Phys.org news

Phys.org / How Earth recycles continents deep underground

Scientists have uncovered new evidence that Earth's continents are continuously reworked deep beneath the surface, offering fresh insight into how continents have evolved over billions of years.

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / 129,000 years of crocodiles: What we know about Australasia's ancient apex predators

The sight of a saltwater crocodile basking on a mudbank is one of the most iconic and intimidating images of northern Australia. Yet the crocodiles that inhabit the region today are just the survivors of a much richer and ...

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / Friend or foul? Exploring the ancient bond between pigeons and people

Examination of pigeon bones from Late Bronze Age Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus indicates they were already semi-domesticated as early as c. 1400 BCE, pushing back direct evidence for pigeon domestication almost 1,000 years and ...

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / High-entropy catalyst lets ammonia fuel cell reach world-class power and durability

As ammonia gains attention as a next-generation energy source capable of overcoming the limits of hydrogen storage and transport, KAIST and a joint research team have developed fuel cell technology that directly uses ammonia ...

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / Bees found an unlikely new food source, and it could reshape how a destructive forest disease travels

New research published in NeoBiota has found that the Western honey bee—an introduced species to Australia—and the devastating, invasive plant fungus known as myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) may have formed a mutually ...

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / AI tool fuses five satellite datasets to help track harmful algal blooms

NASA scientists have developed an artificial intelligence tool to take on a longstanding challenge in ocean waters. In a study recently published in the Earth and Space Science journal, researchers reported the tool was able ...

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / Chiral carbon nanotube films deliver giant light-conversion effect

A sheet of twisted carbon nanotubes has revealed a hidden talent scientists suspected for decades but had never managed to measure. Researchers at Rice University have created large, highly ordered films of chiral carbon ...

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / The quantum key to seeing through chaos

Researchers from the Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, the Kastler Brossel Laboratory and the University of Glasgow have developed an innovative method that renders a scattering medium transparent solely for information ...

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / The complete evolution of spin glass from order to chaos

How come our universe is full of disorder, when all elementary particles appear to follow strictly ordered laws of physics? And are there organizing principles behind disorder and apparent chaos?

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / After 10 years of upgrades, this legendary telescope has returned to chase black holes, asteroids and cosmic chemistry

The Haystack 37m Telescope has been a landmark in radio astronomy and radar studies of the solar system since its first light in 1964. Over the following four decades, it supported NASA's Apollo landings on the moon, made ...

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / Cows can recognize familiar human faces and match them to voices

Cows show a visual preference for new human faces over a familiar one and can match a known handler's voice to their face, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Océane Amichaud of INRAE in ...

May 20, 2026
Phys.org / Better helium reporting to improve fission and fusion materials modeling

Standardizing calculations of the helium byproducts generated in advanced fission and fusion energy system materials can increase reactor safety and longevity, according to a study led by University of Michigan Engineering ...

May 20, 2026