Phys.org news

Phys.org / Pregnancy complications may have helped wipe out Neanderthals

Neanderthals disappeared from the fossil record approximately 40,000 years ago. Their extinction was a gradual process over thousands of years, and theories as to why include competition with modern humans and rapid climate ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Evidence points to early goat and sheep dairy consumption in Neolithic Iran

Approximately 9,000 years ago, human communities in Southwest Asia underwent a dramatic transformation, known as the Neolithic revolution. This period was marked by pronounced changes in how they lived and sourced food, with ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Atom-thin electronics withstand space radiation, potentially surviving for centuries in orbit

Atom-thick layers of molybdenum disulfide are ideally suited for radiation-resistant spacecraft electronics, researchers in China have confirmed. In a study published in Nature, Peng Zhou and colleagues at Fudan University ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / How early farming unintentionally bred highly competitive 'warrior' wheat

An evolutionary "arms race" for light and space led to the early domestication of wheat, according to new research that could offer fresh insights into crop design. The study led by Dr. Yixiang Shan and Professor Colin Osborne, ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / How massive lava fields formed in the Pacific Northwest

Volcanic eruptions are significant geologic hazards. Underwater volcanoes are challenging to study, yet they play an integral role in marine geology and may cause destructive tsunamis that can threaten coastal communities.

Feb 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / 'All-in-one,' single-atom could power both sides of water splitting

Green hydrogen production technology, which utilizes renewable energy to produce eco-friendly hydrogen without carbon emissions, is gaining attention as a core technology for addressing global warming. Green hydrogen is produced ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / Cleaner fish show intelligence typical of mammals

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan have discovered a previously undiscovered behavior in cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). When presented with a mirror, the tiny fish not only recognized themselves, ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / A survival strategy inside stressed cells: Ribosomes in pairs

Ribosomes, the cell's protein-making factories, consume large amounts of energy as they build the proteins that keep cells alive and functioning. When cells experience stress—such as lack of nutrients or sudden drops in ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / 3D method can accurately measure gravity in wide binary stars, as demonstrated by pilot study

Since the third Gaia data release in 2022, wide binary stars with separation greater than several thousand astronomical units have been intensely investigated across the world, to probe the nature of gravity in the low acceleration ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Scientists reveal best- and worst-case scenarios for a warming Antarctica

The climate crisis is warming Antarctica fast, with potentially disastrous consequences. Now scientists have modeled the best- and worst-case scenarios for climate change in Antarctica, demonstrating just how high the stakes ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / REGALADE: The most extensive catalog of galaxies for modern astronomy

An international team of scientists led by the Institute of Cosmos Sciences at the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) has presented REGALADE, an unprecedented catalog covering ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / How choices made by crowds in a train station are guided by strangers

In crowds, most people are strangers to you, and everyone else for that matter. However, until now, the effect of stranger-to-stranger interactions on the choices people make in crowds has not been properly examined. Ziqi ...

Feb 20, 2026 in Other Sciences