Phys.org news

Phys.org / Marmoset monkeys adapt their voices to sound more like their social partners, study finds

Many animal species that live in groups are known to adjust their behavior to strengthen their social bonds or increase their coordination with others around them. For instance, humans and some other animals exhibit vocal ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Poo emoji, earthworm castings and pasta all obey the same coiling theory, physicists find

Ask a child to draw some poo, and the shape will invariably be the same: a coil, broad at the base and pointy at the top, similar to a spiral swirl of soft-serve ice cream. In fact, the often-used poo emoji has this exact ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Long-dismissed gas emerges as a hidden driver of urban air pollution

Researchers from Tampere University and the University of Helsinki have identified an unexpected chemical process that may influence the formation of air pollution particles in urban environments. The study shows that nitric ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Bird-derived gene tool inserts plant DNA 30 times more efficiently than CRISPR

In a rapidly changing climate landscape, the plants we rely on for food, textiles and more face a multitude of challenges, including rising temperatures, drought and disease. Caltech's Gözde Demirer, the Clare Boothe Luce ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists design a clay that can prevent fruits and vegetables from rotting too quickly

Avocados from Chile, bananas from Costa Rica, tomatoes from southern Spain, mangoes from Brazil. A large share of the fruit and vegetables we eat have traveled across the globe before they reach store shelves here at home. ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / New findings challenge idea that human bodies simply got bigger and bigger over time in a steady line

The biggest jump in body size among our ancestors happened around 2–2.5 million years ago, with the appearance of Homo rudolfensis or Homo erectus/ergaster, rather than gradually across the whole human family tree.

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Experiment upends beliefs on how electrons actually behave in warm dense matter

Researchers at European XFEL, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Rostock University and other collaborating institutions have used high-precision experiments to demonstrate that the most widely used models for the ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / California has lost more than half of its coastal sand dunes, first-ever assessment reveals

A study conducted by UC Santa Barbara researchers and collaborators has found that California has lost more than half of its coastal dune systems. The researchers' assessment—the first of its kind for the California coast—estimates ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Modeling nuclear fusion at lightning speed

As we scour and scorch the Earth for deeper wells of energy, investors and government agencies are pouring billions into nuclear fusion research. The hope is that fusion may ultimately provide a virtually limitless source ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Artificial light is keeping reef fish awake, and the effects may ripple across coral reefs

Artificial light spilling into coastal waters from cities, ports, roads and hotels is disrupting sleep in coral reef fish and is associated with changes in markers linked to brain health, according to a new study from Bar-Ilan ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / Nanotube-based thermoelectrics open a new pathway to waste-heat energy conversion

Whenever someone asks ChatGPT a question, heat is generated somewhere in the server room—a data center. When an electric vehicle battery generates heat during operation, the heat must be managed continuously. Manufacturing ...

Jun 22, 2026
Phys.org / What made prehistoric communities resilient? Ancient social networks may hold the answer

A new study led by Dr. Ariel Malinsky-Buller of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem challenges long-held assumptions about how prehistoric hunter-gatherers survived in the Southern Caucasus between 57,000 and 27,000 years ...

Jun 22, 2026