Phys.org news

Phys.org / Shell-crushing predators may have sparked early Cenozoic boom in marine snail evolution

A large-scale study of nearly 700 species reveals the evolutionary relationships and history of Neogastropoda, a diverse group of marine snails. The findings provide new evidence for their single origin, identify four new ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Bacteria from ancestral wheat microbiomes help protect plants against root rot fungus

In the journal npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, researchers from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) and the University of São Paulo (USP) describe the role of three bacteria in suppressing a soil-borne ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Mapping the 'hidden highways' of Mexico's illegal wildlife trade

For decades, wildlife traffickers have illegally captured and sold hundreds of thousands of wild parrots native to Mexico. Despite changes to international wildlife laws, the conservation status of these birds has continued ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Antarctic bacteria share 'life‑support' genes to survive extreme conditions

Antarctica is one of the driest, coldest places on Earth. Very little life survives its extremes. In the soils scattered around the frozen ice sheets, however, communities of microbes do survive. And one of the keys to their ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Soil bacteria share amino acids, helping nearly half survive nutrient gaps

Bacteria, too, depend on good neighborly relations: A new study by the Osnabrück University, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Cambridge in England, shows that soil bacteria live in beneficial communities ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Assembly of giant wild sunflower family genomes unlocks potential for new perennial crops

The Land Institute and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, in collaboration with key partners, have assembled the first chromosome-scale, haplotype-phased genomes for Silphium integrifolium (rosinweed, silflower) and ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Climate scientists solve monsoon puzzle and warn of risks to fisheries

A new study has reconciled a long-standing paradox in the South Asian summer monsoon cycle. Climate scientists have discovered why geological records from land and sea have told opposite stories about monsoons throughout ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / How atmospheric dryness limits increases in typhoon rainfall

Under global warming, scientists have widely expected tropical cyclones (including typhoons and hurricanes) to bring more intense and frequent rainfall. The underlying physics seems intuitive: Rising temperatures allow the ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / What happens inside a wildfire? A Ph.D. student is finding out

What happens during a wildfire? The short answer is: much more than we know. As wildfires burn through trees, grasses and other vegetation, heat from the flames sets off thousands of chemical reactions at once. Molecules ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists identify design rules for the best thermoelectric materials

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used a theoretical framework to derive design rules for creating new thermoelectric materials. The efficiency of converting thermal energy to electricity is often determined ...

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Glacier retreat could promote the spread of diseases among bees

A study conducted in the Swiss Alps by the University of Lausanne and the University of Milan shows that glacier retreat and changing vegetation could influence the spread of certain pathogens between honeybees and wild bees.

Aug 24, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny ocean plankton hold clues to the future of Maine lobster

The future of Maine's lobster industry may depend on a creature the size of a sesame seed. Researchers at the University of Maine have discovered that planktonic baby lobsters, or larvae, preferentially feed on Calanus finmarchicus, ...

Aug 24, 2026