Explore documented scientific discoveries, original research and new scientific developments. Search the library by topic, category or date.
One of NASA's premier space telescopes plunged to Earth on Wednesday, ending its 22-year investigation of the universe's biggest explosions.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Light pollution is one of the fastest-growing and least-regulated environmental changes worldwide. It disrupts biological processes at all levels—from genes to entire ecosystems—and contributes significantly to global biodiversity loss.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →When astronomers looked at photos of the early universe taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, they found something odd: an overabundance of bright galaxies. Based on what they knew about the early universe, such galaxies should have been far less common in the few hundred million years following the Big Bang.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →People tend to think more highly of companies that give to charity on a monthly or weekly basis rather than donating an annual lump sum worth the same amount.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Fermions are among the most important particles in physics and include both everyday electrons and more exotic variants. Chiral fermions, like gloves, come in left- and right-handed versions and were proposed over a century ago. While high-energy neutrinos—the leading candidates for massless chiral fermions—proved to have mass, nearly (semi-) metallic solid-state crystals were discovered 15 years ago to host…
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Researchers have developed a multifunctional fire-protective coating that not only shields materials from extreme heat but also provides an early warning of fire and can be recycled into new flame-retardant materials at the end of its life. The work, published in Polymer Degradation and Stability, demonstrates a strategy for combining fire safety, sustainability and circularity within a single material system.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →In an update on Oct. 23, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and other agency leaders shared the agency’s path to returning Americans to the lunar surface in 2028. Agency leadership provided updates on the previously announced acceleration plans for the Artemis program, advancing toward the agency’s Artemis III test flight in 2027 and Artemis IV Moon […]
NASARead article →Mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining in tropical regions is finding its way into wildlife. A team from the University of Vienna and the Veterinary University of Vienna shows that mercury exposure impairs the glucocorticoid response that helps animals cope with acute stress. This weakened stress response could reduce the caimans' chances of survival and reproduction.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →An international study jointly led by researchers from the Department of Geography and the Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality at the Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has revealed that vegetation resilience across Northern Hemisphere permafrost regions underwent a widespread reversal around 2008, declining broadly despite continued greening.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →The genital structures of male hawkmoths are lifesavers. By rubbing specialized scales on their genitals against parts of their abdomen, the nocturnal insects emit ultrasonic sounds that can potentially scramble the acoustic signals that bats use to hunt.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →The "Geolinking Service SoRa" research data infrastructure helps to close a gap in the German research landscape. Many questions—such as those regarding social inequality or environmental justice—can only be answered through interdisciplinary analyses, such as linking social science and spatial science data: Does the proportion of green space in a residential neighborhood affect health and well-being?
Phys.org ResearchRead article →A new study published in the journal Ecography finds that there are more than 60,000 different species of insects in California—and scientists have only described about two-thirds of them.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the main causes of biodiversity loss worldwide. A study published Nov. 4, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth at Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Germany, and colleagues found that with training, volunteer dog-handler teams could locate invasive species in the wild with 75% accuracy.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Ancient DNA reveals that denizens of the Iberian Peninsula made leather from domestic goats as far back as 7,000 years ago, according to a study published Nov. 4, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Jolijn A. M. Erven of University College Dublin, Ireland, and colleagues.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →For Belding's ground squirrels, adult females are more likely to survive from year to year if they live near more adult female kin—but neither males nor young females get the same boost from nearby family. Jill Mateo and colleagues at the University of Chicago, U.S., report these findings on Nov. 4, 2026, in the journal PLOS One.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Some cats display a complex mixture of fear and curiosity, which is similar to shyness observed in human infants, according to a study published Nov. 4, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Madoka Hattori at Kyoto University, Japan, and colleagues.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →The gig economy is rapidly growing, and scholars are still working to understand the conditions gig workers encounter. Julieta Aguilar at the University of Kentucky, U.S., and Dr. Jeremy Reynolds at Purdue University, U.S., examined experiences of harassment in the gig economy. Their study, published on Nov.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, have developed a new approach using the artificial intelligence platform AlphaFold 3 to predict whether a T cell receptor will recognize a specific antigen based solely on its genetic sequence. The advancement could help scientists more rapidly decode immune responses to infectious diseases, tumors and other health threats.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Expert listeners can often form an immediate impression of a singer's performance. But what exactly in the voice drives that judgment? In classical vocal competitions, performers are rated on an overall score. However, the criteria behind that score are rarely made explicit.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Researchers from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have developed a carbon dioxide (CO₂) sensor that combines high sensitivity with a wider measurement range.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Scientists have uncovered surprising evidence that many of Britain's overlooked insects and spiders are becoming more abundant and emerging earlier in the year, according to a new study.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →The Ebola virus can cause severe, often life-threatening disease in humans. To replicate, it must enter human cells and exploit their cellular processes. In doing so, it encounters natural defense mechanisms that can make infection more difficult.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Mount Kilimanjaro is warming in some places and cooling in others, according to a new study by the University of Portsmouth, published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →Researchers at Kanazawa University and the National Institute of Genetics in Japan have used high-speed atomic force microscopy to observe how a group of proteins known as Smc5/6 interacts with DNA. The images reveal how this structure opens and closes, captures DNA and brings separate sections together.
Phys.org ResearchRead article →