Phys.org news
Phys.org / Antipathy toward snakes? Your parents likely talked you into that at an early age
A study of more than 100 kindergarten-age children suggests kids tend to think of snakes differently than they do other animals and that hearing negative or objectifying language about the slithery reptiles might contribute ...
Phys.org / Saturday Citations: Pig-boar hybrids in Japan; neuroprotective lattes; the exercise/weight-loss conundrum
This week, researchers reported on a juvenile great white shark caught by fishermen in Spanish Mediterranean waters. China's clean air initiatives have resulted in major public health gains, but may have one unintended consequence. ...
Phys.org / Costa Rica digs up mastodon, giant sloth bones in major archaeological find
Researchers in Costa Rica have unearthed fossils from a mastodon and a giant sloth that lived as many as 40,000 years ago, officials announced Friday, calling it the biggest such find here in decades.
Phys.org / What we can learn from lovebirds, the rare birds that mate for life
Minutes after getting to a park in the middle of Phoenix, you can see flashes of green in the sky and hear chatter because love is in the air—or at least, the lovebirds are.
Phys.org / Time crystals could become accurate and efficient timekeepers
Time crystals could one day provide a reliable foundation for ultra-precise quantum clocks, new mathematical analysis has revealed. Published in Physical Review Letters, the research was led by Ludmila Viotti at the Abdus ...
Phys.org / Arctic peatlands are expanding as temperatures continue to rise, new research confirms
The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet, with average temperatures increasing by about 4°C in the last four decades. A new study, led by the University of Exeter, shows peatlands have expanded since 1950, ...
Phys.org / Could the discovery of a tiny RNA molecule explain the origins of life?
One of the greatest mysteries of our planet is how a soup of lifeless chemicals transformed into the first living cell. There are several competing theories about where this happened, from frozen polar ice to superheated ...
Phys.org / Northern Britain's oldest human remains are of a young female child, DNA analysis reveals
The oldest human remains ever found in Northern Britain have been identified as a young female three years after being discovered in a Cumbrian cave. Excavated at Heaning Wood Bone Cave in Cumbria's Great Urswick by local ...
Phys.org / Recently discovered SN 2024abfl is a low-luminosity Type IIP supernova, astronomers find
An international team of astronomers has conducted photometric and spectroscopic observations of a recently discovered supernova designated SN 2024abfl. Results of the observational campaign, presented February 4 on the preprint ...
Phys.org / How did humans develop sharp vision? Lab-grown retinas show likely answer
Humans develop sharp vision during early fetal development thanks to an interplay between a vitamin A derivative and thyroid hormones in the retina, Johns Hopkins University scientists have found. The findings could upend ...
Phys.org / Most precise map yet of agricultural emissions charts a path to reduce hotspots
To lower agricultural emissions, policymakers and communities first need to pinpoint the sources—not just by country but crop by crop, field by field. In a study published in Nature Climate Change, researchers have synthesized ...
Phys.org / Syntax discovered in the warbling duets of wild parrots
With a few minutes of searching, anyone can find videos online of chatty birds: macaws talk to their keepers, cockatoos sing to the camera, corvids mimic the jarring sounds of construction sites. Research has shown that some ...
