Phys.org news

The performance and safety profile of lithium batteries has improved immensely over the years, but new technologies are constantly demanding even better performance and increased safety demands due to higher energy densities. ...

The source of the significant water ice deposits hidden in Mercury's polar regions has been a topic of debate among researchers. A new study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, suggests that these ...

Single parents are less happy than parents with a partner, according to a comprehensive analysis of global studies spanning nearly 50 years of data. With the number of solo caregivers on the rise in many countries, scientists ...

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers have discovered a triply-eclipsing star system. The newfound system, designated TIC 295741342, consists of two sun-like stars in an eclipsing binary and ...

The Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is famous because adults look like overgrown babies, or tadpoles, retaining juvenile features as adults and capable of remarkable regeneration of lost limbs or tails. New studies ...

A new study by the University of Turku and partners provides fresh insights into an individual buried near Lake Kitka in Kuusamo, Finland, at the turn of the 17th century. DNA and isotope analyses show that the individual, ...

Research at the University of Sydney has found that scuba-diving tourism—widely promoted as a sustainable way to experience coral reefs—is causing frequent and often hidden damage to fragile marine ecosystems.

For more than half a century, materials scientists have struggled with how to simulate the complexity of polymer materials. An individual chain can comprise tens of thousands of atoms, a melt or composite contains billions, ...

Over the past few years, kombucha has become one of the world's most popular fermented beverages. While most consumers focus primarily on its taste, scientists are increasingly analyzing its chemical composition and potential ...

Human activity may be enabling the expansion of golden jackals across Europe by reducing the suppressive effect of gray wolves, suggests research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. This human-mediated interaction could ...

Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet may have been far smaller during one of Earth's most recent warm periods, according to a new study that traced the origin of ancient dust preserved in Antarctic ...

Scientists have discovered a way to convert widely used plastics into new materials with distinct properties that degrade more rapidly. Applying this new process to upcycle existing plastics—such as those used for food packaging ...