apes, apart from humans, that have adapted to living on savannas as well as in forests. However, it is not yet well understood how the harsh ecological conditions of the savanna—compared with ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Q&A: Combating antibiotic resistance with nanotechnology, robotics and AI

Aeron Tynes Hammack, a physicist by training and currently interim facility director of the Nanofabrication Facility at the Molecular Foundry, likes to work with nanoscale objects to better understand the world and solve ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / New warning system forecasts wildlife heat risk up to nine months ahead

An international group of scientists led by Josep M. Serra-Diaz, researcher at the Botanical Institute of Barcelona (IBB, CSIC-MCNB), has developed the first global early warning system capable of forecasting when and where ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Children's motivation and attitudes towards learning play a key role in academic success, study finds

A major new study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London has revealed that noncognitive skills—such as motivation, curiosity, academic interest and self-belief—play a key role in translating children's genetic ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Breaking tunnel vision, imaging AI lifts fluorescence image restoration accuracy and speed

Recent years have witnessed great advances in applying deep learning to improve fluorescence microscopy imaging. However, enhancing the fidelity of image restoration networks and improving their robustness under fluorescence ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient ground squirrel droppings reveal Arctic's rich evolutionary history

Ground squirrel droppings, preserved for millennia in the Yukon's deep permafrost, have yielded an enormous amount of environmental DNA from dozens of species of plants, insects, microbes and large mammals, offering detailed ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / How a single mutation rewired a 23-species bacterial community over four years

The time-development of species communities cannot be understood solely through ecological interactions or environmental factors, as evolution can also alter community dynamics. This observation helps to understand, among ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / New dating of Spain's Sala Keimada rock art sanctuary reveals thousands of years of continuous use

The Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) has participated in a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports on Sala Keimada, one of the rock art sanctuaries in Cueva Palomera, ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / 3D-printed nozzle array could streamline production of drug-delivery microparticles

MIT researchers have demonstrated a low-cost design for specialized electronic nozzles, called triaxial electrospray emitters, that could be used to manufacture time-release drug-delivery particles or self-healing materials ...

Jun 9, 2026