Phys.org news
Phys.org / Resilient quantum sensor monitors Earth's magnetic field from space for 10 months
From navigation to solar weather forecasting, many different areas of research require space-based sensors to measure Earth's magnetic field as accurately as possible at any given moment. So far, however, existing sensors ...
Phys.org / More Star Wars-like worlds emerge as 27 planet candidates with two suns discovered
There's so little we know about circumbinary planets—planets that orbit two stars instead of one—that they can feel like the stuff of fantasy. And for good reason: to date, we've only confirmed the existence of 18 circumbinary ...
Phys.org / When uncertainty spikes, chasing rewards backfires and a more informed strategy pulls ahead
Humans and other animals are constantly required to make decisions under uncertain conditions or while in rapidly changing environments. Past psychology and biology studies showed that some decision-making strategies can ...
Phys.org / How a single star can reshape an entire galaxy
Astronomers who simulate galaxies do not always get the same result, even when they start from identical conditions. New research from Leiden University shows that this is not a flaw, but a consequence of how galaxies behave—and ...
Phys.org / Heat index maps uncover when city greening cools most—and when it can backfire
Tree shade is one of the fastest ways to make heat more bearable. It cuts direct sunlight, protects people walking or working outdoors, and remains essential for heat action plans. A new study by researchers from the Indian ...
Phys.org / Shark face study uncovers 400-million-year-old blueprint shared across jawed vertebrates
Most of what scientists know about face development comes from studies in bony vertebrates such as mice, chickens, and zebrafish. However, their evolutionary counterparts, cartilaginous fishes, have remained largely unexplored. ...
Phys.org / Why prescribed fire often fails: Scorched invasive shrubs can resprout instead of die
Invasive woody plants present a major ecological challenge in eastern U.S. forests by outcompeting native species and spreading quickly, forming dense thickets that crowd out native plants and disrupt ecosystems. Land managers ...
Phys.org / Brazilian microfossils interpreted as animal traces are actually algae and bacteria, research reveals
A reexamination of microfossils found in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul shows that the marks previously interpreted as traces of worms or other small oceanic animals are actually communities of fossilized microscopic ...
Phys.org / Metagenomics and AI could unlock uncultivated bacteria and archaea
Advances in DNA sequencing have expanded our view of the microbial world, but the inability to cultivate most microbes has been a major constraint. Now, a systematic, predictive framework that combines existing genomic and ...
Phys.org / Hubble survey sets up Roman's future look near Milky Way's center
The Milky Way's galactic bulge, the bulbous region that surrounds the galactic center, contains a dense collection of stars, planets, and other free-floating objects. This region has been studied for decades with numerous ...
Phys.org / Snow and glacier ecosystems across remote Antarctic island reveal hidden microbial diversity
Research led by a University of Bristol Ph.D. student has revealed a host of thriving microscopic algae communities in snow and glaciers across one of the most remote locations on Earth. The study, which appears in ISME Communications ...
Phys.org / Climate patterns may shape where violent conflict risks are amplified
A new Rice University study is shedding light on a long-debated question: Can climate variability influence the risk of armed conflict? The answer, researchers say, is yes—but in more nuanced and region-specific ways than ...
