Phys.org news

Phys.org / Cracking the code of why and when some choose to 'self-handicap'

Partying the night before a big exam. Preparing last-minute for a work presentation. Running a 5K in a 10-pound Halloween costume. All are examples of what psychologists call "self-handicapping"—creating obstacles to success ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / A new look at TRAPPIST-1e, an Earth-sized, habitable-zone exoplanet

Of the seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, one planet in particular has attracted the attention of scientists. This planet orbits the star within the "Goldilocks zone"—a distance where water ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / NASA completes Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope construction

NASA's next big eye on the cosmos is now fully assembled. On Nov. 25, technicians joined the inner and outer portions of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in the largest clean room at the agency's Goddard Space Flight ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / The microbiome of an entire country mapped for the first time

An international research team led by Aalborg University with contributions from the University of Vienna has systematically mapped the microbiome of an entire country for the first time. In the study "Microflora Danica," ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / New massive duck-billed dinosaur species identified

There's a new dinosaur species on the block. An international team, including a biologist from Penn State Lehigh Valley, discovered that a 75-million-year-old fossil classified as a different dinosaur is its own massive, ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Astrophysicists test a new piece of the sky to probe dark matter and dark energy

In the leading model of cosmology, most of the universe is invisible: a combined 95% is made of dark matter and dark energy. Exactly what these dark components are remains a mystery, but they have a tremendous impact on our ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / LHC data confirm validity of new model of hadron production—and test foundations of quantum mechanics

A boiling sea of quarks and gluons, including virtual ones—this is how we can imagine the main phase of high-energy proton collisions. It would seem that particles here have significantly more opportunities to evolve than ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Scientists capture first detailed look inside droplet-like structures of compacted DNA

Inside human cells, biology has pulled off the ultimate packing job, figuring out how to fit six feet of DNA into a nucleus about one-tenth as wide as a human hair while making sure the all-important molecules can still function.

Dec 4, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / New study challenges the idea of humans as innately nature-loving

Nature is a source of well-being and recovery for many people. However, research shows that there is also a growing number of individuals who experience negative emotions, such as fear, discomfort, or even disgust, toward ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Lightning channels reveal hidden bursts: Lateral negative re-discharges observed for first time

A new study led by researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has uncovered the first observational evidence of lateral negative re-discharges occurring on negative leader ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Space debris poses growing threat, but new study suggests cleanup is feasible

High up in Earth's orbit, millions of human-made objects large and small are flying at speeds of over 15,000 miles per hour. The objects, which range from inactive satellites to fragments of equipment resulting from explosions ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Nanotyrannus was not a juvenile T. rex, new study confirms

For decades, paleontologists argued over the lone skull used to establish the distinct species Nanotyrannus. Was it truly a separate species or simply a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex? A new paper published in Science has definitively ...

Dec 4, 2025 in Biology