Phys.org news

Phys.org / 5,300-year-old 'bow drill' rewrites story of ancient Egyptian tools

A new study reveals that Egyptians were using a mechanically sophisticated drilling tool far earlier than previously suggested. Researchers at Newcastle University, and the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, have re-examined a ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Supercomputer simulations test turbulence theories at record 35 trillion grid points

Using the Frontier supercomputer at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have performed the largest direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulence ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Stellar remnants may solve mystery of missing mass in galaxy clusters

Under the leadership of the University of Bonn, a research team led by Prof. Dr. Pavel Kroupa from the Helmholtz Institute for Radiation and Nuclear Physics has discovered that galaxy clusters are about twice as heavy as ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Engineered moths could replace mice in studies on antimicrobial resistance

A scientific breakthrough not only promises faster testing for antimicrobial resistance, but also an ethical solution to the controversial issue of using rodents in research. University of Exeter scientists have created the ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How an ancient seafloor turned Arkansas into 'Sharkansas,' a shark fossil hotspot

Most shark fossils are just teeth—their cartilage skeletons usually decay long before they can fossilize. But in northwestern Arkansas, a series of geological sites known as the Fayetteville Shale has preserved dozens of ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Biology
Dialog / Scientists advance multi-purpose photocatalyst for clean hydrogen production and agricultural pollutant degradation

Can we use nothing more than sunlight and inexpensive materials to produce clean hydrogen fuel while also removing toxic pollutants from water? That question shaped our recent work with γ-In2S3, a semiconductor that has ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Why only a small number of planets are suitable for life

For life to develop on a planet, certain chemical elements are needed in sufficient quantities. Phosphorus and nitrogen are essential. Phosphorus is vital for the formation of DNA and RNA, which store and transmit genetic ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Can't tally love: Tracking favors may hurt relationship, research indicates

They say that love is a two-way street, but that may only hold true to a point. It turns out that couples who obsess over equal give-and-take may be sabotaging their relationship, suggests a study involving University of ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / The future of eco-friendly cooling: Enhancing efficiency and sustainability of magnetic refrigerants

Conventional air conditioners and refrigerators rely on vapor-compression cycles and chemical refrigerants that contribute significantly to global warming. Magnetic refrigeration offers a cleaner alternative using the magnetocaloric ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / A smashing success: Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider wraps up final collisions

Just after 9 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, final beams of oxygen ions—oxygen atoms stripped of their electrons—circulated through the twin 2.4-mile-circumference rings of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Tiny Enceladus exercises giant electromagnetic influence at Saturn

A major study by an international team of researchers using data from the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini spacecraft has revealed a lattice-like structure of crisscrossing reflected waves that flow downstream behind the moon in Saturn's ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / When water meets rock: Exploring water quality impacts from legacy lithium mining in North Carolina

Starting just outside Charlotte, North Carolina, a vast underground deposit of lithium stretches south for 25 miles. A key component of rechargeable batteries and energy grid storage systems, the soft, silvery metal is a ...

Feb 9, 2026 in Earth