Phys.org news

Phys.org / How the Great Pyramid of Giza has survived 4,500 years of Egyptian earthquakes

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt has survived more than 4,500 years. Earthquakes have repeatedly shaken the region, including the magnitude 5.8 Cairo earthquake in 1992, which dislodged some of the pyramid's outer casing ...

May 22, 2026
Phys.org / Ocean acidification is ruining reef fishes' social lives, study finds

A new study from Adelaide University has found that when ocean acidification makes reef habitat less complex, the fish living there gather in smaller shoals that offer less social protection.

May 22, 2026
Phys.org / Superconducting vortices moonlight as controllable qubits, turning a disruption into a resource

Vortices in superconductors have so far been considered a disruption, as they can impair the superconducting properties. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have proved in experiments that magnetic ...

May 22, 2026
Phys.org / Rice feeds billions of people—but its role in fueling climate change is growing

Rice feeds more than half the world. From terraced paddies in Southeast Asia to irrigated fields in China and India, it underpins daily meals for billions of people.

May 22, 2026
Phys.org / Social mammals live longer—but bigger groups don't add that many extra years

A new study, published in Ecology and Evolution, shows that social living is associated with longer lifespan, but also that the benefits of sociality level off once animals move beyond living in pairs.

May 22, 2026
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.

May 22, 2026
Phys.org / Agentic AI could help electron microscopes plan, adapt and analyze experiments

Scientific discovery is often portrayed as the result of long hours alone in a lab, but true science is inherently collaborative. The most robust experimental processes are developed through partnerships across multiple areas ...

May 22, 2026
Phys.org / Bodies in fashion: Diversity is up, but the ideal stays the same

Fashion and media have become visibly more diverse over the past quarter-century. Yet beneath that surface change, a new study suggests that the industry's central female body ideal has barely shifted.

May 22, 2026
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 ...

May 22, 2026
Phys.org / Heat vulnerability follows more than temperature, and this global map exposes the overlooked fault lines

A Nature Sustainability paper titled "A multidimensional assessment of Systemic Cooling Poverty in the Global South," provides the first large-scale, multidimensional measurement of Systemic Cooling Poverty (SCP)—defined ...

May 22, 2026
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.

May 22, 2026
Phys.org / Coral refuges in Western Australia resist 2025 bleaching through record marine heat

The team of scientists from James Cook University, University of Western Australia and Edith Cowan University surveyed coral reefs in the West Australian Houtman Abrolhos group of islands (HAI), publishing their findings ...

May 22, 2026