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. Archaeologists have uncovered a rare and intricate polychrome mosaic within the remains of a Roman villa beneath Devon farmland. Made up of thousands of red, white and dark blue-gray cubes, the 12 m2 (129 square feet) mosaic would have been a striking decorative floor feature in the villa when it was likely installed sometime in the 4th century A.D. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-archaeological-reveals-full-extent-roman.html Archaeology Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:20:01 EDT news703759561 If you've driven down two-lane highways in rural parts of North Florida recently, you may have noticed a spate of new signs that designate the grassy knolls bordering the asphalt as wildflower areas. The signs likely feel redundant right about now as thousands of milkweeds produce thick umbels packed full of pentagonal buds and fully developed flowers. Many of these flowers and all the monarchs they attract have the same attention-grabbing orange color as the safety vests worn by workers who carefully planted each milkweed by hand months earlier. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-butterfly-experts-milkweed-florida-roadsides.html Plants & Animals Sat, 18 Jul 2026 13:30:01 EDT news703499199 Cells are crowded, dynamic places where thousands of molecules interact in tight quarters. Until now, scientists lacked a reliable way to see many of these molecular interactions as they happen. Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have now developed a new imaging method that allows scientists to see previously hidden enzyme activities in small regions across the whole cell. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, open new possibilities for understanding how cells process information. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-cell-imaging-method.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:40:05 EDT news703255069 When people think about climate change, they often picture melting glaciers, stronger storms, rising temperatures, or prolonged droughts. These visible consequences dominate headlines and shape public discussions. Yet another consequence is quietly growing in the background—one that cannot be measured with a thermometer or satellite image. Climate change is increasingly affecting how people think, feel, and imagine their future. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-built-environment-mental-health-climate.html Environment Tue, 14 Jul 2026 06:00:01 EDT news703147786 How do bees make group decisions without a leader? Math experts have determined that the best strategy is for a few to assume the risk of foraging under all conditions while the majority stay safely back and forage only when conditions are favorable. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-math-reveals-honeybee-hives-patient.html Ecology Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:20:06 EDT news702900976 Waiting in an airport for a connecting flight is often tedious. A new study by MIT researchers shows it's bad for business, too. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-flights-multinational-firm-growth-globally.html Economics & Business Wed, 07 Jan 2026 09:46:17 EST news687001561 A new study led by a Georgia State University astronomy graduate student is a major step forward in the search for stars that could host Earth-like planets that may prove to be good havens for life to develop. Sebastián Carrazco-Gaxiola shared the results at the January 2026 meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Phoenix, Ariz. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-census-sun-neighbors-reveals-potential.html Astrobiology Tue, 06 Jan 2026 15:27:10 EST news686935513 Rising global temperatures affect human activity in many ways. Now, a new study illuminates an important dimension of the problem: very hot days are associated with more negative moods, as shown by a large-scale look at social media postings. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-temperatures-linked-declining-moods-world.html Environment Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:15:59 EDT news674997354 Cities around the world pursue urban renewal under the banner of resilience and diversity. The idea is simple: if neighborhoods include socially and economically diverse residents, it will lead to stronger social cohesion, greater trust, and mutual support among the community. One common approach is to mix residents from different income groups within the same neighborhood. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-gentrification-disguise-housing-policy.html Social Sciences Tue, 01 Jul 2025 14:50:20 EDT news670600217 A first-of-its-kind study on the link between police budgeting and the housing market seemed to be a dead end—showing practically no relation between the spending on law enforcement and home transaction volume and prices, just like previous studies. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-unexpected-link-police-housing-prices.html Economics & Business Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:30:03 EDT news665065802 "Get off my lawn!" Funny as a meme but maybe scary in real life, this short sentence is synonymous with an elderly man shouting at kids whose bikes have gotten too close to a well-manicured front yard. But it could just as well represent a female bird, aggressively chasing whatever intruder gets too close to her nest. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-paths-angry-bird-female-cavity.html Plants & Animals Mon, 28 Apr 2025 05:00:10 EDT news664800301 If the archaeological record has been correctly interpreted, stone alignments in Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge are remnants of shelters built 1.7 million years ago by Homo habilis, an extinct species representing one of the earliest branches of humanity's family tree. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-archaeological-database-reveals-links-housing.html Archaeology Tue, 15 Apr 2025 08:10:01 EDT news663865283 In a world grappling with a multitude of health threats—ranging from fast-spreading viruses to chronic diseases and drug-resistant bacteria—the need for quick, reliable, and easy-to-use home diagnostic tests has never been greater. Imagine a future where these tests can be done anywhere, by anyone, using a device as small and portable as your smartwatch. To do that, you need microchips capable of detecting miniscule concentrations of viruses or bacteria in the air. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-tiny-chips-swift-disease-diagnosis.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:46:12 EST news653575564 This week, researchers studying data from NASA's Dawn mission reported the identification of 11 sites on Ceres that suggest an internal reservoir of organic materials. A multidisciplinary team published an analysis of the dazzle camouflage patterns deployed on ships during World War 1. And Japanese researchers found a nano-switch mechanism controlled by a single hydrogen atom used by every living organism to obtain energy. Additionally, we covered the enduring impacts of the pandemic on urban real estate, the world's first carbon-14 battery, and a hearty revival of the argument about whether Neanderthals and Homo sapiens were different species: https://phys.org/news/2024-12-saturday-citations-donut-effect-basically.html Other Sat, 07 Dec 2024 09:00:02 EST news652707828 What is the shelf life of a freshly baked donut? Two days, tops. But when it comes to an entirely different kind of donut—one that Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom described early in the pandemic when he measured the exodus of people from city centers to city suburbs—there appears to be no expiration date. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-donut-effect-persists-major-cities.html Economics & Business Tue, 03 Dec 2024 09:28:05 EST news652440482 Images of coastal houses being carried off into the sea due to eroding coastlines and powerful storm surges are becoming more commonplace as climate change brings a rising sea level coupled with more powerful storms. In the U.S. alone, coastal storms caused $165 billion in losses in 2022. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-marshes-effective-coastal.html Earth Sciences Wed, 23 Oct 2024 05:00:01 EDT news648807285 Californians are familiar with landslides that occur around storms, when saturated soil and rock loses its grip and slips from its perch on the substrate. These types of landslides can be triggered by intense rainfall, and incoming storms can be a warning that neighborhoods need to evacuate. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-hills-estates-landslide-began-winter.html Earth Sciences Fri, 12 Jul 2024 14:23:01 EDT news640012976 Infanticide and adoption in the animal kingdom have long puzzled scientists. While both males and females of many species are known to kill the babies of their rivals to secure sexual or social advantage, other animals have been observed caring for the young of dead or missing comrades. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-parrots-babies.html Plants & Animals Tue, 07 May 2024 01:33:33 EDT news634264389 A new study that examines both the physical and socioeconomic effects of sea-level rise on Florida's Miami-Dade County area finds that in coming decades, four out of five residents may face disruption or displacement, whether they live in flood zones or not. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-seas-tighten-vise-miami-people.html Environment Mon, 16 Oct 2023 15:42:04 EDT news616689721 An ecological theory may help to explain why segregation is so widespread and persistent in US cities, according to a paper published today in Buildings and Cities. The new way of framing segregation's endurance may provide a useful tool to study and address systemic racism, and could ultimately reveal novel ways of breaking the cycle. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ecological-theory-segregation-persists.html Social Sciences Tue, 26 Sep 2023 11:59:47 EDT news614948291 Earth's rapidly changing climate is taking an increasingly heavy toll on landscapes around the world in the form of floods, rising sea levels, extreme weather, drought and wildfire. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-climate-action-property-values-escalating.html Environment Thu, 17 Aug 2023 13:06:04 EDT news611496361 Losing long-lasting flockmates may drive a golden-crowned sparrow to stray from its favorite overwintering spot, a new study says, suggesting that friendly, familiar faces help anchor it to familiar spaces. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-flock-sparrows-drift-favored-friends.html Plants & Animals Mon, 07 Aug 2023 11:44:49 EDT news610627483 Even without body parts that allowed for movement, new research shows—for the first time—that some of Earth's earliest animals managed to be picky about where they lived. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-earth-animals-real-estate.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 09 May 2023 09:55:04 EDT news602844897 People who experience periods of high inflation are more likely to buy a home, according to a new study from the University of California San Diego's Rady School of Management. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-high-inflation-home-ownership.html Social Sciences Thu, 13 Apr 2023 05:00:01 EDT news600579993 New research published in Biology Letters on March 22 shows how tiny Antarctic life, which have lived on the continent since it was part of a forested Gondwana, have been able to survive as ice sheets have expanded and contracted over their ice-free homes for millennia. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-antarctica-tiny-non-ice-dwelling-species-survived.html Plants & Animals Thu, 23 Mar 2023 09:08:03 EDT news598781224 Wildfires pose a large and growing threat to communities across California, where fires are becoming more frequent and destructive. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-wildfire-exacerbates-disparity.html Environment Mon, 20 Feb 2023 12:24:09 EST news596118247 A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change examines the potential cost of unrealized flood risk in the American real estate market, finding that flood zone property prices are overvalued by $121–$237 billion. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-housing-overvalued-billion-due-unpriced.html Economics & Business Thu, 16 Feb 2023 12:48:44 EST news595774120 Cities creating or restoring greenspaces experience gentrification processes that exclude citizens from more vulnerable social groups. This is the finding of a scientific project by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) led by urban planner and geographer Isabelle Anguelovski, who has spent over six years analyzing the characteristics and consequences of greening processes in 28 cities in Europe and North America. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-greener-cities-social-climate-inequalities.html Environment Mon, 19 Dec 2022 10:41:24 EST news590668878 As the supply of unsold housing increases in Utah—and across the nation—and as home prices continue to fall, new research coauthored by a BYU Marriott School of Business professor has discovered under-the-radar forces that are quietly impacting home pricing and purchasing decisions. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-buyers-greater-homes-rounded-price.html Social Sciences Fri, 09 Dec 2022 12:50:30 EST news589812621 As climate change threatens residential areas, a longtime federal home buyout program—designed to eliminate risk to people and property—has become bureaucratically inaccessible and inequitable. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-local-floodplain-home-buyouts-federal.html Environment Mon, 14 Nov 2022 11:41:51 EST news587648507