Phys.org news

Phys.org / Drill core reveals asynchronous land–ocean responses to ancient ocean anoxia

Earth experienced a period of intense, large-scale volcanism during the early Aptian. Around that time, it also experienced widespread ocean deoxygenation during the Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (OAE1a) as well as the onset of ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / New 4D-STEM method isolates atomic structures from clustered nanocrystals

Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a new way to determine atomic structures from nanocrystals previously considered unusable, a breakthrough that could ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / How pro- and anti-gun PAC contributions after school shootings effectively neutralize each other

Polls consistently show overwhelming support for measures like universal background checks and raising the minimum age for gun purchases. But Congress rarely acts. A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / Salmonids reveal the cold truth about human impacts on Fennoscandian lakes

A large-scale study led by the University of Jyväskylä revealed that human activity is consistently changing the ecosystems of Northern European lakes. The study shows that hydropower and human activity in catchment areas ...

Mar 4, 2026
Phys.org / Left-handed people may have a psychological edge in competition

Left-handers are more competitive than right-handers, according to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The findings may help explain why left-handedness has persisted throughout evolution despite the ...

Mar 3, 2026
Phys.org / Study finds 77% of US national parks are highly vulnerable to climate change

National parks in the United States represent a treasure trove of natural, historical, and recreational landscapes, but their health is at risk. A comprehensive new study on the climate-change vulnerability of national parks, ...

Mar 3, 2026
Phys.org / Brazilian fossil site yields smallest rhynchosaur fossil ever recorded

A study published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology describes the smallest rhynchosaur fossil ever recorded from the Brazilian Triassic, with the reconstructed skull only measuring around 2.5 cm (~1 inch). Additionally, ...

Mar 3, 2026
Phys.org / Hidden atomic dichotomy drives superconductivity in ultra-thin compound

Physicists in China have unveiled new clues to the origins of high-temperature superconductivity in an iron-based material just a single unit-cell thick. Led by Qi-Kun Xue and Lili Wang at Tsinghua University, the team's ...

Mar 3, 2026
Phys.org / Arrowhead marks found in Central Asia could prove the existence of Homo sapiens 80,000 years ago

Unretouched triangular microlithic projectile points have been identified from their impact traces in the oldest occupation layers of the Obi-Rakhmat site in Uzbekistan, dating to 80,000 years ago. Their size corresponds ...

Mar 3, 2026
Phys.org / How an underground fungal map of the world's oldest, slowest-growing rainforest trees can boost Earth's resilience

The temperate rainforests of the Chilean Coast Range are home to a spectacular array of life: iridescent blue lizards, tiny wild cats called kodkods, and curly vines of waxy red bellflowers. Towering over this biodiversity ...

Mar 3, 2026
Phys.org / Wildlife imaging shows that AI models aren't as smart as we think

Using AI to identify wildlife reveals a potential "transferability crisis," researchers say. Marketing for AI imaging systems often suggests that models can easily tackle novel scenarios across ecosystems and settings, much ...

Mar 3, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny Purgatorius fossils in Denver Basin hint at early primate spread southward

New minuscule fossils of Purgatorius, the earliest-known relative of all primates—including humans—have been unearthed in a more southern region of North America than ever before, and the breakthrough is providing paleontologists ...

Mar 3, 2026