Phys.org news

Phys.org / Lunar soil analyses reveal how space weathering shapes the moon's ultraviolet reflectance

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists are collaborating with researchers at UT San Antonio to study how space weathering can alter the lunar surface materials to help interpret regional and global far-ultraviolet ...

Dec 10, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Painting galaxy clusters by numbers (and physics)

Galaxy clusters are the most massive objects in the universe held together by gravity, containing up to several thousand individual galaxies and huge reservoirs of superheated, X-ray-emitting gas. The mass of this hot gas ...

Dec 10, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / New study reveals Industrial Revolution's uneven health impacts across England

An interdisciplinary team of scientists has uncovered new evidence showing that the health impacts of the Industrial Revolution varied more widely across England than previously believed.

Dec 10, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Global warming amplifies extreme day-to-day temperature swings, study shows

A new study has revealed that rapid, large-scale day-to-day temperature fluctuations have intensified amid global warming, representing a distinct climate hazard with impacts on human health. This growing volatility creates ...

Dec 10, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / A new 'hypertropical' climate is emerging in the Amazon, exposing trees to deadly stress

The Amazon rainforest is slowly transitioning to a new, hotter climate with more frequent and intense droughts—conditions that haven't been seen on Earth for tens of millions of years.

Dec 10, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / More yield through heterosis: Researchers decode gene interaction behind hybrid vigor

When two homozygous plant lines with different characteristics are crossed, the resulting offspring are often more robust and productive than their parents. This phenomenon is called heterosis. It can be caused by positive ...

Dec 10, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Descriptions of mollusks in the Global South are still, for the most part, the result of 'parachute science'

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, when colonialism was the prevailing order, it is not surprising that scientific expeditions, specimen deposits in natural history museums, and descriptions of species from European colonies ...

Dec 10, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Tropical cyclones and the carbon cycle: New insights from a model simulation

For the first time, scientists have resolved extremely intense tropical cyclones and their effect on the ocean carbon cycle in a global Earth system model. Using two category-4 hurricanes in the North Atlantic as examples, ...

Dec 10, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Wildfire smoke lofted into atmosphere could affect Earth's climate

Some wildfires are so intense, they create their own weather—thunderstorms driven by heat that hurtle smoke as high as 10 miles into the sky like giant chimneys.

Dec 10, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Westerlund 1: First evidence of particle outflow from a young massive star cluster

Star clusters are of great importance in any galaxy: they are the birthplace of new stars, often containing massive stars of 10 solar masses or more. Such massive stars often drive powerful winds; the combined action of all ...

Dec 10, 2025 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Biobanking opens new windows into human evolution

More than a decade after the first Neanderthal genome was sequenced, scientists are still working to understand how human-specific DNA changes shaped human evolution.

Dec 10, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Viruses found in carbon-storing wetlands play an active role in shaping ecosystem health

Viruses in wetland soil play a more important role than previously understood and could even be indicators of ecosystem health, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Recently ...

Dec 10, 2025 in Biology