Phys.org news

Phys.org / The oldest deliberately collected fossil ichthyosaur was discovered in Roman Britain around 1,800 years ago

Around 1,800 years ago, a fossilized spinal bone lay on the windswept beaches of Roman Britain until a curious passerby picked it up and carried it far away, only to drop it in a pit.

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / How Fourth of July celebrations and the national political mood may shape psychedelic experiences

Psychedelic drugs are known to make people highly sensitive to their surroundings. In other words, a user's mindset and immediate environment heavily shape the entire trippy experience. In a study published in the journal ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / This rare British butterfly looks familiar, but its genome tells a very different story

The British swallowtail butterfly (Papilio machaon britannicus) is the U.K.'s only native swallowtail and its largest native butterfly. It's instantly recognizable by its striking light yellow-and-black wings, with twin tail-like ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Slowing Atlantic current could fuel stronger California atmospheric rivers by century's end

A slowing Atlantic Ocean current is projected to intensify powerful storms in California while reducing snowfall over Greenland, according to a recent University of California, Riverside study. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / New CRISPR method makes it possible to control protein production in cells

The speed at which a cell produces proteins is a decisive factor in determining whether it divides, specializes or retains its stem cell properties. A team of researchers led by Professor Stefan H. Stricker, professor of ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists discover rare 'super-Jupiter' planet with 180-day long orbit

Scientists from Queen's University Belfast have led an international team in the discovery of a rare new planet, which is larger than Jupiter and orbits a distant star every 180 days. Named NGTS-38 b, it is an exoplanet—a ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Scientists find gas emissions from rocks may have contributed to ancient climate swings, mass extinctions

An interdisciplinary team from Florida State University's Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science has uncovered new evidence about processes that may have contributed to ancient mass-extinction events, some of ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / From the lab to the moon: Lunar cement alternative survives 6 months on ISS and returned stronger in some tests

Building material samples from the University of Delaware spent six months mounted outside the International Space Station, where the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit tested their limits.

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny 60,000-neuron ant brains reveal how parental care evolved from feeding circuits

Long before the dawn of modern parenting, animals laid eggs and moved on, leaving their progeny to fend for themselves. Now, a study published in Nature uncovers one of the elegant ways evolution transformed neglect into ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / X-pinch plasma achieves radial proton acceleration for crisp imaging

Plasma pinches: From pursuits of nuclear fusion to an attractive point source of accelerated protons for proton radiography.

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Caddisfly silk gene evolves quickly without losing adhesive power

Caddisflies are among nature's master underwater builders, capable of spinning sticky silk that they use to form protective cases and webs in freshwater streams. Scientists like the University of Utah's Russell Stewart have ...

Jul 8, 2026
Phys.org / Wavelength-multiplexed diffractive optical storage enables massively parallel image retrieval

The explosive growth of data generated by artificial intelligence, cloud computing and modern digital infrastructure is placing increasing pressure on existing information storage technologies. Although magnetic storage systems ...

Jul 8, 2026