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. The Huashan rock art landscape in southern China, close to the border with Vietnam, is a remarkable UNESCO World Heritage site. Thousands of images are painted on river cliffs across more than 80 locations stretching 260 kilometers (162 miles). They depict people, musical instruments, boats, animals, weapons and many other figures, and date back at least 2,000 years. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-human-blood-ancient-chinese-art.html Archaeology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news705842919 The tiny bones in your fingers withstand countless taps and swipes thanks to a precise blend of materials. Flexible collagen fibers form the framework, reinforced by hard calcium phosphate hydroxyapatite crystals. This is just one of countless examples in which living organisms weave organic materials directly into inorganic crystals with exquisite precision. In a recent study published in Nature Communications, scientists attempted to recreate such precise spatial arrangements in biomimetic composite materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-protein-nanoparticles-crystals-enabling.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 13 Aug 2026 06:40:02 EDT news705724225 A naturally abundant plant material best known for giving trees and crops their strength may one day help repair broken bones, according to a new study led by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Srinath Palakurthy and Professor Rivka Elbaum of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-derived-lignin-bone-minerals.html Biochemistry Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:40:01 EDT news704463362 When engineers think about protective materials, like those used in packaging and support, they usually think about strength, stiffness and durability. But what if those same materials could also sense their external environment? https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sea-stars-materials.html Materials Science Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:20:08 EDT news702737590 More than 500 million years ago, during what is known as the Cambrian period, the seas and oceans on Earth were filled with a myriad of marine animals, many of which have now become extinct. This evolutionary burst in new forms of life, referred to as the Cambrian explosion, paved the way for the evolution of many major animal groups that still populate our planet today. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-strange-million-year-marine-fossils.html Evolution Wed, 13 May 2026 08:00:02 EDT news697721762 Placing small stones in a bug cage is beneficial when raising pill bugs, a type of woodlouse. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have discovered that pill bugs do not directly incorporate ingested calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) minerals into their tergite cuticles. Instead, they undergo an energetically costly process to reconstruct these minerals within their bodies before forming their tergite cuticles. This finding helps explain how organisms biologically control mineral formation. The research is published in the Journal of Structural Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-pill-bugs-dont-minerals-rebuild.html Plants & Animals Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:20:07 EDT news695473622 Two parallel experiments in protein self-assembly produced strikingly different results, demonstrating that protein designers should consider incorporating physical forces now missing from even Nobel-prize-winning protein design algorithms. The results, published in Nature Communications, also demonstrate that AI and machine learning have evolved to become essential tools for analyzing complex datasets to produce meaningful results. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ai-analysis-nanoribbon-reveals-protein.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:40:10 EDT news692885401 Over the past century, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased dramatically. This rise has contributed to global warming and led to many harmful effects, including shifting weather patterns and more frequent droughts. There is an urgent need to lower the amount of carbon dioxide in the air to protect ecosystems and reduce future damage to the planet. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-moisture-powered-polymers-air-efficient.html Polymers Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:20:02 EDT news692357565 Since humanity's first steps on the moon, the aspiration to extend human civilization beyond Earth has been a central objective of international space agencies, targeting long-term extraterrestrial habitation. Among the celestial bodies within reach, Mars is considered our next home. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-dynamic-duo-bacteria-mars-versatile.html Space Exploration Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:01 EST news683806321 This summer, it was all over the media. Driven by the climate crisis, the oceans have now also passed a critical point: The absorption of CO2 is making the oceans increasingly acidic. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-qa-future-corals-rays.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Nov 2025 21:10:05 EST news682182188 The ocean's smallest engineers, calcifying plankton, quietly regulate Earth's thermostat by capturing and cycling carbon. However, a new review published in Science by an international team led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) (Spain) finds that these organisms, coccolithophores, foraminifers, and pteropods, are oversimplified in the climate models used to predict our planet's future. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-tiny-ocean-climate-key-earth.html Earth Sciences Thu, 23 Oct 2025 14:00:12 EDT news680429669 Fossilized fish ear stones—known as otoliths—can reveal far more than previously thought. In a recent study, a team of paleontologists from the University of Vienna demonstrated that a refined electron microscopy technique can make even the finest growth rings visible. These microscopic structures may reflect a fish's life story down to just a few hours—an important breakthrough for understanding fish growth, biomineralization, and environmental change across millennia. The study was recently published in Limnology and Oceanography: Methods. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-hidden-life-stories-fish-ears.html Plants & Animals Thu, 16 Oct 2025 11:44:03 EDT news679833841 A new study has, for the first time, uncovered a connection between bacteria living in Norway spruce needles and gold nanoparticles. This discovery could pave the way for environmentally friendly gold exploration methods, while examining similar processes in mosses may also help remove metals from mining-impacted waters. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-bacteria-accumulation-gold-nanoparticles-spruce.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:17:04 EDT news678986222 If biomolecules were people, heparin would be a celebrity. Best known as a powerful blood thinner with a global market of more than $7 billion, heparin is used during and after surgery and is essential to kidney dialysis. Most of today's heparin comes from pigs, but the Food and Drug Administration is encouraging the use of alternative sources, including cows and synthetic forms of heparin, to diversify the supply chain. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-insight-blood-thinners-bone-builders.html Biochemistry Thu, 04 Sep 2025 14:28:57 EDT news676214932 A deep sea worm that inhabits hydrothermal vents survives the high levels of toxic arsenic and sulfide in its environment by combining them in its cells to form a less hazardous mineral. Chaolun Li of the Institute of Oceanology, CAS, China, and colleagues report these findings in a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-deep-sea-worm-poison-survive.html Plants & Animals Tue, 26 Aug 2025 14:00:01 EDT news675329162 A treasure trove of exceptionally preserved early animals from more than half a billion years ago has been discovered in the Grand Canyon, one of the natural world's most iconic sites. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-fossil-discovery-reveals-grand-canyon.html Evolution Wed, 23 Jul 2025 14:00:07 EDT news672478890 Some species of fig trees store calcium carbonate in their trunks—essentially turning themselves (partially) into stone, new research has found. The team of Kenyan, U.S., Austrian, and Swiss scientists found that the trees could draw carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it as calcium carbonate 'rocks' in the surrounding soil. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-fig-trees-atmospheric-stone-reveals.html Earth Sciences Mon, 07 Jul 2025 08:49:04 EDT news671096942 The calcitic layers of the eggshells of archosaurs (including crocodilians and birds) and turtles are composed of distinctive crystalline structures known as eggshell units. Those growing from the shell membrane are called primary eggshell units (PEUs), while those forming within the calcitic layer are called secondary eggshell units (SEUs). Although rare in modern bird eggs, SEUs are common in dinosaur eggs. Due to the lack of in-depth research on this structure, however, scientists are uncertain whether they are biogenic or abiogenic in origin. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-dinosaur-eggshell-biogenic-secondary.html Evolution Fri, 30 May 2025 14:16:02 EDT news667833361 Sharks have been evolving for more than 450 million years, developing skeletons not from bone, but from a tough, mineralized form of cartilage. These creatures are more than just fast swimmers—they're built for efficiency. Their spines act like natural springs, storing and releasing energy with each tailbeat, allowing them to move through the water with smooth, powerful grace. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-sharkitecture-nanoscale-blacktip-shark-skeleton.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 20 May 2025 11:01:04 EDT news666957661 A research team has developed an innovative biomimetic dual-mode magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) nanoprobe for detecting early-stage liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). https://phys.org/news/2025-04-dual-mode-mri-nanoprobe-mimics.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 22 Apr 2025 13:01:03 EDT news664545661 New research reveals that PET-based glitter microplastics can actively influence biomineralization processes in marine environments, raising fresh concerns about the long-term environmental impact of microplastic pollution on marine ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-microplastics-pollution-glitter-disrupt-marine.html Environment Tue, 01 Apr 2025 12:30:00 EDT news662729393 International scientists have uncovered the oldest known phosphatic stromatoporoid sponge, dating back approximately 480 million years to the Early Ordovician, in South China. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-oldest-phosphatic-stromatoporoid-sponge-south.html Plants & Animals Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:30:01 EDT news662656871 A study led by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History presents the oldest known example in the fossil record of an evolutionary arms race. These 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred in the ocean covering what is now South Australia between a small, shelled animal distantly related to brachiopods and an unknown marine animal capable of piercing its shell. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-fossil-reveals-oldest-evolutionary-arms.html Evolution Fri, 03 Jan 2025 11:00:01 EST news655115041 New findings, published in Royal Society Open Science, have revealed that changes in ocean density have a significant impact on the rate at which marine plankton incorporate carbon into their shells. This has profound implications for carbon cycling and the ocean's ability to absorb atmospheric CO2 in response to climate change. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-ocean-density-key-driver-carbon.html Earth Sciences Wed, 04 Dec 2024 09:08:14 EST news652525689 Polymetallic nodules are potato-sized formations on the ocean floor that are rich in minerals such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese. Their concentration of rare, economically important minerals has made the nodules the focus of controversial deep-sea mining enterprises. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-unexpected-role-magnetic-microbes-deep.html Earth Sciences Thu, 26 Sep 2024 15:28:03 EDT news646583282 When we think about bacteria, we may imagine single cells swimming in solution. However, similarly to humans, bacterial cells often socialize, using surfaces to coalesce into complex heterogeneous communities called biofilms. Within a group, bacteria in the biofilm are extremely robust in resisting various environmental stresses—a crucial feature making biofilm-associated infections extremely difficult to treat with antibiotics. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-bacteria-passive-physics-biofilms.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 13 Sep 2024 11:10:32 EDT news645444626 A study led by the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed an innovative method that overcomes the limitations of traditional additive manufacturing (3D printing), significantly simplifying and accelerating the production of geometrically complex cellular ceramics. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-method-cellular-ceramic.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 10 Sep 2024 14:23:04 EDT news645196982 Ancient ocean temperatures are most commonly reconstructed by analyzing the ratio of different oxygen atoms in the calcium carbonate remains of fossils. However, this presents many challenges, including a combination of biological processes known as "vital effects" which are very noticeable in corals and can affect the data. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-perspectives-corals-climate.html Earth Sciences Thu, 01 Aug 2024 07:34:27 EDT news641716464 The Cambrian fossil record indicates that most animal phyla had diversified and inhabited the Earth's oceans approximately 518 million years ago. But even though chordates—the group that includes vertebrates like humans—were part of this early animal diversification, they make up a relatively small portion of fossils from more than 50 Cambrian sites worldwide. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-soft-needle-oceanic-haystack-scientists.html Evolution Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:22:03 EDT news641128921 Biomineralized columns, stacked in layers like a sandwich gave Cambrian brachiopod shells their strength and flexibility 520 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-scientists-organo-phosphatic-shells-brachiopods.html Evolution Thu, 18 Apr 2024 09:53:02 EDT news632652781