Phys.org news
Phys.org / Chinchorro mummification may have originated as a form of art therapy, study suggests
In a recent study published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal, Dr. Bernardo Arriaza argues that the practice of artificial mummification among the Chinchorro people may have evolved as a response to high infant mortality ...
Phys.org / 16,000 fossil footprints in central Bolivia reveal dinosaur behavior
Legend once had it that the huge, three-toed footprints scattered across the central highlands of Bolivia came from supernaturally strong monsters—capable of sinking their claws even into solid stone.
Phys.org / Detecting the hidden magnetism of altermagnets
Altermagnets are a newly recognized class of antiferromagnets whose magnetic structure behaves very differently from what is found in conventional systems. In conventional antiferromagnets, the sublattices are linked by simple ...
Phys.org / How did Bronze Age plague spread? A sheep might solve the mystery
In the Middle Ages, a plague killed a third of Europe's population. Fleas carried the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, transmitting the Black Death from infected rats to millions of people.
Phys.org / Gemini and Blanco telescopes unlock clues to origin of longest gamma-ray burst ever observed
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the most powerful explosions in the universe, second only to the Big Bang. The majority of these bursts are observed to flash and fade within a few seconds to minutes. But on 2 July 2025, ...
Phys.org / Flaring black hole whips up ultra-fast winds
Leading X-ray space telescopes XMM-Newton and XRISM have spotted a never-seen-before blast from a supermassive black hole. In a matter of hours, the gravitational monster whipped up powerful winds, flinging material out into ...
Phys.org / Elusive wild cat feared extinct rediscovered in Thailand
An elusive wild cat long feared extinct in Thailand has been rediscovered three decades after the last recorded sighting, conservation authorities and an NGO said Friday.
Phys.org / Archaeologists discover unique mosaic patolli board at Guatemalan Maya city
In a study published in Latin American Antiquity, Dr. Julien Hiquet and Dr. Rémi Méreuze analyzed the remains of a unique mosaic-style patolli game board discovered in the Classic Period city of Naachtun, Guatemala.
Phys.org / New Guineans and Aboriginal Australians descend from two groups who arrived 60,000 years ago, research suggests
A collaboration between the University of Huddersfield's Archaeogenetics Research Group and the University of Southampton's Center for Maritime Archaeology, has clarified the first settlement of New Guinea and Australia by ...
Phys.org / Supernova from the dawn of the universe captured by James Webb Space Telescope
An international team of astronomers has achieved a first in probing the early universe, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), detecting a supernova—the explosive death of a massive star—at an unprecedented cosmic ...
Phys.org / Study says African penguins starved en masse off South Africa
Endangered penguins living off South Africa's coast have likely starved en masse due to food shortages, a study said, with some populations dropping by 95% in just eight years.
Phys.org / Ultracold atoms observed climbing a quantum staircase
For the first time, scientists have observed the iconic Shapiro steps, a staircase-like quantum effect, in ultracold atoms.
