Phys.org news

Phys.org / Coal pollution reaches one of Earth's most remote mountain regions

The Himalayas are often seen as one of Earth's great natural barriers, separating the heavily populated and industrialized regions of South Asia from the remote Tibetan Plateau. But new research, published in Geophysical ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Ultraluminous X-ray source in Whale galaxy investigated for spectral and timing variability

Astronomers from Germany and Turkey have analyzed available data from various space telescopes to investigate an ultraluminous X-ray source designated X-4, which is located in the nearby galaxy NGC 4631. Results of the new ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Swiss glaciers have exhausted their snow reserves

From June 29 onward, Switzerland's glaciers will have exhausted their snow reserves. Every liter of meltwater now causes them to lose mass—this is Glacier Loss Day. Between the extreme years of 2003 and 2022 alone, 200 square ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Beetle-like borings in 70-million-year-old titanosaur fossils reshape Lo Hueco fossil story

Traces or perforations caused by living organisms after an animal's death can be found on various dinosaur bone remains. These perforations, known as bioerosion structures, provide information that helps us understand relationships ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / When a pool or pond turns green with algae, don't reach for chemicals—nature has better solutions

When the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turned green with algae just days after a US$15 million renovation, the U.S. government scrambled for chemicals and expensive technical solutions to fix the iconic landmark.

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Evidence identifies ancient Aboriginal mining in the Riverland

Flinders University researchers, in partnership with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, have found evidence that points to 7,000 years of Aboriginal mining of stone at Sugarloaf Hill in South Australia's ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / How a 'copper economy' helps fungi and bacteria build stubborn biofilms

Scientists have discovered that two common human pathogens can work together by managing copper in their shared environment—a finding that could open new ways to break down stubborn mixed biofilms.

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Unknown 4,000-year-old stone circle in Belfast uncovered by archaeologists

Archaeologists have uncovered an unknown stone circle that dates back at least 4,000 years to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age and was most likely used for ritual activities.

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Sea anemones reveal antiviral defense that reverses human immune playbook

A new study has uncovered a previously unknown antiviral defense mechanism in sea anemones, revealing that animals may have evolved more than one way to fight viral infections. Researchers discovered that a protein resembling ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Clean crystal surface lets single molecules hit ultimate quantum limit

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have developed a technique for interrogating molecules on surfaces with spectroscopic precision, thereby reaching the ultimate quantum limit for the first ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Pegasus launch to deploy LINK for months‑long orbit boost of aging Swift

A mission to raise the orbit of NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is poised for launch no earlier than Tuesday, June 30, at 6:23 a.m. EDT (10:23 p.m. UTC+12), from Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Republic of the Marshall ...

Jun 26, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists find evidence of vast hidden magma systems inside Mars

Researchers from the University of Oxford have uncovered evidence that Mars once hosted enormous, Earth-like magmatic systems deep beneath its surface—despite the planet lacking the plate tectonics long thought necessary ...

Jun 26, 2026