Phys.org news

Phys.org / Brain removal in Iron Age Scotland burial reveals far-reaching family ties

It is difficult to identify funerary practices in Iron Age (c. 800 BC–AD 43) Britain, as human remains rarely survive. However, evidence is particularly prominent in north-west Scotland, because environmental conditions support ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Precision measurement under impact—when the balance itself becomes the object of measurement

How do you take measurements using one of the most sensitive scales in the world? Researchers at TU Wien have demonstrated how the measurement process affects not only the object being measured but also the scale itself, ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Adélie penguins use colony cues to switch foraging sites if their previous trip was unsuccessful

Many animals live in groups. Among seabirds in particular, most species form colonies during the breeding season. Although coloniality entails costs, such as increased competition for food and disease transmission, its repeated ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Chloroplast map reveals 'missing link' in plant growth and solar energy

For decades, science has understood the basics of photosynthesis, the process by which plants turn sunlight into food. However, photosynthesis occurs on uniquely specialized membranes that we have only begun to understand. ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists discover a 3.5-billion-year-old asteroid impact on the moon

The first few billion years of Earth's history saw the rise of life, the atmosphere and the oceans. Still, that time is shrouded in mystery: Not many rocks remain that preserve a record of those early iterations of our modern ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Q&A: Combating antibiotic resistance with nanotechnology, robotics and AI

Aeron Tynes Hammack, a physicist by training and currently interim facility director of the Nanofabrication Facility at the Molecular Foundry, likes to work with nanoscale objects to better understand the world and solve ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / How animals use leveling behaviors to put alphas in their place

Inequality is not unique to human groups and societies. Individuals with relatively little power possess a variety of behavioral strategies to counterbalance or regulate power differences. In humans, these strategies include ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Hardy ice plant's optical innovation inspires reflective design possibilities

Nature is filled with remarkable visual phenomena created by microscopic surface structures that interact with light in fascinating ways. The iridescent wings of butterflies, the shimmering feathers of birds and the glossy ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / How a single mutation rewired a 23-species bacterial community over four years

The time-development of species communities cannot be understood solely through ecological interactions or environmental factors, as evolution can also alter community dynamics. This observation helps to understand, among ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Nature's 'master painters': Study reveals how damselflies break optical barriers to create saturated colors

Scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have uncovered for the first time the "ingenious" biological strategies that allow blue-tailed damselflies to produce strikingly vivid, angle-independent colors. The ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / New warning system forecasts wildlife heat risk up to nine months ahead

An international group of scientists led by Josep M. Serra-Diaz, researcher at the Botanical Institute of Barcelona (IBB, CSIC-MCNB), has developed the first global early warning system capable of forecasting when and where ...

Jun 9, 2026
Phys.org / Chasing the ghost dog of the Amazon: New insights into a mythical canid

For decades, the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis) has been considered one of the least-known carnivores in Latin America, and potentially one of the least-known canids in the world. Because of its highly secretive nature, ...

Jun 9, 2026