Phys.org news

Phys.org / Nanoplastics found in Antarctic soils for first time, suggesting long-range atmospheric transport

Microplastic contamination has been a much-discussed topic over the last several years, but contamination from even smaller plastic particles represents another pressing issue. Nanoplastics—defined as being under a micrometer ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny Jurassic bird reveals a key step in bird evolution

The transition from a lumbering, heavy dinosaur body to the flight-adapted bird body plan is one of many fascinating episodes in evolutionary history. Working out how this massive transformation took place relies heavily ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / This rare British butterfly looks familiar, but its genome tells a very different story

The British swallowtail butterfly (Papilio machaon britannicus) is the U.K.'s only native swallowtail and its largest native butterfly. It's instantly recognizable by its striking light yellow-and-black wings, with twin tail-like ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / The oldest deliberately collected fossil ichthyosaur was discovered in Roman Britain around 1,800 years ago

Around 1,800 years ago, a fossilized spinal bone lay on the windswept beaches of Roman Britain until a curious passerby picked it up and carried it far away, only to drop it in a pit.

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / From the lab to the moon: Lunar cement alternative survives 6 months on ISS and returned stronger in some tests

Building material samples from the University of Delaware spent six months mounted outside the International Space Station, where the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit tested their limits.

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Wavelength-multiplexed diffractive optical storage enables massively parallel image retrieval

The explosive growth of data generated by artificial intelligence, cloud computing and modern digital infrastructure is placing increasing pressure on existing information storage technologies. Although magnetic storage systems ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Space sensor could spot hidden nuclear weapons in orbit with 99% accuracy

In 2024, a U.S. government official warned that Russia could be developing a new satellite designed to carry nuclear weapons into space. The statement followed the launch of a suspicious Russian satellite into low-Earth orbit ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny 60,000-neuron ant brains reveal how parental care evolved from feeding circuits

Long before the dawn of modern parenting, animals laid eggs and moved on, leaving their progeny to fend for themselves. Now, a study published in Nature uncovers one of the elegant ways evolution transformed neglect into ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Hidden jet from a 'missing-link' black hole lights up the radio sky

Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA) have detected an extraordinary burst of radio light from a rare cosmic event in which an intermediate-mass black hole tears apart a star, revealing ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Turning up the heat on cancer: Manganese ferrite nanoparticles outperform rivals

Scientists have long known that heat can be used to help fight cancer. But heating tumors and cancer cells is trickier than it sounds. Apply too much heat and patients could get hurt; apply too little or target the wrong ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Peru Amazon highway tied to 400% dengue surge within 5 kilometers of road

New roads bring changes to the regions they traverse. They can enable job opportunities, access to medicine and health care, and electricity. But they also disrupt local ecosystems and can have surprising consequences for ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Ocean acidification may be shrinking the brains of the world's most intelligent invertebrates

An ongoing research project exploring the effects of rising levels of oceanic CO2 on squid neurology reveals that exposure to future levels of ocean acidification could shrink their brain volume by around 50%. This severe ...

Jul 8, 2026