Phys.org news
Phys.org / For decades, this bias test looked inside minds—now its biggest blind spot is coming into focus
People are known to implicitly create connections between different things or ideas in their mind, some of which can influence how they perceive others, themselves and the world at large. These implicit biases have been widely ...
Phys.org / Soil fertilization with Amazonian dark earth increases tree diameter by up to 88%
A study conducted in the Brazilian state of Amazonas has demonstrated that small amounts of Amazonian dark earth (ADE)—an anthropogenic soil created by ancient Amazonian populations—can increase the height and diameter of ...
Phys.org / Atlantic Forest's top predator faces a hidden collapse, and protected areas are no longer enough
In addition to habitat loss and illegal hunting, the jaguar (Panthera onca) faces another threat that increases its risk of extinction in the South American Atlantic Forest: food scarcity. A study by Brazilian researchers ...
Phys.org / Astronomers release massive set of 'virtual universes' for global research
Understanding the universe as a whole requires simulations on cosmic scales. An international team of astrophysicists, with a leading role for researchers at Leiden University, Netherlands, has now released one of the largest ...
Phys.org / Light can now be shaped in empty space, and it could simplify sensing and boost data links
Scientists at the University of East Anglia have uncovered a hidden property of light that allows it to twist, spin and behave differently—without mirrors, materials or special lenses. In a breakthrough that could transform ...
Phys.org / Data from Earth's most remote atoll show soil fungi are key to island regeneration
Palmyra Atoll, a remote, uninhabited speck of land, coral and sea halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa, is one of the healthiest, intact atolls on the planet—so ecologically sensitive that visiting researchers freeze ...
Phys.org / How hard-surface feeding unlocked a burst of reef fish evolution 50 million years ago
Why are there so many species of coral reef fish? According to a new study, it's because about 50 million years ago, some fish figured out how to bite food from hard surfaces.
Phys.org / Thinner than hair and stretchable like rubber, this new shield tackles a space-age problem in one layer
Shielding materials are essential in key modern industrial settings—such as spacecraft, nuclear power plants, semiconductor equipment, and advanced medical devices—to protect both equipment and personnel from electromagnetic ...
Phys.org / Hidden stripe pattern lets microscopes auto-focus across 400 times deeper range
Anyone who has ever used a microscope knows that it takes time to bring a sample into sharp focus. Each time you move the slide, the image blurs, and you have to stop and carefully turn a knob to bring everything back into ...
Phys.org / Two whale groups separated by seas—but not by genes, study finds
A paper in Genome Biology and Evolution discovers that the endangered Mediterranean fin whale is not completely isolated from Atlantic groups. Both Atlantic and Mediterranean populations have declined for the past 200,000 ...
Phys.org / Decades-long study finds 'stable' soil carbon degrades
After nearly four decades, the world's longest-running soil warming experiment is revealing a surprising result: even "stable" carbon in forest soils can break down as temperatures rise, releasing more CO₂ into the atmosphere. ...
Phys.org / Bowhead whale recovery reflects century-old whaling patterns
An international study led by Adelaide University has found bowhead whale populations are recovering only in stocks where large areas of hazardous sea ice conditions limited devastating hunting centuries ago. The research ...
