Phys.org news

Phys.org / Climate change could fragment habitat for monarch butterflies, disrupting mass migration

Suitable habitat for migrating monarch butterflies will shift southwards because of climate change, according to a study published in PLOS Climate by Francisco Botello and Carolina Ureta at the National Autonomous University ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Combination of wildfires and seismic lines may limit spread of non-native plants in Canada's boreal forest

A pair of disturbances common in Western Canada's boreal forests, when combined, may have an unexpected benefit of limiting the spread of non-native plant species, a University of Alberta study shows. The research gauged ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / E-waste chemicals are appearing in dolphins and porpoises

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are critical components of laptop, television, and smartphone screens. Given their ubiquity in the environment, these compounds are considered persistent pollutants, posing threats to marine ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Viruses reveal shared way to kill bacteria by jamming small transporter MurJ

Biochemists at Caltech have identified how viruses have converged on a method for killing bacteria. The researchers have homed in on an underexplored small transporter called MurJ that is a vital part of the pathway bacteria ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Ocean warming drives a nearly 20% annual decline in fish biomass, research confirms

According to a new study by the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC) and the National University of Colombia, chronic ocean warming is driving a nearly 20% annual decline in fish biomass. However, the researchers ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Celebrity dolphin of Venice doesn't need special protection—except from humans

Bottlenose dolphins usually live in small to medium-sized groups in coastal and open-sea waters, but every once in a while, a dolphin might leave its pod behind, flock to coastal areas and approach human settlements. While ...

Feb 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Physicists develop new method to measure universe's expansion rate

We have known for several decades that the universe is expanding. Scientists use multiple techniques to measure the present-day expansion rate of the universe, known as the Hubble constant. These methods are internally consistent ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
Phys.org / Urine tests confirm alcohol consumption in wild African chimpanzees

Aleksey Maro knows far more than he cares to know about the urination habits of chimpanzees. But if you want to measure the alcohol intake of chimps in a Ugandan rain forest, where a breathalyzer is impractical, collecting ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Major gap in Earth's rock record likely due to tectonics—not glaciers

The Great Unconformity is a major gap in Earth's geologic record. The missing layer between Precambrian and Cambrian rocks represents a gap of around a billion years of history. Among much debate surrounding the cause of ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Thunderstorms conjure ghostly coronae in treetops, observed outdoors for the first time

For the first time, researchers have observed and measured weak electrical discharges, known as coronae, on trees during thunderstorms. A new study describes the near-invisible sparkles appearing similarly on branches of ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Electrical control of magnetism in 2D materials promises to advance spintronics

Conventional electronics process information leveraging the electrical charge of electrons. Over the past few decades, some electronics engineers have been exploring the potential of a different type of device that instead ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Astronomers inspect ultraluminous X-ray pulsar's magnetic field evolution in the Whale galaxy

Indian astronomers have investigated an ultraluminous X-ray pulsar in the galaxy NGC 4631, designated X-8. The new study, described in a paper published Feb. 16 on the arXiv preprint server, provides essential information ...

Feb 24, 2026 in Astronomy & Space