Phys.org news

Phys.org / Male Neanderthal pelvises resemble those of modern females, challenging decades-old assumptions

A new study by the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology at Tel Aviv University, published in Scientific Reports, offers an explanation for one of the striking differences between men and women: the evolutionary development ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / AI agents coordinate behavior based on majority opinion—even when said opinions are meaningless

A new study published in Science Advances takes a closer look at how AI agents' choices are influenced by their peers. The team found that more advanced models tend to follow the majority when shown other agents' choices, ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / First pair of feeding supermassive black holes found in a Green Pea galaxy

Astronomers have discovered the first confirmed dual active galactic nucleus in a Green Pea galaxy, revealing two supermassive black holes growing at the same time inside a compact, intensely star-forming system. X-ray observations ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Dark matter may be gravitationally lensing a likely source of cosmic neutrinos

Astronomers have discovered that the jet of a distant blazar has been gravitationally lensed by an unseen source of dark matter. Led by Silke Britzen at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany, the team's ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Amber fossil reveals firefly relative with unprecedented antennae

Insects rely on a wide range of strategies to sense their surroundings and communicate with their peers. Fireflies (Lampyridae) and some related beetles are known for their ability to produce visible light through chemical ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Gold nanoclusters could help break down Alzheimer's amyloid plaques

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by progressive memory loss and a decline in other mental functions. Past studies have consistently linked this disorder to the accumulation of the protein ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Immune cells have a 'sense of touch,' scientists discover

Scientists have long believed that tissue-resident memory T cells—which remain in tissues after an infection has cleared and respond rapidly if the threat returns—are shaped primarily by biochemical signals. A McGill University–led ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees could have been a vertical climber, no matter its feet

New research suggests that no matter what we eventually determine the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees to be, we'll learn it was a primate that climbed trees.

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Three photons at once beat the standard photon test

Physicists at the University of Twente have improved the standard test for the quality of individual particles of light. By letting three photons interfere at the same time instead of two, they draw more information from ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / A weakening Atlantic Ocean current system could accelerate Earth's warming

A current system in the Atlantic Ocean that shapes regional climates and distributes ocean nutrients also serves as a control knob to help regulate temperatures across the planet, new research has found.

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Unlocking Gondwana's 120-million-year archive: Karoo record refines timing of extinctions and climate upheavals

A new review led by professor Emese Bordy at the University of Cape Town (UCT) Department of Geological Sciences brings together more than two decades of research on the Karoo Supergroup, revealing how scientific understanding ...

Aug 17, 2026
Phys.org / Physicists predict a new form of quantum matter that holds itself together

Researchers at Monash University have predicted a new type of quantum matter that challenges decades of thinking about how ultracold particles behave. The paper, "Quantum droplets in a resonant Bose-Fermi mixture," is published ...

Aug 17, 2026