Phys.org news

Phys.org / Ancient Colombians built huge water system without centralized rule, archaeologists say

Communities living in Colombia thousands of years ago achieved an engineering wonder of the world based on cooperation among family groups without top-down government, a new study shows. Archaeologists argue that policymakers ...

13 hours ago
Phys.org / New optical method reveals internal dynamics of elusive Wigner crystals

Researchers at the University of Basel and the Technical University of Munich have developed a new method to reveal the collective motion of electrons in one of the most elusive states of matter: the Wigner crystal. Using ...

13 hours ago
Phys.org / Who are the secret gardeners of a parasitic plant?

In the coastal forests of a tropical Japanese island near Okinawa grows an inconspicuous plant that is easy to mistake for a mushroom. It is a non-green parasite that feeds on the roots of other plants and produces up to ...

12 hours ago
Phys.org / Machine learning predicts forest soil fungal diversity from drone images

Combining drone data and machine learning can help cover more ground in monitoring forest soil health, University of Alberta research shows. The findings are published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management. Using both ...

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Traditional plastic forks shed harmful microplastics. Plastic created from sugar is an alternative

At a Massachusetts lab, pebble-sized pellets are transformed into forks and films that won't leave persistent microplastics in the environment.

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Oak leaves harbor distinct microbial worlds on their opposite surfaces

A single leaf may look like a simple patch of green, but to the microscopic life that inhabits it, it is a vast landscape divided into different worlds.

23 hours ago
Phys.org / Arctic fossil abandoned in 1948 proves to be record-size Triassic hunter

Nearly 80 years ago, a British expedition discovered the battered remains of a giant fossil on the peak of an Arctic island. Unable to take it with them, they snapped some pictures, took some bones and left the fossil to ...

Aug 10, 2026
Phys.org / The impact of recent super El Niños on sea level rise

El Niños and La Niñas are the third-most dominant influences on Earth's climate, after the sun and the greenhouse effect. But they haven't been easy to decipher or to predict in terms of when they will happen and what exact ...

Aug 10, 2026
Phys.org / Mars could have carried liquid water more recently than we thought

For decades, astronomers have assumed that the Martian surface froze solid around 3 billion years ago and has stayed that way ever since. If this were really the case, any liquid water would have long since either been locked ...

Aug 10, 2026
Phys.org / Why some male anglerfish parasitically fuse with females

Reproduction is central to the survival of all living organisms. Over millions of years, animal species on Earth have evolved a remarkable variety of mating strategies, ranging from physical fights with competitors to mesmerizing ...

Aug 10, 2026
Phys.org / Sixteen AI-designed viruses offer a new route against drug-resistant bacteria

In a world first, scientists led by a team from Stanford University have created 16 viable viruses that do not exist in nature and were designed by AI. Their experiment, which is published in Science, could help in the fight ...

Aug 10, 2026
Phys.org / AI cyclone forecasts could add 30 hours of warning time

Tropical cyclones are among the most destructive natural forces on the planet, but predicting where they will go and how strong they will become is beset by challenges. Current methods are often good at tracking storm paths ...

Aug 10, 2026