Phys.org news

Phys.org / Were Clovis foragers in Late Pleistocene North America big-game hunters, or just big-game scavengers?

There are currently 15 well-documented Late Pleistocene localities in North America in which Clovis points are found associated with proboscidean remains (of mammoth, mastodon and gomphothere). Archaeologists routinely assume ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Martian dust storms may generate atmospheric electrical conditions that could impact future missions

A new study by a doctoral researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, suggests global dust storms on Mars may organize the Martian atmosphere into regions favorable ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Orbit overload could devastate astronomy if 1.7 million proposed satellites brighten night sky

A new European Southern Observatory (ESO) study has found that current proposals to launch more than 1.7 million satellites into orbit, including extremely bright ones, would have "devastating consequences for astronomy." ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Webb reveals merger scars in galaxies that stopped forming stars 9 billion years ago

Research has shed new light on why some distant galaxies suddenly stop forming stars. An international team led by astronomers at the University of Nottingham has used the James Webb Space Telescope to study a large sample ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / How giant earthquakes can form at fault planes where theory says they should not

A research group led by Satoshi Ide from the University of Tokyo has demonstrated that classic earthquake generation theory does not hold in areas where the angle at which a tectonic plate dips under another is sufficiently ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / AI-generated debate replies outscore real politicians on authenticity and coherence

AI-generated impersonations of political figures are judged by members of the public to be more authentic, relevant and coherent than the speakers' actual debate responses, according to a study appearing in PLOS One, written ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Climate resilience of brown bears over 175,000 years revealed in 3D analyses of their jaws

European brown bears are masters of survival: These animals have weathered Pleistocene climate fluctuations and survived the cycles of ice ages and interglacial periods to the present day. Zoologists have now investigated ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / From fields to space farming, new tool detects crop drought stress before it's visible

When it comes to drought stress, timing can be the difference between saving a crop and losing it, whether in a greenhouse or in the high-stakes environment of future space missions. In a recent study published in Plant Phenomics, ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / New bioelectronic microdevices enable remote cell stimulation using ultrasound

The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) have developed a new generation of wireless piezoelectric microdevices capable of electrically stimulating living ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Tooth fossil analysis suggests 'brawn before bite' in early Asian mammals

An analysis of fossil teeth from mammals that lived in China following the most recent major mass extinction suggests size came before both shape and function as diets diversified.

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Crystal-design principle reveals how competing molecular forces control structure, color and phase transitions

Organic molecular crystals can respond to external stimuli such as heat, light, and mechanical force, making them attractive candidates for next-generation functional materials. However, predicting how multiple intermolecular ...

Jul 1, 2026
Phys.org / Black-box optimization weather intervention method supports future disaster mitigation

In recent years, the frequency of weather-related natural disasters—cyclones, torrential rains, floods—has increased as a consequence of global warming. These disasters cause billions of dollars in damage and losses every ...

Jul 1, 2026