Phys.org news

Phys.org / Super magma reservoirs discovered beneath Tuscany

How can magma buried 5, 10, or even 15 km underground be detected without any surface indicators? The answer lies in ambient noise tomography, a technique that analyzes natural ground vibrations with high precision. A team ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Chandra explores interstellar medium of a bright low-mass X-ray binary

Using NASA's Chandra X-ray space telescope, astronomers have performed high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic observations of a bright low-mass X-ray binary known as GX 340+0. Results of the observational campaign, published ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Birds that put more energy into parenthood age faster and die younger, research shows

In a new study, appearing in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, scientists selectively bred Japanese quails into two groups: laying either relatively large or small eggs. As the quails don't do much ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Saltwater is closing in on coastal groundwater, putting billions and food supplies at risk

Coastal groundwater is a key source of drinking water in many regions of the world. However, it is threatened by overabstraction and the potential for salinization. Rising sea levels are further exacerbating the situation. ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / After 9,000 years of cultivation, rice has reached its thermal limit

Rice has historically been a heat-loving plant. In fact, the wild ancestor of cultivated rice once grew primarily on the sweltering, rain-swept Malay and Indochina peninsulas as well as the islands of Southeast Asia. It wasn't ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Webb redefines the dividing line between planets and stars

Planets, like those in our solar system, form in a bottom-up process where small bits of rock and ice clump together and grow larger over time. But the heftier the planet, the harder it is to explain its formation that way.

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Graphene as a charge mirror: Why water droplets 'see' graphene—but don't show it

Research on graphene has made great strides in recent years. However, to fully harness its potential in applications such as desalination membranes, sensors, and energy storage and conversion, a deeper understanding of the ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Ph.D. student solves persistent problem in high-entropy alloys

The University of Wyoming's Lauren Kim has solved a persistent problem in the cutting-edge field of high-entropy alloys, a class of materials with great potential in modern engineering, electronics and energy applications—such ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Discovery of Addison's disease gene in dogs could help humans as well

Among dog breeds, Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers (tollers) have an unusually high rate of Addison's disease, a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones, notably cortisol and aldosterone. In ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Andean volcanic eruptions during the Late Miocene likely drove global cooling

Mark Clementz, a professor in the University of Wyoming Department of Geology and Geophysics, and colleagues have produced a compelling study that shows that an increase in volcanic activity in the Andes in the Late Miocene ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / A tiny wall spider named for Pink Floyd is hunting urban pests up to six times its size

A team of researchers from institutions across South America have expanded scholarly knowledge of the Pikelinia spider genus, with their recent discovery of a new crevice weaver species: Pikelinia floydmuraria. The new species ...

Apr 14, 2026
Phys.org / Contaminants, including ink, detected in meteorites suggest sample preparation needs improving

The IBeA group of the EHU-University of the Basque Country is proposing new measures to safeguard the purity of extraterrestrial samples. Several contaminants, including traces of ink, originating in the preparation of subsamples, ...

Apr 14, 2026