Phys.org news

Phys.org / Australia's under-16 social media ban shows little early effect on teen use: Research

Australia's social media ban for under-16s has had little impact on teenagers' scrolling habits, researchers said Thursday in one of the first evaluations of the world-leading measures.

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Shorter front-leg strides can be an early warning sign of dementia in senior dogs

Scientists have shown that the stride length of the front legs (but not the hind legs) of senior and geriatric dogs decreases as their cognitive performance worsens. In contrast, chronological age itself was a poor predictor ...

Jun 25, 2026
Phys.org / Organic carbon detected in Bright Angel rock formation on Mars

In September 2025, NASA announced that its Perseverance rover had discovered a potential biosignature, which is a substance or structure that might have a biological origin. A new paper, published in Science Advances, unambiguously ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Binary black hole signal probes event horizon region for first time

If, in space, no one can hear you scream, it seems that you can actually hear the sound of a crash when two black holes collide. Using the loudest gravitational wave ever heard, two Australian scientists and colleagues have ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient proteins hint at all-female Homo naledi burial site in Rising Star cave system

Scientists have extracted and analyzed the first-ever ancient proteins from the fossils of Homo naledi, revealing a potential all-female burial site. The study, published in the journal Cell, raises the possibility that South ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Quantum squeezing sidesteps the limits on mechanical transducers

From detecting the ripples of colliding black holes to imaging individual chemical bonds, mechanical transducers have repeatedly transformed our understanding of the universe. So far, however, the sensitivity of these devices ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Why female guppies prefer rare males and how this might shape evolution

When it comes to choosing a partner, some species prefer males that stand out from the crowd. Evolutionary biologists call the resulting process negative frequency-dependent selection. It means that a male has a huge mating ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Artificial DNA tiles could deliver drugs and monitor neurons non-disruptively

Living cells constantly exchange ions (i.e., charged particles) via the thin barrier that surrounds their interior, known as the outer membrane. Neuroscientists and medical researchers have long been trying to devise effective ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Interlayer self-doping could unlock room-temperature multiferroics in atom-thin materials

Multiferroics are materials that exhibit more than one prominent "ferroic" property, such as ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity. One of their most advantageous features is that they allow engineers to control their magnetic ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Asteroid zooming past Earth on Saturday visible to stargazers

A large asteroid that will zoom harmlessly past Earth on Saturday will be visible to stargazers using a small telescope or large binoculars, the European Space Agency announced Wednesday.

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Oldest example of preserved tube feet reveals clues about the lives of 452-million-year-old sea lilies

Echinoderms, such as starfish, sea urchins and sea lilies, use small, flexible, tubular projections called "tube feet" for locomotion, feeding, respiration and sensory perception. Crinoids, a subgroup of echinoderms, are ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Language-based screeners may miss kids who struggle to read due to visual-processing issues

Reading difficulties, like dyslexia, are common and often affect achievement and outcomes during school and later in life. A new study, published in Current Biology, reports that current methods used to test for reading disabilities ...

Jun 24, 2026