Phys.org news

Phys.org / Loud snoring—simulation reveals the physical mechanism that keeps so many of us awake at night

Anyone who has had to share a room—or worse, a bed—with a loud snorer knows the effect unchecked snoring can have on sleep, sanity and emotional stability. An entire industry of products, technologies and treatments claims ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / An African bat overlooked for two centuries is confirmed in Europe

An African bat whose presence in Sicily had remained an unresolved zoological mystery for almost two centuries has now been documented on Pantelleria Island. A study published in Global Ecology and Conservation reports the ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Sound-based traps reveal how fragile biomolecular droplets move, merge and change stiffness

Being able to measure something plays a vital role in our ability to understand many phenomena. But measuring can often affect what we are trying to measure. This is particularly the case when measuring substances that are ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / How only a few tree species drive Amazon forest recovery

When a destroyed section of the Amazon rainforest begins to recover, nature deploys only a few tree species that can withstand poor soil conditions and blazing sun and grow rapidly, a Brazilian study has shown.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / AI and 8 million digitized plant specimens reveal how the climate is changing nature in large parts of the world

AI optimists will be encouraged by a recent report on the state of the world's plants and fungi by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Double spiral inside narwhal tusks may explain their resistance to bending

The narwhal's impressive tusk has long been the subject of myths. In the Middle Ages, they were sold as unicorn horns believed to possess magical powers. Now, an international team of researchers led by Aarhus University ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Fifteen years of data link plastic pollution to seabird population losses

Every year, about 50 million metric tons of plastic is dumped into the environment. This waste entangles, chokes and poisons wildlife worldwide, including sable shearwaters living on the remote Australian island of Lord Howe. ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Yellowstone's past droughts may signal less geyser activity and more wildfires

A study led by a Montana State University research professor reveals how climate and hydrothermal activity have shaped the vegetation, wildfire and aquatic ecosystem histories of the Yellowstone Plateau over the past 15,000 ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Genome-folding complex reveals a mechanism that helps establish neuron identity

A functional nervous system depends on the cooperation of many kinds of cells. As developing organisms build their nervous systems, their neurons must take on different forms and functions to fulfill their designated roles. ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / End-to-end design creates two low-cost materials to capture methane

Developing new materials to tackle pressing global issues is a gap-filled process that can leave potential climate solutions lost in unread academic papers and forgotten dissertations.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Fiber-optic cable reveals hidden crevasses that could destabilize glaciers

In recent years, the Alps have experienced devastating glacier collapses: In September 2023, a section of the Marmolada glacier in the Dolomites collapsed, resulting in the deaths of seven mountaineers. Just over a year and ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Five new wasp species discovered in Cyprus, including one named after Aphrodite

Scientists have described five new species of parasitoid wasps from Cyprus, more than doubling the number of chalcid wasps known to be found nowhere else on the island. The wasps, all belonging to the family Pteromalidae, ...

Aug 18, 2026