Phys.org news
Phys.org / Paleontological study shows climate change makes marine animals shrink
Whether mussels, crustaceans or fish, marine animals have been responding to environmental crises with a reduction in body size for hundreds of millions of years. A new study by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg ...
Phys.org / Visual map of 20,000 words reveals why lip-readers confuse common look-alikes
New research from the University of Kansas uses network science to determine why people make mistakes when lip-reading. Michael Vitevitch, professor of speech-language-hearing at KU, and his co-authors created a visual map ...
Phys.org / Quantum gravity tests may mistake ordinary spacetime for superposition
Everything around us, from atoms and molecules to planets and galaxies, is governed by two extraordinarily successful theories of physics: quantum mechanics and gravity. Quantum mechanics explains the behavior of the microscopic ...
Phys.org / What makes a star a star? A strange 'in‑between' celestial object is testing astronomers' boundaries
A star called TOI-2155 lies around 1,350 light-years (839 trillion miles) from Earth. It is a little bigger, heavier and hotter than the sun, and it is not particularly interesting or unusual in itself.
Phys.org / Spontaneous current loops in a kagome metal point to hidden quantum order
Quantum materials, materials exhibiting physical behavior governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, have proved promising for the development of numerous advanced technologies, including quantum technologies, memory devices ...
Phys.org / Analog gravity advance offers new insights into Hawking radiation from black holes
Hawking radiation is a form of radiation emitted by black holes, as theoretically predicted by Stephen Hawking. It suggests that black holes do not merely swallow matter—as had previously been assumed—but also emit very faint ...
Phys.org / Quantum semiconductor design could expand search for dark matter
Dark matter accounts for 85% of the matter in the universe, but scientists still do not know what it is made of. A study, published in Physical Review Letters, by Rice University researchers proposes a detector design that ...
Phys.org / Dynamic black holes may obey Hawking-style thermodynamics with an alternative entropy measure
Of the known things in the universe, black holes are among the most extreme. They pack huge amounts of mass densely into a small area, producing gravity that is so strong that even light cannot escape. To describe their properties, ...
Phys.org / A holoparasitic plant replaces its own genes with host DNA to survive
All living organisms are known to inherit genes, DNA sequences that contain instructions for producing specific proteins and performing biological functions, from their parents. In some cases, however, genes can also shift ...
Phys.org / Swimming crab trapped in plastic bottle survives two months at sea
How did a large crab end up trapped inside a plastic bottle with an opening smaller than its body? Hiroshima University researchers investigated this unusual marine mystery, revealing a lesser-known impact of marine plastic ...
Phys.org / Airborne AI spots underwater munitions in shallow seas with high precision
A new airborne imaging approach can reliably detect unexploded weapons that lie in shallow coastal waters and remain an ongoing hazard to public safety, marine ecosystems and infrastructure worldwide. By combining advanced ...
Phys.org / Scientists uncover why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic
Scientists have uncovered why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic. The international research, published in Science, helps solve one of climate science's longest-standing puzzles: how a vast ...