Phys.org news

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 / 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
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 / ALMA spots a nine-member stellar family in the act of formation

Massive stars much bigger than our sun always come in pairs or groups, not alone. But astronomers don't fully understand how these groupings form. In a new study, astronomers using ALMA have serendipitously discovered a young ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Sugar-coated nanoparticles show promise for treating most aggressive form of brain cancer

Researchers at Oregon State University have potentially found a new way to treat the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma, whose two-year survival rate is less than 30%.

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / Euclid captures 60 million stars in sharpest broad view of Milky Way's core

For just one day, our dark universe detective, Euclid, turned its gaze toward the light: the extremely bright inner region of our Milky Way galaxy, known as the galactic bulge. This special request came from astronomers who ...

Jun 24, 2026
Phys.org / First complete map of world's seagrass offers warnings and hope for conservation

It's time we gave seagrass the credit it's due. This hero of a plant protects coastlines, stores vast amounts of carbon and supports ecosystems that people and wildlife depend on. But we don't often hear about it when it ...

Jun 24, 2026