Phys.org news

Phys.org / Twelve-year tracking suggests killer whales do not always drive shark disappearances

While killer whales (Orcinus orca) can trigger the immediate departure of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), extended absences from their aggregation sites are also part of the sharks' natural behavior, new research reveals.

Feb 18, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Rare fossil at Montana museum records Tyrannosaurus attack

A fossil on display at Montana State University's Museum of the Rockies reveals how dinosaurs in the Tyrannosaurus genus may have subdued prey, and the specimen is the focus of a new collaborative research publication between ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Indigenous Peoples and locals report a drastic decline in bird size across three continents

Birds currently inhabiting many territories across Africa, Latin America and Asia are, on average, considerably smaller than those that predominated in 1940. This is the conclusion of an international study led by the Institute ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Hubble identifies a near-invisible galaxy that may be 99% dark matter

In the vast tapestry of the universe, most galaxies shine brightly across cosmic time and space. Yet a rare class of galaxies remains nearly invisible—low-surface-brightness galaxies dominated by dark matter and containing ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Machine learning algorithm fully reconstructs LHC particle collisions

The CMS Collaboration has shown, for the first time, that machine learning can be used to fully reconstruct particle collisions at the LHC. This new approach can reconstruct collisions more quickly and precisely than traditional ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Archaeologists identify elders in Iron Age Israel through household artifacts

A new study from Bar-Ilan University is shedding light on a long-overlooked social group in archaeology: the elderly. While research on women and children has flourished in recent decades, older adults have remained largely ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / 'Boomerang' earthquake simulations suggest ricocheting ruptures may be more common than previously thought

An earthquake typically sets off ruptures that ripple out from its underground origins. But on rare occasions, seismologists have observed quakes that reverse course, further shaking up areas that they passed through only ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Machine learning helps solve a central problem of quantum chemistry

By applying new methods of machine learning to quantum chemistry research, Heidelberg University scientists have made significant strides in computational chemistry. They have achieved a major breakthrough toward solving ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Marriage or moving in? Study explains what lifts happiness after 50

Who says that butterflies in the stomach are only for the young? A new study by psychologist Iris Wahring from the University of Vienna and her international team shows that when people over 50 enter into a new relationship ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / New 'Mars GPS' lets Perseverance pinpoint its location within 25 centimeters

Imagine you're all alone, driving along in a rocky, unforgiving desert with no roads, no map, no GPS, and no more than one phone call a day for someone to inform you exactly where you are. That's what NASA's Perseverance ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Chemistry-powered 'breathing' membrane opens and closes tiny pores on its own

Ion channels are narrow passageways that play a pivotal role in many biological processes. To model how ions move through these tight spaces, pores need to be fabricated at very small length scales. The narrowest regions ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Plant-based material offers sustainable method of recovering rare earth element

Despite rare earth elements' importance in manufacturing cell phones, magnets and a host of other consumer and commercial electronics, the lack of a sustainable, environmentally friendly approach to obtaining these metals ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Chemistry