Phys.org news

Phys.org / Young rift flanks suggest Venus remains tectonically active

Venus is an inhospitable place, with temperatures soaring to several hundred degrees Celsius (hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit) and no oceans like those on Earth. Planetary scientists long believed Venus was geologically dormant. ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Mapping project helps protect coastal world heritage sites from climate threats

A major new digital mapping project could help safeguard some of the world's most important and well-known heritage sites from rising seas, flooding and coastal erosion. Researchers led by scientists from the University of ...

7 hours ago
Phys.org / Sperm whales blow bubbles to achieve restful, vertical sleep

New research from the University of St Andrews and Université de Neuchâtel has uncovered the mechanism that allows sperm whales to sleep in a unique vertical position just under the ocean surface.

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Modern forensics uncovers new clues about Inca sacrifice victims' last days

Human sacrifice was deeply ingrained in Inca civilization. Children and young people were selected for sacrifice to appease the gods and sacred mountain spirits. Being chosen was considered a great honor for both the victims ...

22 hours ago
Phys.org / How an iceberg may have stopped emperor penguins from breeding on Coulman Island in 2025

The number of chicks in the Coulman Island emperor penguin colony decreased by about 69% in 2025 compared with 2024, according to research published in Communications Earth & Environment. The authors suggest that a large ...

14 hours ago
Phys.org / A new 'golden age' of mathematics may be dawning, thanks to AI and human ingenuity

In May 2026, OpenAI released a new math result that sent shock waves throughout the world of mathematical research. A major unsolved problem called the "unit distance conjecture" had just been resolved by generative AI.

16 hours ago
Phys.org / Could alien signals be hiding on a different radio channel?

Astronomers searching for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence may have been missing alien signals in part of the radio spectrum that has not recently been explored.

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Engineers observe quantum heat waves at room temperature

Efficient heat management in solids is key to advancing the next generation of electronics. However, wave-like heat movement—known as phonon focusing—had been observed only at extremely low, or cryogenic, temperatures, limiting ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Materials surrounding a fusion reaction can dramatically increase how often it occurs

Fusion at high temperatures powers the sun and, if harnessed, could provide a potential source of energy here on Earth. But controlling fusion reactions has other benefits. The process also generates subatomic particles called ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / Chocolate syrup-like fluid stores multiple interacting memories

Animals and electronic devices aren't the only things with memory. Materials can retain memories of past deformations in their microscopic structure. A common example is a crease in a sheet of paper that has been folded then ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Machine learning narrows search for additional particles in the Higgs boson family

What if the Higgs boson found in 2012 is not alone but is the only sibling we have encountered so far? Scientists at CERN discovered the particle that year, and it was a major discovery because it explained how other particles ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Not every meal has the same impact: Researchers reveal the hidden footprint of our food

Leiden environmental researchers have mapped the environmental footprint of different diets and revealed which population groups have the greatest impact through their food choices. Their findings show where efforts to make ...

17 hours ago