Phys.org news

Phys.org / Iconic Andean monument may have been used for Indigenous accounting

Sediment analysis and drone photography of the iconic South American monument of Monte Sierpe (aka "Band of Holes") support a new interpretation of this mysterious landscape feature as part of an Indigenous system of accounting ...

Nov 9, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Spins influence solid oxygen's crystal structure under extreme magnetic fields, study finds

Placing materials under extremely strong magnetic fields can give rise to unusual and fascinating physical phenomena or behavior. Specifically, studies show that under magnetic fields above 100 tesla (T), spins (i.e., intrinsic ...

Nov 8, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Water temperatures in Amazonian lakes rise to unprecedented levels, killing wildlife

During a severe drought and heat wave in 2023, Amazonian lakes reached their highest recorded temperatures. Water temperatures in some areas climbed to an astonishing 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and resulted ...

Nov 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Bacteria use sugar-fueled currents and molecular gearboxes to move without flagella

New studies from Arizona State University reveal surprising ways bacteria can move without their flagella—the slender, whip-like propellers that usually drive them forward.

Nov 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Rainfall's origin reveals a hidden driver behind drought risks for farmers

A new University of California San Diego study uncovers a hidden driver of global crop vulnerability: the origin of rainfall itself.

Nov 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Saturday Citations: Black hole flare unprecedented; the strength of memories; bugs on the menu

This week, researchers reported finding a spider megacity in a sulfur cave on the Albania-Greece border, and experts say that you, personally, have to go live there. Economists are growing nervous about the collapse of the ...

Nov 8, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Rare footage shows sucker fish as they whale-surf in the ocean's wildest joyride

There are easier ways to cross an ocean, but few are as slick or stylish as the remora's whale-surfing joyride.

Nov 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix shape of DNA, has died at age 97

James D. Watson, whose co-discovery of the twisted-ladder structure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on a revolution in medicine, crimefighting, genealogy and ethics, has died. He was 97.

Nov 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Climate intervention may lower protein content in major global food crops

A new study in Environmental Research Letters reports that cooling the planet by injecting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, a proposed climate intervention technique, could reduce the nutritional value of the world's ...

Nov 8, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Nanoparticles that enhance mRNA delivery could reduce vaccine dosage and costs

A new delivery particle developed at MIT could make mRNA vaccines more effective and potentially lower the cost per vaccine dose.

Nov 8, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Ancient DNA uncovers unknown Argentina lineage that has persisted for last 8,500 years

An area called the central Southern Cone in South America, which consists of a large part of Argentina, is known to be one of the last global regions to become inhabited by humans.

Nov 7, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Saturn's icy moon may host a stable ocean fit for life

A new study led by researchers from Oxford University, Southwest Research Institute and the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona has provided the first evidence of significant heat flow at Enceladus's north pole, ...

Nov 7, 2025 in Astronomy & Space