Phys.org news

Phys.org / Carbon-based filter removes PFAS from groundwater in field tests

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been mass produced for decades in consumer products like frying pans, water-resistant clothing, food packaging and cosmetics. They have also been used in a range of industrial ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Color-superconducting quark matter may explain stability of massive neutron stars

Describing matter under extreme conditions, such as those found inside neutron stars, remains an unsolved problem. The density of such matter is equivalent to compressing around 100,000 Eiffel Towers into a single cubic centimeter. ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / This genetic trick gives woodrats an evolutionary advantage against rattlesnake venom

Woodrats weigh less than half a pound but can survive venomous rattlesnake bites that would hospitalize, or even kill, a full-grown human.

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / A 'scientific sandbox' lets researchers explore the evolution of vision systems

Why did humans evolve the eyes we have today? While scientists can't go back in time to study the environmental pressures that shaped the evolution of the diverse vision systems that exist in nature, a new computational framework ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Q&A: Climate shifts drove carnivores' evolution from mongoose-like ancestors to diverse forms

The ancestors of our furry cats and dogs once looked similar to today's modern mongoose, a mammal with a long body and small, round ears. In fact, all members of the order Carnivora, which includes a variety of mammalian ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Decaying dark matter: Unidentified X-ray emission lines in galaxy cluster spectra may point the way

Scientists search for "decaying" dark matter (DDM) because it offers unique signatures like specific X-ray or gamma-ray lines or neutrino signals not seen in normal matter, potentially revealing dark matter's particle nature, ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New fossil study illuminates the evolutionary success of frogs

A new study led by UCC paleontologists discovered that frogs have conserved their ecology in the last 45 million years. The research is published in the journal iScience.

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / In echo of Jurassic Park, mosquitoes capture entire ecosystems in their blood meals

Jurassic Park—and its never-ending sequels and spinoffs—starts with a basic premise: extracting the DNA of long-dead dinosaurs from mosquitoes frozen in amber.

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Warmer ocean currents significantly destabilize ice sheets, driving their retreat

New research reveals how ocean warming triggered the large-scale retreat of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS)—offering vital clues for understanding its modern-day vulnerability.

Dec 17, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Listen to grandma—life's not a zero-sum game

Some situations in life are zero-sum. On Super Bowl Sunday, two teams take the field but only one will emerge victorious, Vince Lombardi Trophy in hand. In a presidential election, only one candidate can win enough votes ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / LLMs unleash AI's potential for autonomous and explainable materials discovery

Discovering new inorganic materials is central to advancing technologies in catalysis, energy storage, semiconductors, and more. But finding a material with just the right properties is extremely difficult. What if an AI ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / New fossil lungfish from Yunnan sheds light on critical stage of early vertebrate evolution

A research team led by Prof. Zhu Min—a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and affiliated with the CAS Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP)—has identified a new species of fossil ...

Dec 17, 2025 in Biology