Phys.org news
Phys.org / Houston, we have a problem ... with the toilet
After a successful trip around the moon, everything has been going smoothly on the Orion spacecraft's journey back to Earth—except for the $23 million toilet, which has gotten clogged.
Phys.org / Soundscapes from nearby forests are more uplifting than those from faraway places, research suggests
Listening to one-minute-long audio recordings of forests had positive effects on people's short-term well-being, especially when the recordings were from local temperate forests. Study participants residing in Germany perceived ...
Phys.org / Ecuador study finds tropical rainforest biodiversity rebounds over 90% in 30 years
Tropical rainforests are home to almost two-thirds of all vertebrate species and three-quarters of all tree species: they are the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystem on Earth. However, over half of these diverse rainforests ...
Phys.org / AMOC collapse could turn Southern Ocean into carbon source, adding 0.2°C to global warming
A shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could trigger a substantial release of stored ocean carbon into the atmosphere over hundreds of years, according to a new study that simulated such a collapse ...
Phys.org / Uncharted island will soon appear on nautical charts
A 93-strong international expedition team has been exploring the northwestern Weddell Sea in the Antarctic on board the Alfred Wegener Institute's icebreaker Polarstern since February 8, 2026. In this key region for global ...
Phys.org / A 'stemness checkpoint' helps control stem cell identity
A study published in Cell Research advances a central idea in stem cell biology by identifying a checkpoint that controls the identity of many different types of stem cells across developmental stages. For nearly two decades, ...
Phys.org / Satellites capture the volatile human–luminescence relationship
From space, Earth's populated areas glow on the otherwise "black marble" of the planet at night. For decades, scientists assumed this glow was steadily increasing as the world developed. However, a new study published in ...
Phys.org / Momentum-engineered photonic states make bulk silicon shine
An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine, has demonstrated a fundamentally new way to make silicon emit light—overcoming one of the most persistent limitations in modern ...
Phys.org / Ancient architecture shows public opinion influenced Maya divine kings
Excavation of a council house at the major Lowland Maya center of Ucanal, Guatemala, reveals how the public gained some influence over Maya politics more than 1,000 years ago. These colonnaded, open halls were likely council ...
Phys.org / Mathematical model predicts fish freshness in real time
Every day, fish caught in oceans and seas around the world pass through a long journey before reaching supermarkets, restaurants, and home kitchens. Along the way, their freshness steadily declines, often in ways that are ...
Phys.org / The binding sites that guide fungal 'vesicle hitchhiking'—new study maps mRNA transport
A specific protein controls mRNA transport in fungi and distinguishes important from unimportant binding sites in the transported mRNAs. Researchers from Würzburg and Düsseldorf have discovered this mechanism.
Phys.org / A greener route to citrus-derived therapeutics: What a new bromination method changes
Undergraduate students at Penn State Brandywine developed an environmentally friendly and easy method to synthesize compounds from plant-derived molecules for potential use in therapeutics. Their work, conducted under the ...
