Phys.org news
Phys.org / Tiny water droplets convert stubborn plastic waste into valuable acids, study finds
A new way of converting stubborn plastic waste into high-value chemicals using only water and oxygen has been developed by an international team of scientists.
Phys.org / Microplastics reach even 2,000 meters below the ocean surface, study finds
Plastic pollution has become a global environmental crisis, with an estimated 11 million tons of plastic entering the oceans each year. As larger plastic debris breaks down into microplastics, these tiny particles are transported ...
Phys.org / New study reveals what drives the evolution of remarkable eyes in deep‑sea hyperiid amphipods
Hyperiid amphipods are a small but anatomically diverse group of shrimp-like crustaceans with remarkable adaptations for life in the ocean's twilight zone. A team of researchers from MBARI, the Smithsonian National Museum ...
Phys.org / Antarctic change drives slowdown of global ocean circulation
New Antarctic research shows the deepest layer of the Southern Ocean is shrinking faster than scientists realized, with the rate of change accelerating over the past decade. This is of worldwide significance because as it ...
Phys.org / Asteroid breakup may explain inner solar system bombardment 800 million years ago
A Southwest Research Institute-led study has proposed a connection between a specific collision in the main asteroid belt and an inner-solar-system-wide bombardment episode that may have had measurable biological and geological ...
Phys.org / Risks of solar storms may be underestimated, warn researchers
The effects of extreme space weather may be larger than previously thought, research in the journal Nature reveals. The paper, titled "Regression to the mean can explain saturation of geomagnetic storms," is led by Dr. Nithin ...
Phys.org / T. rex was likely responsible for some tooth marks on fossil bones from Cretaceous era
A collection of fossilized dinosaur bones from Wyoming features tooth marks that provide evidence that some bites were likely made by Tyrannosaurus rex, according to a study published July 15, 2026, in PLOS One by Bethania ...
Phys.org / Birds respond differently to environmental change—and their traits explain why
A sweeping new Cal Poly study of North American birds reveals that environmental change does not affect all species equally and that a bird's traits can explain whether populations rise or fall as local conditions change.
Phys.org / Sensitive measurements uncover dual superconducting states in atom-thin NbSe₂ and TaS₂
A new study reveals that two widely studied ultrathin superconducting materials are more sophisticated than they appear. Although they seem to behave like simple superconductors with a single energy gap, they actually contain ...
Phys.org / NASA's Perseverance rover reads record of ancient Mars impacts
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has uncovered evidence that a 245-foot-thick (75-meter-thick) stack of ancient rock on the rim of Jezero Crater was built by repeated asteroid impacts. Referred to as the "Broom Point member" ...
Phys.org / Prey accessibility, not abundance, may shape predator behavior in penguins
Large seabird colonies have a surrounding boundary known as Ashmole's halo, where food sources are depleted, forcing the birds to travel farther to gather the food they need. The reason seems obvious—the more birds, the more ...
Phys.org / Elephants turn footsteps into messages through ground and skull vibrations
Elephants can communicate with other elephants across distances of up to five kilometers (3 miles) by producing sounds that travel through the air. However, they have a second way of sending signals: seismic waves traveling ...