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 Materials that encourage mineralization, mimicking the process in the human body, are becoming increasingly important in medicine and technology. This process, which occurs at the interface between inorganic materials and organic coatings, can facilitate the formation of biological tissue, aid in detecting specific ions, and even assist in removing contaminants from water. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-track-mineral-growth-bioorganic-coatings.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 10 Mar 2026 09:50:04 EDT news692354692 A team of researchers led by the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), in collaboration with colleagues from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the University of Bristol, and Nanjing University, has identified the primary non-environmental factors controlling lithium-to-magnesium ratio (Li/Mg) fractionation. Their findings were recently published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-coral-skeletons-limg-ratios-growth.html Earth Sciences Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:10:04 EST news684756220 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 The TV series Alien:Earth has introduced a number of new creatures to the much loved, albeit terrifying, Alien franchise. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-alien-earth-realistic-extraterrestrials-experts.html Astrobiology Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:44:05 EDT news676806242 Many corals and sponges form skeletons that support and shape their bodies. Whereas biomineralization—the formation of these skeletons—has been intensively studied in corals, the main ecosystem engineers of today's hyperdiverse coral reefs, the molecular mechanisms of the process had not been fully clarified in the also ecologically important marine sponges. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-biomineralization-sponges-calcite-spicules.html Evolution Tue, 09 Sep 2025 14:13:21 EDT news676645997 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 Photo-induced force microscopy began as a concept in the mind of Kumar Wickramasinghe when he was employed by IBM in the early years of the new millennium. After he came to the University of California, Irvine in 2006, the concept evolved into an invention that would revolutionize research by enabling scientists to study the fundamental characteristics of matter at nanoscale resolution. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-revolutionizing-photo-microscopy-globe-celebrated.html General Physics Mon, 14 Jul 2025 10:10:01 EDT news671703676 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 Inhabiting Mars has long been a futuristic fantasy fueled by science fiction. However, successful landings over the past half-century have made this seemingly far-fetched idea increasingly plausible. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-mars.html Space Exploration Tue, 24 Jun 2025 09:01:04 EDT news669974462 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 Glitter is festive and fun—a favorite for decorations, makeup and art projects. But while it may look harmless, beautiful even, glitter's sparkle hides a darker side. Those shimmering specks often end up far from party tables and greeting cards. You can even spot them glinting on beaches, washed in with the tide. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-glitter-darker-side-chemistry-oceans.html Environment Mon, 05 May 2025 10:29:04 EDT news665659742 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 research team led by Prof. Zhang Xin from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed how magnetic properties in mice vary under different physiological and pathological conditions. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-mice-magnetic-shifts-physiological-pathological.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 10 Mar 2025 16:40:02 EDT news660843601