Phys.org news

Phys.org / Microscale roughness breakthrough defies 80 years of fluid dynamics

Logically, you would think a sleek surface has optimal aerodynamics—but recent research at Tohoku University turns this fundamental principle on its head. Applying an irregular microscale surface texture reduced the aerodynamic ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Genetically distinct avocados discovered in Nicaragua

A team of scientists led by researchers at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and Texas A&M University recently uncovered genetic traces of ancient migration in DNA from avocados growing in Nicaragua. They ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Reusable magnetic invention removes microplastics plus some PFAS from water

Microplastics are an increasing global concern, with growing evidence of their presence in water systems. RMIT University researchers have developed a water treatment material that rapidly removes micro- and nanoplastics ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Genome tool places large genetic sequences precisely in rice and tobacco without DNA breaks

Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a new way to add large pieces of genetic information to plants, overcoming a challenge that has limited plant biotechnology for decades. ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / 2,000 volunteers join a painstaking effort to restore massive skeleton of prehistoric predator

Volunteers armed with chisels, brushes and protective goggles chip away at rock encasing the bones of a massive prehistoric amphibian in a glass-walled laboratory on the ground floor of Warsaw's Copernicus Science Centre.

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Reflooding the Aral Sea could prevent massive CO₂ emissions

About 90% of the Aral Sea has dried up. The exposed sediments have already released enormous amounts of carbon dioxide (748 megatons) since 1960. However, through restoration, the lake could once again become a carbon sink. ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Water-surface vortices drive tiny rotors without electricity, magnets or chemicals

Reliably generating controlled miniature rotations has long been a challenge: Chemical propulsion systems wear out, and methods that use electric or magnetic fields require complex setups. A team from KIT's Institute of Microstructure ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Neural networks unlock larger quantum simulations with lower computational costs

In recent years, research using artificial intelligence to predict material properties has advanced rapidly. Neural network quantum Monte Carlo methods have attracted attention as highly accurate simulation techniques. However, ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Carbon footprint of metal production could be more than 10 times higher than estimated

New research from the University of St Andrews has found that metal production carbon footprints could be more than 10 times higher than previously estimated, with serious implications for the ambition to reach net zero.

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Storms that built a graveyard: Ancient monsoons created a spectacular dinosaur fossil site

Around 80 million years ago, a stretch of tropical coastline in what is now northeastern Italy was lashed by monsoon rains and tropical cyclones. Those storms swept dinosaur carcasses, crocodiles, plants and river mud onto ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Marine animals first colonized empty seashells about 470 million years ago

An international study led by researchers from the University of Tartu shows that approximately 470 million years ago, a significant ecological change took place in the world's oceans: For the first time, the interiors of ...

Jul 22, 2026
Phys.org / Great Barrier Reef microbiome map reveals more than 500 new bacterial species

In 2012, Nature revealed that humans provide a home to thousands of different species of microbes in a series of papers that opened a path to understanding the impact of the human microbiome on our health.

Jul 22, 2026