Phys.org news

Phys.org / Urban light pollution disrupts nighttime melatonin in wild nurse sharks

Artificial light from major coastal cities can disrupt the nighttime biology of sharks, according to new research that provides the first-ever measurements of melatonin—a hormone tied to biological rhythms—in wild sharks.

Feb 3, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / High-tech scans of an enigmatic 400-million-year-old lungfish reveal new details

New pieces have been added to the puzzle of the evolution of some of the oldest fish that lived on Earth more than 400 million years ago. In two separate studies, experts in Australia and China have found new clues about ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Cosmic radiation brought to light: Researchers measure ionization in dark cloud for the first time

Where starlight doesn't reach, new things are born: For the first time, an international research team has directly measured the effect of cosmic radiation in a cold molecular cloud. The observation shows how charged high-energy ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Maps offer neighborhood-level insight into American migration

California's most devastating wildfire—the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 and destroyed nearly 19,000 structures—forced nearly half of all residents living within designated fire perimeters to relocate within a year.

Feb 3, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Under snowpacks, microbes drive a winter-to-spring nitrogen pulse, study finds

When snow blankets the landscape, it may seem like life slows down. But beneath the surface, an entire world of activity is unfolding.

Feb 3, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / We ate space mushrooms and survived to tell the tale

The mushrooms spread out on the chopping board seemed normal enough. They were rich and dense, and had a strong earthy aroma. In the saucepan, they melted—along with the cheese—to form a creamy pasta sauce.

Feb 3, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Innate biases of newborn animals inspire adaptive decision-making model

Precocial animals, the ones that move autonomously within hours after hatching or birth, have many biases they are born with that help them survive, finds a new paper led by Queen Mary University of London, published in Proceedings ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Modeling finds old-growth wildfire risk highest where low-severity fires once burned

A new analysis shows that the Pacific Northwest's mature and old-growth forests are most at risk of severe wildfire in areas that historically burned frequently at lower severity. The study by scientists at Oregon State University ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Tiny radio transmitters reveal a hidden survival tactic in birds

In Sturt National Park, near Tibooburra in central Australia where temperatures can range from freezing to nearly 50°C, there lives a small bird with a white back, forked tail and—as we've just discovered—a very clever ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / New framework maps seven pillars for judging research trustworthiness

A new paper proposes a systems-level framework for evaluating the trustworthiness of research findings across methods and approaches. The paper, titled "A Framework for Assessing the Trustworthiness of Research Findings," ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Superconductivity exposes altermagnetism by breaking symmetries, study suggests

How are superconductivity and magnetism connected? A puzzling relation between magnetism and superconductivity in a quantum material has lingered for decades—now, a study from TU Wien offers a surprising new explanation.

Feb 3, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / A hearing test for the world's rarest sea turtle: Understanding its vulnerability to human-caused noise

Kemp's ridley sea turtles are among the most endangered species of sea turtles in the world. They reside along the east and Gulf coasts of North America, alongside some of the world's most active shipping lanes. While the ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Biology