Phys.org news
Phys.org / Most complete skeleton of 30 million-year-old dog discovered
For decades, a 30 million-year-old fossil sat entombed in rock in an Oregon museum collection. When it was first found, paleontologists thought it might be an early relative of sheep, camels and pigs, whose fossilized skeletons ...
Phys.org / The oceans near Australia may be the best places to fertilize for removing carbon dioxide
Deploying ocean iron fertilization—a strategy for carbon dioxide capture—in higher latitudes rather than near the equator could reduce environmental impacts while still achieving removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, ...
Phys.org / An entire world of fungi nearly a third of a mile underground could affect carbon storage estimates
Hundreds of feet below Earth's surface, rocks and water teem with fungi and support complex ecosystems of tiny organisms, according to a University of Michigan study that finds fungi are far more abundant deep underground ...
Phys.org / Early Cambrian fossil uncovers key buoyancy structure at the dawn of cephalopod evolution
Extant and ancient cephalopods—including octopuses, squids, extinct ammonites, cuttlefish and nautiluses—have all had to solve the problem of buoyancy, whether they have hard external shells or not.
Phys.org / Little red dots may mark temporary black hole phase
Since their discovery by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in 2022, little red dots (LRDs) have been the subject of great interest to astronomers. Understanding the nature of these extremely distant, compact red sources has ...
Phys.org / Hydrothermal microbes shape seafloor minerals at newly found vents near Greek island
In August 2023, the German research vessel METEOR set sail on Expedition M192 to the Greek island of Milos with Dr. Solveig Bühring as chief scientist. The mission was to locate and investigate previously unknown hydrothermal ...
Phys.org / A step closer to artificial organs: UV light shapes arteriole-scale hydrogel vessels
The creation of fully artificial organs is a sci-fi dream, and researchers in Japan may have brought it one step closer to reality by developing a new photofabrication technique (i.e., a light-controlled synthetic method) ...
Phys.org / Strain turns non-chiral crystals left- or right-handed on demand
Mechanical strain is one of the most common tools used to tailor the properties of materials. In piezoelectric materials, stretching or compressing a crystal generates an electrical polarization. In piezomagnetic materials, ...
Phys.org / One of industry's toughest lignin byproducts could become feedstock for valuable chemicals
The pulp and paper industry, which manufactures everything from tissue paper to cardboard, also generates a significant yet often overlooked byproduct—a complex polymer called lignin. Around 100 million tons of lignin are ...
Phys.org / Black hole 'blast' reaches 300,000 light-years
A team of researchers has discovered that winds generated by supermassive black holes are 100 times more powerful than previously thought, carrying energy across distances of approximately 300,000 light-years. The discovery ...
Phys.org / Gobi fossil reveals 6-inch 'Cretaceous rabbit' belonged to a different mammal branch
A remarkably preserved fossil from Mongolia's Gobi Desert is reshaping scientists' understanding of mammal evolution during the age of dinosaurs.
Phys.org / In biology of cells, octopus has another trick up its sleeve
The octopus is a biological oddity. It can use tools, open jars, and its complex nervous system supports as many neurons as a small primate. Now Harvard biologists have discovered a mysterious distinction in octopuses' core ...
