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 gleaming skyscrapers and bright lights of the United Arab Emirates draw the eyes of all who travel there, a sign of the Arabian Peninsula nation's rapid, oil-fueled development over the last decades into a major hub for commerce and tourism. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-arab-emirates-darkest-reveals-rare.html Astronomy Sat, 30 May 2026 05:45:14 EDT news699338687 Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth. Somehow, it feels like it's getting hotter and drier every day. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-western-australia-edging-desertification.html Environment Tue, 12 May 2026 16:40:06 EDT news697817881 From smartphone charging to hydrogen production, the fundamental principles of energy technology have been revealed. Korean researchers have, for the first time, identified how molecular structures change within the ultra-small space called the "electric double layer." The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, opens a new path to simultaneously improve efficiency and performance in battery, hydrogen, and carbon-neutral technologies by reducing energy loss and selectively inducing desired reactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electric-layer-molecular-battery-hydrogen.html Nanophysics Mon, 04 May 2026 14:20:05 EDT news697117502 Around the world, millions of camels are farmed for milk and meat while others are used in leisure activities like racing and riding. Yet the treatment of these animals as livestock can be harsh, especially during transport. New international research, led by Southern Cross University animal welfare expert Associate Professor Barbara Padalino and published in the journal Animals, shows that more humane camel transportation is possible by using food as an incentive in place of physical punishment. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-camel-food-incentive-physical.html Plants & Animals Mon, 04 May 2026 08:40:01 EDT news697101555 A recent study by Dr. John Moretti of the University of Texas and local caver John Young uncovered the remains of Ice Age megafauna, revealing an entirely new ecosystem that once thrived on the Edwards Plateau. Among the finds were a genus of giant tortoise (Hesperotestudo) and a large armadillo-like pampathere (Holmesina septentrionalis). The work is published in the journal Quaternary Research. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-extinct-ice-age-giants-bender.html Paleontology & Fossils Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:03 EDT news694775469 Hedgehogs, elephants, pangolins, bears or fennec foxes: many wild species are sold as pets, hunting trophies, for traditional medicine, biomedical research, or for their meat or fur. These practices, whether legal or illegal, concern one-quarter of all mammal species. Now a study conducted at the Department of Ecology and Evolution of the University of Lausanne (Unil) quantifies the impact of wildlife trade on the exchange of germs and parasites between animals and humans. The work, titled "Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years," appears in Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-wildlife-pathogen-transmission-years-spillover.html Ecology Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:00:08 EDT news694945081 A paleontologist from The University of Texas at Austin has discovered the fossilized remains of Ice Age animals that have never been found in Central Texas before—and he came across the bones while snorkeling for fossils in an underground stream. The new fossils are from a giant tortoise and an armadillo relative called a pampathere that was about the size of a lion. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ice-age-animals-slice-earth.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:20:03 EDT news693672121 Nanobodies—miniature proteins—derived from camel antibodies demonstrated powerful potential to accurately and safely deliver radioisotopes as specialized cancer treatments in a project at ORNL. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-tiny-tools-sharp-aim-nanobodies.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:40:07 EDT news692873685 When winter sets in and food becomes scarce, some mammals hibernate, entering a state of deep rest that slashes their energy needs and allows them to fast for months. However, fasting deprives them of essential nutrients, including carbon. Carbon, the building block of all life, normally comes from food. But hibernating animals take in no carbon, while their bodies keep releasing it through respiration, mostly as carbon dioxide. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-gut-microbes-secret-squirrel-hibernation.html Plants & Animals Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:40:04 EDT news692524606 There is a long and storied history of nonhuman actors, from Luke, the dog of silent star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, to the collies cast in the role of Lassie in film and on television. Bart the Bear racked up over 20 film and TV credits in the 1980s and 1990s, while countless horses have supported period dramas that now saturate streaming services. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-animals-future-hollywood.html Economics & Business Sat, 21 Feb 2026 13:30:03 EST news690808711 The fastest land animal in North America is the American pronghorn, and previously, researchers thought it evolved its speed because of pressure from the now-extinct American cheetah. But recently, that theory has come under fire. Now, a University of Michigan study examining fossilized ankle bones of ancient relatives of the American pronghorn has shown that the pronghorn was evolving to be faster more than 5 million years before the American cheetah appeared on the continent. The study is published in the Journal of Mammalogy. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ancient-american-pronghorns-built.html Evolution Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:48:38 EST news689341681 In a study published in the Journal of Historical Geography, researchers Dr. Chris McCarthy and his colleagues have documented, for the first time, the Great Mongolian Road, a major yet understudied east-west caravan route across Inner Asia. The study utilized maps, called gaihōzu, produced by the Japanese Imperial Army between 1873 and 1945, combined with field verification across 1,200 km of southern Mongolia, to determine their accuracy and document the various support systems available to camel caravans and merchants, which are vital for successful navigation and survival in these harsh arid landscapes. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-great-mongolian-road-japanese-imperial.html Archaeology Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:30:01 EST news688647706 One llama is sprawled on the grass with its neck craned, basking in a patch of sunshine. Another stands on a dirt hill, ears flattened defiantly. A third rushes to greet visitors with a friendly nuzzle. This isn't a petting zoo. The furry beasts are in Belgium for work. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-llamas-big-pharma-secret-weapon.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 26 Jan 2026 09:24:31 EST news688641841 A new study combines drone data, satellite observations, and ground-based flux measurements to examine methane emissions from ruminants in Kenya. The research represents a pioneering effort to quantify methane (CH₄) emissions from livestock using drones in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also among the first field studies to measure methane emissions from camels, a largely understudied source. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-drones-satellites-methane-emissions-ruminants.html Biotechnology Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:20:01 EST news688319329 You might think of Australia's arid center as a dry desert landscape devoid of aquatic life. But it's actually dotted with thousands of rock holes—natural rainwater reservoirs that act as little oases for tiny freshwater animals and plants when they hold water. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-weird-creatures-australia-holes-longer.html Plants & Animals Fri, 05 Dec 2025 07:06:32 EST news684140762 Once hailed as a solution to Ethiopia's creeping desertification, a foreign tree is now spreading uncontrollably across the East African nation, threatening fragile ecosystems and the very survival of local communities. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ethiopia-invasive-prosopis-tree-livelihoods.html Ecology Wed, 12 Nov 2025 04:12:35 EST news682143148 Nanobodies—tiny proteins derived from animals in the camelid family including camels, llamas, and alpacas—could be useful in treating brain disorders like schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-nanobodies-camels-llamas-schizophrenia-alzheimer.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:00:12 EST news681554941 "God, God, God, protect them," chanted two herders, their eyes following a dozen camels rushing toward acacia trees, oblivious to the dry riverbed in northern Kenya where it hasn't rained since April. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-camels-cows-kenya-drought.html Agriculture Fri, 31 Oct 2025 05:41:37 EDT news681108092 Snakebite envenoming is among the world's deadliest yet most overlooked tropical diseases. The WHO has classified snakebite envenoming as one of 21 neglected tropical diseases, resulting in between 100,000 and 150,000 deaths worldwide each year. Three times as many survive with serious disabilities, including amputations and permanent tissue damage. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-nanobody-based-antivenom-effectiveness-african.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 29 Oct 2025 14:59:06 EDT news680968742 Imagine a sloth. You probably picture a medium-sized, tree-dwelling creature hanging from a branch. Today's sloths—commonly featured on children's backpacks, stationery and lunch boxes—are slow-moving creatures, living inconspicuously in Central American and South American rainforests. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-giant-ground-sloths-fossilized-teeth.html Ecology Wed, 22 Oct 2025 13:03:03 EDT news680356981 A study of elephants, giraffes and other wildlife in Namibia's Etosha National Park underscores the ways in which the environment, biological sex, and anatomical distinctions can drive variation in the gut microbiomes across plant-eating species. Because the gut microbiome plays a critical role in animal health, the work can be used to inform conservation efforts. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-african-wildlife-scat-gut-ecosystem.html Ecology Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:00:36 EDT news679752030 What did early humans like to eat? The answer, according to a team of archaeologists in Argentina, is extinct megafauna, such as giant sloths and giant armadillos. In a study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers demonstrate that these enormous animals were a staple food source for people in southern South America around 13,000 to 11,600 years ago. Their findings may also rewrite our understanding of how these massive creatures became extinct. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-early-humans-dined-giant-sloths.html Archaeology Thu, 02 Oct 2025 09:44:54 EDT news678617088 About 12,000 years ago, high up on a cliff in the desert of northern Arabia, an artist—or perhaps artists—was hard at work. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-year-art-ancient-sources-arabia.html Archaeology Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:13:04 EDT news678532382 New findings highlight the pioneering role of human groups who lived in the interior of northern Arabia shortly after the hyper-arid conditions of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), guided by the return of seasonal water sources—and leaving behind a monumental legacy in rock art. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-year-monumental-camel-art-ancient.html Archaeology Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:00:01 EDT news678354001 Through a collaboration between U.S. and Kenyan researchers and Turkana communities of northern Kenya, scientists have uncovered key genetic adaptations underlying survival in hot and dry environments, revealing how natural selection has enabled this pastoralist population to thrive in a challenging landscape. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-partnership-kenya-turkana-community-scientists.html Evolution Thu, 18 Sep 2025 14:00:10 EDT news677344321 Burning, blisters, pain: More than 40 million people worldwide are infected with the herpes virus every year. The virus can pose a serious threat to newborns and people with weakened immune systems. Researchers in Hamburg and Göttingen have now generated a mini-antibody that neutralizes a protein essential for the infection. The findings, published in Nature, hold the promise of new therapies to treat and prevent severe herpes infections in the near future. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-alpaca-generated-nanobody-neutralizes-protein.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 04 Sep 2025 15:43:45 EDT news676219419 The ability to detect single photons (the smallest energy packets constituting electromagnetic radiation) in the infrared range has become a pressing need across numerous fields, from medical imaging and astrophysics to emerging quantum technologies. In observational astronomy, for example, the light from distant celestial objects can be extremely faint and require exceptional sensitivity in the mid-infrared. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-bottleneck-photon-2d-materials.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 07 Aug 2025 14:43:44 EDT news673796618 Camels have long been the backbone of Somalia 's pastoralist culture, feeding families, transporting goods and standing tall in local folklore. But on the dusty outskirts of the capital, the camel now finds itself at the center of an agricultural revolution that could redefine Somali farming. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-somalia-camel-revolution-nutrition-jobs.html Agriculture Mon, 04 Aug 2025 04:25:32 EDT news673500323 A group of bat viruses closely related to the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) could be one small mutation away from being capable of spilling over into human populations and potentially causing the next pandemic. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-viruses-similar-mers-potential-humans.html Ecology Wed, 04 Jun 2025 11:00:04 EDT news668253601 The search for life beyond Earth is a key driver of modern astronomy and planetary science. The U.S. is building multiple major telescopes and planetary probes to advance this search. However, the signs of life—called biosignatures—that scientists may find will likely be difficult to interpret. Figuring out where exactly to look also remains challenging. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-figure-distant-planets-host-life.html Astrobiology Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:34:08 EDT news668097237