Phys.org news
Phys.org / Atlas reveals rocks with rare earth element potential, helping pinpoint new deposits
A new atlas charts the global distribution of unusual, critical-metal-bearing igneous rocks, finding that they often form near the thick and ancient cores of the world's major continents. Researchers from Cambridge's Department ...
Phys.org / Asexual lizards, virgin births and clones—the all‑female species of the animal kingdom
It may sound too bizarre to be true, but the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa), a fish that inhabits rivers, lakes, and swamps in Mexico and Texas, exists over much of its range in populations that are 100% female. In 1932, ...
Phys.org / Ancient DNA reveals web of marriage and migration in Peru centuries before Inca rule
Long-distance migration along Peru's Pacific coast began at least 800 years ago, centuries before the rise of the Inca Empire and much earlier than previously thought, a new international study reveals.
Phys.org / Midwest flamingos and 'hurricane toads': Wildlife's strange storm stories
Hurricanes can be a devastating force—leveling trees, erasing beaches and damaging homes. But what do they do to wildlife? The answer ranges from the good to the bad to the ugly. Hurricanes sometimes help native species, ...
Phys.org / If you need to anesthetize a butterfly, here's the best way to do it
Anesthesia makes life-saving procedures as painless and stress-free as possible for the animals we love and care for. But not a lot is known about the effects of anesthesia on animals that we don't typically consider pets—like ...
Phys.org / Countdown glitch delays world's biggest rocket as SpaceX targets Friday retry
Elon Musk's SpaceX postponed the highly anticipated launch of its upgraded Starship megarocket, calling off Thursday's test after multiple countdown stops-and-starts.
Phys.org / Gibraltar monkeys eat soil in junk food detox, study finds
A colony of macaques that gorge on snacks offered by tourists in the British territory of Gibraltar swallow soil to recover from their junk food binges, a study has found.
Phys.org / Seagrass found to produce new genetic individuals rather than clone itself, offering hope for 'underwater meadows'
In many underwater ecosystems, seagrass meadows act as a food source, a safe haven, and an ecological lynchpin. But until now, very little was known about how these plants reproduce—critical information for conserving the ...
Phys.org / Black holes may avoid singularities when charge and Hawking radiation combine, theoretical physicist argues
Black holes are regions in space where gravity is so strong that nothing, even light, can escape. Einstein's theory of general relativity breaks down inside black holes, either by the presence of a so-called "curvature singularity" ...
Phys.org / Quantum supremacy just ran into an unexpected rival: An ordinary laptop armed with new math
Using a conventional computer and cutting-edge mathematical tools and code, physicists at the Center for Computational Quantum Physics (CCQ) at the Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute and collaborators at Boston University ...
Phys.org / Astronomers may have discovered the tiniest odd radio circle
Astronomers have identified a possible new member of one of astronomy's strangest classes of objects: Odd radio circles (ORCs), enormous ring-like structures visible only at radio wavelengths. The newly discovered source, ...
Phys.org / Crystals of space and time: A structural phenomenon that may collapse into tiny black holes
A team from Vienna and Frankfurt has found a formula describing a strange phenomenon: Space and time can form a kind of "crystal" that may turn into a black hole. The results are described in Physical Review Letters.