Phys.org news

Phys.org / Listening for extinction: Study finds areas of critical concern for northern spotted owls

Northern spotted owl populations are approaching or have already crossed functional extinction across large areas of the Pacific Northwest, a new study, published in Ecological Applications found. Researchers used artificial ...

17 hours ago
Phys.org / A tiny drop of water is all that's needed to find threatened frogs

New James Cook University research has used highly sensitive environmental DNA (e-DNA) techniques to find two species of threatened frogs in places they've never been seen before—and find another still struggling to recover ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Cow gut enzyme could help target bacterial biofilms and antibiotic-resistant infections

The bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii poses a substantial threat in health care settings, readily forming biofilms on wounds and medical surfaces and contributing to persistent infections and delayed healing. Its growing ...

20 hours ago
Phys.org / How people treat you may shape your reputation and stabilize cooperation

When one person helps, or refuses to help, another in public, this may change not only the provider's reputation but also the recipient's. A theoretical study led by Kobe University offers a simple explanation for how cooperation ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Nanoscale hairs may help gecko skin trap moisture and slow evaporation

In a dry shrubland, a gecko sprints toward shelter. Its greatest danger is not a predator, although hawks circle overhead and sand cats wait in ambush. Rather, its most pressing concern is dehydration. Its skin is paper-thin; ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / Young golden eagles leave their parents' territory late

When a young golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) finally leaves its parents' territory, it leaves behind the only safety net it has ever known. Until now, biologists had assumed that eagles took this step as soon as they could ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Chatbots are making our writing more similar but losing the identity and personality behind it

Large language models (LLMs) are making writing styles more similar without changing the overall meaning, according to an analysis of more than 880,000 texts across different writing types published in Nature Human Behaviour. ...

18 hours ago
Phys.org / AI financial advice can improve decisions or steer investors wrong, experiment finds

To what extent can AI improve our financial decisions or steer us in the wrong direction? Researchers at the University of Bayreuth investigated this question in a new study involving 3,700 participants and fictional investment ...

19 hours ago
Phys.org / Bright ideas accelerate the hunt for quantum emitters

The search for materials that can power future quantum technologies is accelerating, but identifying the most promising candidates remains painfully slow. Evaluating whether a material can efficiently emit quantum light requires ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / The hidden chemistry behind glow-in-the-dark art

Some of the world's brightest colors don't just reflect light; they create it. Scientists and museum conservators are now uncovering why these luminous pigments fade and how to preserve them for future generations. The findings ...

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / Tides can vary by almost a meter across a single bay, four decades of satellite images reveal

Tide levels can vary by almost a meter across a single bay, according to a new study that uses decades of satellite images to measure tides at the scale of individual beaches.

Aug 25, 2026
Phys.org / How the sun's galactic journey and superflare-filled youth shaped Earth's climate

At the center of our solar system, the sun influences every planet that orbits it. In two recent studies, scientists uncovered how ancient events in the sun's history may have helped create Earth's unique climate and driven ...

Aug 24, 2026