Phys.org news

Phys.org / Colonists dredged away Sydney's natural oyster reefs. Now, scientists know how best to restore them

New research has identified optimal design for artificial habitats to support restoration of oyster reefs, based on a detailed understanding of natural oyster reef geometry. Published in the global journal Nature, the Sydney-based ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / The cooling system that lets bees beat the heat when hovering

To stay in the air when hovering over a flower, bumble bees continually flap their wings rapidly, a metabolic process that generates a massive amount of internal heat. Their flight muscles work so intensely that they can ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / First-ever shark recorded in Antarctic waters filmed at 490 meters in near‑freezing water

An ungainly barrel of a shark cruising languidly over a barren seabed far too deep for the sun's rays to illuminate was an unexpected sight.

Feb 18, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How the humble silkworm could help us discover new anti-aging treatments

When scientists want to study aging and how to slow it down, they often turn to microscopic worms or lab mice among other models. The former are too different from humans, while the latter are expensive and take too long ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Twelve-year tracking suggests killer whales do not always drive shark disappearances

While killer whales (Orcinus orca) can trigger the immediate departure of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), extended absences from their aggregation sites are also part of the sharks' natural behavior, new research reveals.

Feb 18, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Rare fossil at Montana museum records Tyrannosaurus attack

A fossil on display at Montana State University's Museum of the Rockies reveals how dinosaurs in the Tyrannosaurus genus may have subdued prey, and the specimen is the focus of a new collaborative research publication between ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Hubble identifies a near-invisible galaxy that may be 99% dark matter

In the vast tapestry of the universe, most galaxies shine brightly across cosmic time and space. Yet a rare class of galaxies remains nearly invisible—low-surface-brightness galaxies dominated by dark matter and containing ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Indigenous Peoples and locals report a drastic decline in bird size across three continents

Birds currently inhabiting many territories across Africa, Latin America and Asia are, on average, considerably smaller than those that predominated in 1940. This is the conclusion of an international study led by the Institute ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Machine learning algorithm fully reconstructs LHC particle collisions

The CMS Collaboration has shown, for the first time, that machine learning can be used to fully reconstruct particle collisions at the LHC. This new approach can reconstruct collisions more quickly and precisely than traditional ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Archaeologists identify elders in Iron Age Israel through household artifacts

A new study from Bar-Ilan University is shedding light on a long-overlooked social group in archaeology: the elderly. While research on women and children has flourished in recent decades, older adults have remained largely ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / 'Boomerang' earthquake simulations suggest ricocheting ruptures may be more common than previously thought

An earthquake typically sets off ruptures that ripple out from its underground origins. But on rare occasions, seismologists have observed quakes that reverse course, further shaking up areas that they passed through only ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Machine learning helps solve a central problem of quantum chemistry

By applying new methods of machine learning to quantum chemistry research, Heidelberg University scientists have made significant strides in computational chemistry. They have achieved a major breakthrough toward solving ...

Feb 18, 2026 in Chemistry