Phys.org news

Phys.org / Roadkill offers an ethical alternative to live wildlife in scientific research

A recent review of over 312 studies has identified dozens of unique uses of roadkill in scientific research. The review, published in Biology Letters, discusses the advantages of using roadkill instead of live wildlife and ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How dangling moss saves blue manakin eggs from hungry birds

If something exists in nature, there is most likely a very good reason for it. While there are exceptions, many features "selected" by evolution serve a purpose. Take the blue manakin, a small bird commonly found in southeastern ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Warming may increase mangrove methane emissions—but these forests remain powerful carbon sinks

Mangrove forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle, particularly within the marine carbon system. Growing along tropical and subtropical coastlines, these salt-tolerant trees are among nature's most efficient ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / A lost world: Ancient cave reveals million-year-old wildlife

Australian and New Zealand scientists have unearthed the remains of ancient wildlife in a cave near Waitomo on Aotearoa's North Island, the first time a large number of million-year-old fossils have been found—including ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Multiwavelength analysis finds no radio pulsations from accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar

Using various space telescopes and ground-based facilities, astronomers have performed X-ray and radio observations of an accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar known as MAXI J1957+032. Results of the observational campaign, ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Just the smell of lynx can reduce deer browsing damage in recovering forests

New research shows that the mere smell of predators is enough to change deer behavior and limit browsing damage to tree saplings. The findings, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, offer a potential tool for forest ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Multiwavelength monitoring reveals distant blazar OP 313's behavior

An international team of astronomers has analyzed the data from long-term multiwavelength monitoring of a distant blazar known as OP 313. Results of the new study, published January 18 on the arXiv preprint server, shed more ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs had limited impact on sharks and rays, study shows

A new study using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) has revealed that the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago caused only a modest decline in shark and ray species. The findings, published ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Essential oils may provide a natural remedy for antibiotic resistance

Thyme, rosemary, and lavender have long been associated with natural medicine. Today, however, these aromatic plants are increasingly being studied by researchers. "In an era of ever-increasing microbial resistance to antibiotics, ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / A possible ice-cold Earth discovered in the archives of the retired Kepler Space Telescope

Scientists continue to mine data gathered by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, retired in 2018, and continue to turn up surprises. A new paper reveals the latest: a possible rocky planet slightly larger than Earth, orbiting ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Massive runaway stars in the Milky Way: Observational study explores origins and ejection process

Researchers from the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), in collaboration with the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC), ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Surprising green ice on Lake Lipno: Cyanobacteria bloom in mid-winter

An unusual natural phenomenon appeared on Lake Lipno in South Bohemia, the Czech Republic, at the end of 2025. Large amounts of accumulated cyanobacteria in the water caused the ice to turn green. The phenomenon was thoroughly ...

Jan 28, 2026 in Biology