https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Babies and very young sauropods—the long-necked, long-tailed plant-eaters that in adulthood were the largest animals to have ever walked on land—were a key food sustaining predators in the Late Jurassic, according to a new study led by a UCL (University College London) researcher. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-baby-dinosaurs-common-prey-late.html Ecology Fri, 30 Jan 2026 06:00:01 EST news688923726 Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have characterized a hidden intermediate state at the center of Src kinase function. This hidden state allows the kinase to repeatedly modify its target, without needing to release and reattach to the target each time. The researchers have shown that this state is vital to T-cell activation and cell migration, emphasizing the importance of short-lived protein states to major biological processes and opening new avenues for targeting kinases therapeutically. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-short-kinase-state-essential-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:20:05 EST news685296791 When the most massive stars reach the ends of their lives, they blow up in spectacular supernova explosions, which seed the universe with heavy elements such as carbon and iron. Another type of explosion—the kilonova—occurs when a pair of dense dead stars, called neutron stars, smash together, forging even heavier elements such as gold and uranium. Such heavy elements are among the basic building blocks of stars and planets. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-superkilonova.html Astronomy Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:09:31 EST news685112942 New UNSW research confirms that in the battle for survival, some animals win not with brawn, but with bling, putting to bed a debate that has puzzled generations of scientists. The study is published in the journal Ecology Letters. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-bling-brawn-animals-edge-game.html Evolution Fri, 19 Sep 2025 11:12:04 EDT news677499122 If there were a contest for the biggest female bullies in the animal world, lemurs would be near the top of the list. In these distant primate cousins, it's the ladies who call the shots, relying on physical aggression to get their way and keep males in line. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-lemur-brains-girls-nice.html Plants & Animals Mon, 21 Apr 2025 16:15:03 EDT news664470901 Nearly a third of people in the U.S. have been exposed to unregulated contaminants in their drinking water that could impact their health, according to a new analysis by scientists at Silent Spring Institute. What's more, Hispanic and Black residents are more likely than other groups to have unsafe levels of contaminants in their drinking water and are more likely to live near pollution sources. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-million-residents-exposed-unregulated-contaminants.html Environment Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:10:01 EST news656066521 American lobsters along Maine's coast have relocated to new habitats, while the population simultaneously shrunk in abundance and grew older, according to a new study by University of Maine researchers. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-american-lobster-population-habitat-shifting.html Plants & Animals Fri, 18 Oct 2024 13:02:09 EDT news648475324 Orange, blue, calico, two-toned and ... cotton-candy colored? https://phys.org/news/2024-09-rare-lobster-scientists-shell.html Plants & Animals Sat, 07 Sep 2024 05:19:10 EDT news644905135 In the campaign to restore Chesapeake Bay, oyster sanctuaries rank among the most hotly contested strategies. But new research suggests these no-harvest areas are working, and not only for the oysters. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-oyster-sanctuaries-host-marine-life.html Plants & Animals Mon, 08 Jul 2024 17:16:04 EDT news639677761 Sometimes, science requires traveling into hazardous environments; sometimes it requires a vast influx of state capital and an army of researchers and technicians. But sometimes, science has to call in the Marines. We reported on that this week, along with news about a new cathode for electric batteries made from an Earth-abundant element that will stun you into silence, and the No. 1 fear of animals globally. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-saturday-citations-cheapness-horizon-electric.html Other Sat, 25 May 2024 08:30:02 EDT news635772167 Scientists have developed a sustainable new way of making complex molecules, which could greatly reduce waste produced during drug manufacturing, a study suggests. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-method-drug-production.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 24 Apr 2024 13:37:04 EDT news633184621 The James Webb Space Telescope has made one of the most unexpected findings within its first year of service: A high number of faint little red dots in the distant universe could change the way we understand the genesis of supermassive black holes. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-baby-quasars-james-webb-space.html Astronomy Thu, 07 Mar 2024 05:00:01 EST news628965302 The rate at which the universe is expanding, known as the Hubble constant, is one of the fundamental parameters for understanding the evolution and ultimate fate of the cosmos. However, a persistent difference called the "Hubble Tension" is seen between the value of the constant measured with a wide range of independent distance indicators and its value predicted from the big bang afterglow. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-webb-accuracy-universe-expansion-deepens.html Astronomy Tue, 12 Sep 2023 12:22:45 EDT news613740158 A new image of the galaxy cluster known as "El Gordo" is revealing distant and dusty objects never seen before, and providing a bounty of fresh science. The infrared image, taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, displays a variety of unusual, distorted background galaxies that were only hinted at in previous Hubble Space Telescope images. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-webb-spotlights-gravitational-arcs-el.html Astronomy Wed, 02 Aug 2023 11:06:57 EDT news610193082 Marine fish larvae can be compared to athletes who must perform if they want to survive. The success of their journey, and transformation from larvae to adults, a process known as metamorphosis, is crucial for the sustainability of fish species. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-incredible-journey-clownfish-larvae-mini.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Jul 2023 09:54:04 EDT news608201641 At the center the Earth is a solid metal ball, a kind of "planet within a planet," whose existence makes life on the surface possible, at least as we know it. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-peer-earth-core-solid-metal.html Earth Sciences Wed, 05 Jul 2023 11:00:02 EDT news607766994 Northern lights enthusiasts got a surprise mixed in with the green bands of light dancing in the Alaska skies: A light baby blue spiral resembling a galaxy appeared amid the aurora for a few minutes. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-rocket-science-alaska-sky-spiral.html Space Exploration Tue, 18 Apr 2023 16:12:59 EDT news601053174 Red-bellied lemurs are one of only a handful of mammal species in which the males are active participants in caring for their young. New University of Arizona-led research suggests that expectant lemur dads may experience hormonal changes during their mates' pregnancies that help prepare them for parenting. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-lemur-dads-hormonal-response-pregnant.html Plants & Animals Wed, 22 Feb 2023 04:07:22 EST news596261183 "Oh, we don't have to worry about that area. They have red pivots." https://phys.org/news/2022-12-rust-coated-irrigation-pipes-hint-lack.html Earth Sciences Wed, 07 Dec 2022 14:13:14 EST news589644788 In a former gold mine a mile underground, inside a titanium tank filled with a rare liquified gas, scientists have begun the search for what so far has been unfindable: dark matter. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-huge-underground-mysterious-dark.html General Physics Thu, 07 Jul 2022 17:20:01 EDT news576429439 A new study by researchers from Central European University's (CEU) Department of Cognitive Science, Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE), the University of St. Andrews, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology look at whether apes are similar to humans regarding learning capacities when someone is trying to teach them something. The study, "Learning from communication versus observation in great apes," was published on February 21, 2022 in Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2022-02-human-children-great-apes-inclined.html Plants & Animals Wed, 23 Feb 2022 13:10:53 EST news564844251 Some might say you look a little green when you are sick. Leafy greens actually turn purple—although not obvious to the human eye, it can be seen through advanced hyperspectral imaging (different than purple varieties of some vegetables). Purdue researchers discovered this color change in kale and basil stressed by cadmium, a heavy metal toxic to human and animal health. https://phys.org/news/2022-01-heavy-metal-contaminated-leafy-greens-purple.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 Jan 2022 16:38:00 EST news561832675 When we encounter an unfamiliar face, we tend to make snap judgments. Does the person look smart, attractive, or young? Are they trustworthy or corrupt? Neuroscientists and psychologists study how our brains form these facial biases, and how the judgments ultimately influence the way people behave. https://phys.org/news/2021-12-facial-bias.html Social Sciences Wed, 15 Dec 2021 07:58:53 EST news558777528 In June of 2018, telescopes around the world picked up a brilliant blue flash from the spiral arm of a galaxy 200 million light years away. The powerful burst appeared at first to be a supernova, though it was much faster and far brighter than any stellar explosion scientists had yet seen. The signal, procedurally labeled AT2018cow, has since been dubbed simply "the Cow," and astronomers have catalogued it as a fast blue optical transient, or FBOT—a bright, short-lived event of unknown origin. https://phys.org/news/2021-12-super-bright-stellar-explosion-dying-star.html Astronomy Mon, 13 Dec 2021 11:00:06 EST news558598829 Hollywood's Captain Kirk, 90-year-old William Shatner, blasted into space Wednesday in a convergence of science fiction and science reality, reaching the final frontier aboard a ship built by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company. https://phys.org/news/2021-10-william-shatner-tv-capt-kirk.html Space Exploration Wed, 13 Oct 2021 11:24:09 EDT news553343046 Some of the most amazing creatures live in the deep blue sea. Cuttlefish, squids and octopuses, for example. These soft-bodied cephalopods have a strikingly sophisticated nervous system, camera-like eyes, three hearts, and an extraordinary ability to switch the color and texture of their skin to mimic their background in the blink of an eye. https://phys.org/news/2021-09-secret-life-baby-octopuses.html Plants & Animals Thu, 23 Sep 2021 09:29:58 EDT news551608194 Not all food is created equal. So-called blue foods—a diverse range of aquatic animals, plants and microorganisms—offer significantly more nutrients than land-based crops and livestock, according to a first-of-its-kind database compiled by an international team that included researchers at Stanford. https://phys.org/news/2021-09-aquatic-foods-key-global-health.html Environment Thu, 16 Sep 2021 09:00:48 EDT news551001644 Often considered the world's oddest mammal, Australia's beaver-like, duck-billed platypus exhibits an array of bizarre characteristics: it lays eggs instead of giving birth to live babies, sweats milk, has venomous spurs and is even equipped with 10 sex chromosomes. Now, an international team of researchers led by University of Copenhagen has conducted a unique mapping of the platypus genome and found answers regarding the origins of a few of its stranger features. https://phys.org/news/2021-01-earth-oddest-mammal-bizarre.html Plants & Animals Wed, 06 Jan 2021 14:25:00 EST news529165489 At around 60 million light-years from Earth, the Great Barred Spiral Galaxy, NGC 1365, is captured beautifully in this image by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Located in the constellation of Fornax (the Furnace), the blue and fiery orange swirls show us where stars have just formed and the dusty sites of future stellar nurseries. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-hubble-swirls-stars.html Astronomy Fri, 09 Oct 2020 11:52:42 EDT news521463160 Scientists studying the near-threatened tequila bat, best known for its vital role in pollinating the Blue Agave plant from which the drink of the same name is made from, have analyzed its DNA to help inform conservationists on managing their populations. The findings are published in Global Ecology and Conservation. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-dna-elusive-tequila.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2020 08:20:14 EDT news513242409