Phys.org news
Phys.org / Italian bears living near villages have evolved to be smaller and less aggressive, finds study
A paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, reports that Italian bears living in areas with many villages evolved and became smaller and less aggressive.
Phys.org / Video: Lunar impact flash detected on the moon by Armagh Observatory and Planetarium
On 12 December 2025 at 03:09:36 UTC, astronomers at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) have captured what is believed to be the first video recording of a lunar impact flash in Ireland, and the second recorded from ...
Phys.org / Rare, deep-sea encounter: Scientists observe 'extraordinary' seven-arm octopus
Almost a half-mile below the surface of Monterey Bay, California, scientists have recorded rare footage of a seven-arm octopus— only the fourth time the same research team has spotted the species in about four decades.
Phys.org / XMM-Newton sees comet 3I/ATLAS in X-ray light
The European Space Agency's X-ray space observatory XMM-Newton observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on 3 December for around 20 hours. During that time, the comet was about 282–285 million km from the spacecraft.
Phys.org / Thank the JWST for confirming the first runaway supermassive black hole
What could force a supermassive black hole (SMBH) out of its host galaxy? They can have hundreds of millions, even billions of solar masses. What's powerful enough to dislodge one of these behemoths?
Dialog / The moon-forming event: Why it was by explosive ejection rather than a giant impact
One of the oldest unsolved riddles in planetary science concerns the origin of the moon. Over a century ago, George Darwin proposed that tidal and centrifugal forces on a rapidly rotating proto-Earth caused the moon to be ...
Phys.org / Scientists develop a smarter mRNA therapy that knows which cells to target
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a first-of-its-kind mRNA system that switches on therapeutic genes preferentially inside targeted cells—an advance demonstrated in studies in mice ...
Phys.org / Ancient genetic 'start' signal found in bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes
A newly discovered promoter element "start" points to a shared regulatory syntax for controlling transcription initiation in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes.
Phys.org / Synthetic key enzyme enables the conversion of CO₂ into formic acid
For a carbon-neutral bioeconomy, processes are needed that can efficiently capture CO2 and convert it into valuable products. Formic acid, or more specifically its salt, formate, is considered a promising candidate as it ...
Phys.org / Dark matter search narrows as detector sets new limits and spots solar neutrinos
Australian researchers have played a central role in a landmark result from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment in South Dakota—the world's most sensitive dark matter detector. Today, scientists working on the experiment report ...
Phys.org / From cages to fields: Lab mice lose their anxiety after a week outdoors
When postdoctoral researcher Matthew Zipple releases lab mice into a large, enclosed field just off Cornell's campus, something remarkable happens.
Phys.org / Heavy is the head that wears the crown: Dominant baboons miss out on restful nights
Dominant baboons rule the troops by day, but at night, they may pay a hidden cost. A study led by Swansea University has found that higher-ranking baboons get less and more fragmented rest at night than their lower-ranked ...
