Phys.org news

Phys.org / Unique double baptistery and mysterious marble block uncovered at Byzantine cathedral in Israel

In a new article published in the Palestine Exploration Quarterly, researchers Dr. Michael Eisenberg and Dr. Arleta Kowalewska describe a recently excavated Byzantine-period cathedral at Hippos. Archaeologists revealed a ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / Ecuador study finds tropical rainforest biodiversity rebounds over 90% in 30 years

Tropical rainforests are home to almost two-thirds of all vertebrate species and three-quarters of all tree species: they are the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystem on Earth. However, over half of these diverse rainforests ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / The oldest breath: A 300-million-year-old mummy reveals the origins of how amniotes breathe

Every breath you take is an ancient inheritance. The rise and fall of your chest, the intercostal muscles pulling your ribs outward, the rush of air into your lungs—this mechanism is so familiar it barely registers as remarkable. ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / AMOC collapse could turn Southern Ocean into carbon source, adding 0.2°C to global warming

A shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could trigger a substantial release of stored ocean carbon into the atmosphere over hundreds of years, according to a new study that simulated such a collapse ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / DNA evidence reveals a Stone Age population collapse in France

By analyzing DNA of ancient skeletons at a Neolithic burial site near Paris, an international team of researchers has uncovered evidence of a dramatic population replacement 5,000 years ago. The findings indicate that the ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / Uncharted island will soon appear on nautical charts

A 93-strong international expedition team has been exploring the northwestern Weddell Sea in the Antarctic on board the Alfred Wegener Institute's icebreaker Polarstern since February 8, 2026. In this key region for global ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / Summer is getting longer, and it's happening faster than we thought

Summer weather is arriving earlier, lasting longer and packing more heat than it used to—and it's happening faster than scientists had previously measured. A new study by UBC researchers has found that between 1990 and 2023, ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / Giant jars, ancient bells, buried bones and a mystery that endures

Helping to preserve artifacts, some potentially 2,000 years old, was an irresistible privilege. Since 2016, an Australian-Lao team led by Louise Shewan, Dougald O'Reilly and Thonglith Luangkhoth has conducted archaeological ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / Momentum-engineered photonic states make bulk silicon shine

An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine, has demonstrated a fundamentally new way to make silicon emit light—overcoming one of the most persistent limitations in modern ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / A 'stemness checkpoint' helps control stem cell identity

A study published in Cell Research advances a central idea in stem cell biology by identifying a checkpoint that controls the identity of many different types of stem cells across developmental stages. For nearly two decades, ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / Satellites capture the volatile human–luminescence relationship

From space, Earth's populated areas glow on the otherwise "black marble" of the planet at night. For decades, scientists assumed this glow was steadily increasing as the world developed. However, a new study published in ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / Ancient tectonic processes are the key to locating rare minerals

New research from Adelaide University has revealed that geological processes dating back billions of years are critical to locating the rare earth elements needed for modern technologies and the global clean energy transition. ...

Apr 8, 2026