Phys.org news
Phys.org / Critically endangered pygmy raccoons observed making their own paper toys
Some of the most intriguing scientific breakthroughs happen when researchers aren't explicitly looking for them. Take, for example, the pygmy raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus), a critically endangered species that lives only on ...
Phys.org / AI helps reveal the immersive sensory experiences of ancient Etruscan tombs
The Etruscan painted tombs in Tarquinia, Italy, date to the first millennium BCE and are known for their vivid scenes of music, feasting, processions and the afterlife. While these tombs have been extensively studied, archaeologists ...
Phys.org / Not a cheetah: Ancient DNA reveals the surprising Arctic life of extinct North American cat
A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has overturned decades of assumptions about Miracinonyx trumani, the extinct predator popularly known as the American cheetah. By analyzing nuclear ...
Phys.org / Iron Age Botswana site sourced copper across southern Africa—but tin from just one place
Around 700 years ago, people living on hilltop settlements on the edge of the Kalahari wore beads, bangles and clips made from metal traded across the southern half of the African continent.
Phys.org / Students with lower grades earn degrees more often when they belong to an academic major's majority group
Despite efforts to encourage broader participation, women earn about 25% of undergraduate engineering degrees and 18% of undergraduate computer science degrees—and men remain a small minority among people earning nursing ...
Phys.org / A new type of LED light could bring significant efficiency gains
Researchers at Lund University have developed a new type of light-emitting diode based on thin, branched nanowires that could offer significantly higher efficiency and lower production costs than current technology. By controlling ...
Phys.org / Periodical cicadas may be doomed to extinction
Every 13 or 17 years, swarms of cicadas emerge from the ground, their black bodies, orange-tinged wings and ruby-red eyes enveloping trees and forests. It is a biological marvel unique in the insect world, and when it happens, ...
Phys.org / Magic-angle graphene provides evidence for unconventional superconductivity
Researchers have completely suppressed superconductivity in magic-angle graphene by screening interactions between electrons, helping resolve a long-running debate about the origin of the phenomenon.
Phys.org / How Mercury formed its graphite crust and core
As the BepiColombo mission prepares to enter the final phase of its journey to Mercury, a series of studies conducted by researchers at the University of Liège and KU Leuven sheds new light on the early stages of the evolution ...
Phys.org / Sound waves and water droplets transform paper waste into higher-value chemical compound
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a fast, simple way to turn lignin, a plentiful plant-based byproduct of the papermaking industry, into potentially more valuable renewable chemicals.
Phys.org / Researchers tune into Arctic under-ice sounds and test through-ice communication
Beneath the Arctic Ocean is an orchestra featuring natural and human composers, from cracking sea ice and whistling beluga whales to humming shipping-vessel engines. Researchers from MIT Lincoln Laboratory heard some of this ...
Phys.org / In ant nervous systems, gene expression may drive rescue behavior
Why do some ants help nestmates in distress while others don't? A research team from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Tel Aviv University addressed this question in a new study. The researchers examined worker ...
