Phys.org news
Phys.org / Wetlands in Brazil's Cerrado are carbon-storage powerhouses
The Amazon rainforest is famous for storing massive amounts of carbon in its trees and soils, helping regulate the global climate. Yet a paper published in New Phytologist shows that one of South America's largest carbon-storing ...
Phys.org / Despite their contrasting reputations, bonobos and chimpanzees show similar levels of aggression in zoos
Chimpanzees have a reputation for being aggressive, while bonobos are often seen as their peaceful counterparts. This contrast has frequently been used to explain different sides of human nature. However, a new study by Utrecht ...
Phys.org / Astronomers capture birth of a magnetar, confirming link to some of universe's brightest exploding stars
Astronomers have for the first time seen the birth of a magnetar—a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star—and confirmed that it's the power source behind some of the brightest exploding stars in the cosmos. The finding ...
Phys.org / Ancient Filipino skeleton reveals a rare hip condition further complicated by scurvy
The growing paleopathological literature shows that scurvy was not a rare problem among people living in the ancient Asia-Pacific tropics. Scurvy is increasingly identified throughout the region, primarily in children but ...
Phys.org / Queen bees survive winter flooding by breathing underwater
Hibernation is a risky endeavor for many animals, as they can be taken away by the elements or predators. For several months of the year, queen bumblebees enter a dormant state underground called diapause. While this keeps ...
Phys.org / Scalable quantum batteries can charge faster than their classical counterparts
Over the past decades, energy engineers have developed increasingly advanced battery technologies that can store more energy, charge faster and maintain their performance for longer. In recent years, some researchers have ...
Phys.org / Nocturnal ants use lunar compass and sophisticated calculations to travel at night
It's well known that many animals, including migratory birds, butterflies, and even fish, use the sun for navigational purposes. Nocturnal animals are dealt a more difficult hand, however, as the moon's path is far more variable. ...
Phys.org / Hydrogen atmosphere could keep exomoons habitable for billions of years
Liquid water is considered essential for life. Surprisingly, however, stable conditions that are conducive to life could exist far from any sun. A research team from the Excellence Cluster ORIGINS at LMU and the Max Planck ...
Phys.org / Dolphin mass strandings in Patagonia linked to killer whales
In 2021 and 2023, hundreds of dolphins were stranded in shallow waters in San Antonio Bay in northern Patagonia. Some died, but many were returned safely to the sea. But what remained a mystery until now was how they ended ...
Phys.org / Flash heating upcycles waste glass into SiC nanowires in seconds
Engineering silicon carbide (SiC) with tailored morphologies for electronics and structural reinforcement materials has always been a costly and time-consuming affair, but scientists can now do it in a flash. A new study ...
Phys.org / Astronomers collect rare evidence of two planets colliding
Anastasios (Andy) Tzanidakis was combing through old telescope data from 2020 when he found an otherwise boring star acting very strangely. The star, named Gaia20ehk, was about 11,000 light-years from Earth near the constellation ...
Phys.org / Centuries of net-negative emissions are required to secure a safe climate future, two studies suggest
Two new studies conclude that stabilizing long-term climate risks will require sustained net-negative carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions for centuries. Approaching the problem from distinct perspectives—legal and technological ...
