Phys.org news

Phys.org / Swimming crab trapped in plastic bottle survives two months at sea

How did a large crab end up trapped inside a plastic bottle with an opening smaller than its body? Hiroshima University researchers investigated this unusual marine mystery, revealing a lesser-known impact of marine plastic ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Airborne AI spots underwater munitions in shallow seas with high precision

A new airborne imaging approach can reliably detect unexploded weapons that lie in shallow coastal waters and remain an ongoing hazard to public safety, marine ecosystems and infrastructure worldwide. By combining advanced ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists uncover why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic

Scientists have uncovered why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic. The international research, published in Science, helps solve one of climate science's longest-standing puzzles: how a vast ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Zero-waste plastic and color recycling: The end of colored plastic downgrading could be near

In the world of market competition, having the best and brightest package could send company sales into the millions. On the other hand, the amount of colored plastic waste increases, adding to the growing challenge of recycling ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Ecological factors, not social behavior, explain brain size in cephalopods

Octopuses, squid and cuttlefish may have evolved large brains because of the challenges posed by their environments rather than the demands of social life, according to a new study published in iScience today.

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / More Canadian than the beaver? Scientists discover a western toad found only in Canada

The beaver and moose may be enduring symbols of Canadian wildlife, but neither is uniquely Canadian from a genetic perspective. But a team of researchers from the University of Ottawa has now discovered something rare: a ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Nanozymes map nanoparticle routes inside live cells without genetic engineering

Nanoparticles are widely used in medicine to deliver drugs, genes or imaging agents to specific parts of the body. Once a nanoparticle reaches a cell, however, many things can happen—it can reach its target, be degraded, ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Synchronized infrared lasers control molecular shape changes and expose hidden fingerprints

Researchers from the Molecular Physics and Physical Chemistry departments of the Fritz Haber Institute have shown how two highly synchronized infrared (IR) laser beams can control molecules as they switch between different ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Simulation reveals how glaciers transported rocks across the Alps 24,000 years ago

Many of the boulders scattered across the Swiss landscape did not originate where they now stand. Instead, they were carried by ice nearly 24,000 years ago. For the first time, researchers at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / The broader a fungus's diet, the better it kills insects and helps plants

Many fungi lead triple lives—acting as deadly insect pathogens, decomposers in the soil, and helpful partners living inside and transferring insect-derived nitrogen to plant roots. Scientists have long wondered what allows ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / How giant tropical trees transport water 70 meters to stay as drought-resilient as smaller trees

The giant trees of tropical forests are important allies in the fight against climate change because of their ability to store carbon, yet they are still poorly understood by science. However, a study published in the journal ...

Jul 2, 2026
Phys.org / Single ion maps 3D electromagnetic fields above chips with record sensitivity

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a method that uses a single ion to detect electromagnetic fields above a surface and to create a three-dimensional map of them. In the future, this approach can be used to improve ...

Jul 2, 2026