Phys.org news

Phys.org / Mosquitoes may hold the key to saving endangered Australian wildlife

Scientists have discovered mosquitoes can act like tiny "flying wildlife surveyors," helping researchers detect elusive and endangered animals in Australia's national parks. A team from Macquarie University and the Department ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Carefully controlled atoms make renewables more viable for plastics and fuels production

A catalyst developed by a Washington State University research team efficiently converts abundant, renewable ethanol into valuable molecules needed for production of plastics, fuels, and everyday products. The advance could ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Nanodiamonds and beyond: Designing carbon materials with AI at exascale

Carbon forms the graphite in pencils, the diamonds in jewelry and the molecules that make up every living thing. But under extreme conditions—like the heat and pressure of intense explosions—carbon can transform into ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / Building a better, more precise droplet

A humble droplet can be an immensely useful tool for a number of fields, from medicine to manufacturing. Controlling the size of the droplet, though, is an important—and very tricky—task. With unprecedented precision, ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / World Happiness Report highlights social media's negative impact, ranks Finland as happiest country

Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe, according to the World Happiness ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / High-resolution atlas shows how thirsty plants hold out during drought

The United States and Mexico have been in a historic megadrought since the turn of the century. For more than 25 years, the American Southwest has faced the severe social and economic consequences of this megadrought—including ...

Mar 19, 2026
Phys.org / The way you walk can reveal your true feelings

Whether you're striding with purpose, swaggering with confidence, or trudging slowly along the street, the way you walk can reveal how you're feeling, according to new research published in the journal Royal Society Open ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / How young galaxies grew magnetic fields faster than expected

How fast can a galaxy build ordered magnetic fields spanning thousands of light-years? Existing theories say several billion years, but observations of galaxies in our universe imply shorter timescales. In a study published ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / The fish species that knows when you are watching them

Emperor cichlids, large fish native to Lake Tanganyika in Africa, don't like being stared at, especially if someone's gaze is directed at their offspring. Those are the findings of a new study published in the journal Royal ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Is glass a solid or a super slow liquid? Physicists create equilibrium glassy phase from rod-shaped particles

Glass appears to be a solid, but in theory it sometimes behaves more like an extremely slow liquid. Physicists in Utrecht now show that glass-like structures can also exist in equilibrium, which is something many theories ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Platypus fur adds another strange feature to an increasingly long list

The combination of a beaver-like body and duck-like bill of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is only the first of a long list of strange features on this unique creature. These odd mammals also lay eggs, have venomous ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Neanderthals may have used birch tar for its anti-bacterial properties, experiments suggest

Neanderthals probably used birch tar for multiple functions, including treating their wounds, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by a team of researchers led by Tjaark Siemssen of the University ...

Mar 18, 2026