Phys.org news

Phys.org / Early Cambrian fossil uncovers key buoyancy structure at the dawn of cephalopod evolution

Extant and ancient cephalopods—including octopuses, squids, extinct ammonites, cuttlefish and nautiluses—have all had to solve the problem of buoyancy, whether they have hard external shells or not.

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / An entire world of fungi nearly a third of a mile underground could affect carbon storage estimates

Hundreds of feet below Earth's surface, rocks and water teem with fungi and support complex ecosystems of tiny organisms, according to a University of Michigan study that finds fungi are far more abundant deep underground ...

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / A step closer to artificial organs: UV light shapes arteriole-scale hydrogel vessels

The creation of fully artificial organs is a sci-fi dream, and researchers in Japan may have brought it one step closer to reality by developing a new photofabrication technique (i.e., a light-controlled synthetic method) ...

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / Black hole 'blast' reaches 300,000 light-years

A team of researchers has discovered that winds generated by supermassive black holes are 100 times more powerful than previously thought, carrying energy across distances of approximately 300,000 light-years. The discovery ...

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / Gobi fossil reveals 6-inch 'Cretaceous rabbit' belonged to a different mammal branch

A remarkably preserved fossil from Mongolia's Gobi Desert is reshaping scientists' understanding of mammal evolution during the age of dinosaurs.

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / In biology of cells, octopus has another trick up its sleeve

The octopus is a biological oddity. It can use tools, open jars, and its complex nervous system supports as many neurons as a small primate. Now Harvard biologists have discovered a mysterious distinction in octopuses' core ...

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / First electrically pumped perovskite polariton laser diode solves a decades-long challenge

Resolving a long-standing problem in semiconductor physics and optoelectronics, a team of researchers from Skoltech—a VEB.RF group institution—and their colleagues from ITMO University and HSE University have for the first ...

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / Unique fossil reveals the internal organs of a 245-million-year-old marine reptile

Scientists from China, Europe and the U.S., including Dr. Stephan Spiekman, a paleontologist at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart and the University of Hohenheim, have described a fossil of the long-necked marine ...

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / Gonorrhea's own enzyme triggers therapy against multidrug-resistant strains in lab tests

Scientists at the Universities of Liverpool and Oxford have developed a promising new way to kill antibiotic-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes gonorrhea, using a targeted therapy that is ...

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists discover 210-million-year-old dinosaur in Zimbabwe

A newly discovered dinosaur from Zimbabwe is offering fresh clues to how the animals diversified, suggesting they spread across distinct ecosystems in southern Africa, scientists said Wednesday.

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / A mechanically tunable molecular switch for circularly polarized light emission

Over the past few decades, scientists have become increasingly interested in developing materials that do not simply withstand mechanical forces but instead respond to them in useful, detectable ways. For example, it is now ...

Jul 29, 2026
Phys.org / Icelandic fish 'hot tubs' reveal genetic adaptations to warming—and unexpected overeating

New research, led by the University of Glasgow reveals that adaptation to warmer waters causes fish to display a range of behavioral and biological differences, including obesity, overeating and lower metabolism.

Jul 29, 2026