Phys.org news

Dialog / Amazon fish contaminated with toxic metals threaten riverine communities' health

For riverside communities along the Amazon, fish is not a menu choice—it is a lifeline. Millions of people in the Brazilian Amazon depend on fish as their primary source of protein, consuming it daily in quantities far ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Multifractal patterns across deep time: What measurement density reveals about Earth's history

Much of our understanding of Earth's past is derived from stratigraphic records exposed in rock outcrops or recovered from drilled cores. These records span immense time intervals, from thousands to billions of years, and ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / AI-designed diffractive optical processors pave the way for low-power structural health monitoring

A team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has introduced a novel framework for monitoring structural vibrations using diffractive optical processors. This new technology uses artificial intelligence ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Shrinking the carbon footprint of chemical manufacturing with lasers and solar radiation

Researchers have found a way to use solar energy to power a key chemical reaction that drives many manufacturing industries. This new method can significantly reduce the energy required to run these operations, eliminate ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Protecting wildlife from genetic collapse with newly identified 'early warning signals'

A new study reveals that habitat fragmentation can lead to sudden "tipping points" where a species' genetic health unexpectedly collapses after appearing stable for long periods. By merging network theory with population ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Polymers that crawl like worms: How materials can develop direction without being told where to go

Researchers at the University of Vienna have uncovered a surprising phenomenon: polymer chains with segments that simply fluctuate at different intensities can spontaneously develop directional, persistent motion when densely ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Drones capture rare harbor porpoise mating behavior off Shetland

Drones flying above the waters of Shetland have captured rare footage of harbor porpoises gathering in unusually large groups and engaging in mating behavior. The footage, gathered between 2019 and 2023, provides one of the ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / 3D imagery helps bring world's ant diversity to life

For more than a decade, Evan Economo's lab has been using micro-CT machines to scan insect specimens. The resulting X-ray images help researchers study the form and structure of insects—a subfield of entomology known as ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / ESA's Mars orbiters watch solar superstorm hit the red planet

What happens when a solar superstorm hits Mars? Thanks to the European Space Agency's Mars orbiters, we now know: glitching spacecraft and a supercharged upper atmosphere.

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Tracking the toxic metals left behind by wildfires

Between 2023 and 2025, more than 30 million hectares burned in Canada due to wildfires. The threat from increasingly frequent and intense wildfires goes beyond fire and smoke—the heat can also transform naturally occurring ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / How evolution shapes color diversity in coral reef fish

Why does a Caribbean angelfish sometimes resemble its Indo-Pacific cousin, even though they have never lived in the same ocean? Why do coral reefs harbor such a wide range of stripes, spots and patterns? A study conducted ...

Mar 5, 2026
Phys.org / Ocean currents drive disease spread between oyster reefs: Research identifies restoration sites at risk

The European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) was once widespread in the North Sea. However, overfishing, habitat destruction and infectious diseases pushed the species to the brink of extinction in some regions nearly one hundred ...

Mar 5, 2026