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Tyrannosaurus rex teeth reveal a body temperature close to the human average

When picturing a scaled, toothy Tyrannosaurus rex stomping across North America, building nests and eating other dinosaurs, it's easy to forget that scientists have gleaned everything we know about T. rex from clues left more than 60 million years ago. While the presence of fossils in Alaska suggested that this prehistoric ancestor of birds was already on the evolutionary path from cold-blooded reptile to warm-blooded avian, there wasn't a way to take T. rex's temperature—until now.

Phys.org2h ago

Deep ocean, familiar trash: Plastic waste found alongside possible new species

It's no secret that plastic and other human trash are a problem for marine life, but our understanding has long focused on the ocean's surface. As described in a study published in PLOS One, a more complete picture is coming into focus, revealing that even some of our planet's greatest depths have become home to our debris.

Phys.org2h ago

Conserving just 35% of the nation's waterways could sustain freshwater biodiversity

By evaluating the health of waterways across the U.S., researchers have identified a network encompassing about one-third of rivers and streams that, if conserved and restored, could sustain the nation's freshwater biodiversity in the face of habitat degradation and climate change. Mark Anderson of The Nature Conservancy, U.S., led the new study, published Sept. 16, 2026, in the journal PLOS One.

Phys.org2h ago

AI reveals novel nighttime feeding behaviors in right whales

Right whales forage near the water's surface at night, putting them at greater risk of potentially fatal collisions with boats, Jay Kirkham at Dalhousie University, Canada, and colleagues report Sept. 16, 2026, in the journal PLOS ONE.

Phys.org2h ago

We may soon be able to read long-lost ancient scrolls damaged by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius

X-ray technology and artificial intelligence—along with the discovery of lead in the ink of fragments from a collection of ancient Roman scrolls—could soon help scientists read long-lost texts buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, according to a study published Sept. 16, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Douglas Seiler, an affiliate of the University of California, Berkeley, U.S.; Jacob Michael LaManna of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S.; David Kreimer of the University of California, Berkeley, U.S.; and colleagues.

Phys.org2h ago

Hedgehog coronaviruses may threaten cats more than humans, new study finds

Washington State University researchers have discovered how a group of coronaviruses circulating in hedgehogs invades host cells, a key to understanding their potential to jump between species and their risk of causing a pandemic in humans.

Phys.org3h ago

From 10 to 22 years: The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's mission has just been extended

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope hasn't yet reached its Sun–Earth L2 orbit, and it already has some good news. NASA has announced that the mission has enough fuel to potentially double its mission length. Though initially scheduled for five years of observations, followed by a five-year extended mission, the entire mission could now reach 22 years.

Phys.org3h ago

Toilet pellets may help us flush less and save water

A pellet that dissolves in the toilet, turning the water blue and masking odor after urinating, could help us all save water, according to a first-of-its-kind study from the University of Surrey.

Phys.org3h ago

Prime assembly can correct multiple mutations at once, pointing toward universal gene therapies

Genomic editing holds great potential yet continues to have limitations. Current methods either rely on untargeted gene delivery or short DNA edits that need to be individualized for each patient. A new paper published today in Nature describes a novel genome engineering method called prime assembly that allows long DNA fragments to be stitched into precise, programmable target positions within living cells. This approach may allow for the development of universal gene therapies that can be used for many patients.

Phys.org3h ago

Gaming the market: Research provides insights for board game industry

Anyone who has ever damaged a friendship over a supposedly friendly game of Monopoly knows the allure of board games.

Phys.org3h ago

Predominantly online friendships linked to greater support for white nationalism

From social media to the streets of Washington, D.C., the organized white nationalist movement has become more visible in the United States over the past few decades. But the extent of this extremist movement's appeal to the broader public is less certain.

Phys.org3h ago

Land use and management intensity affect the suitability of habitats for wildlife in Europe

Common, wide-ranging vertebrate species, such as foxes, may be finding more suitable habitat in towns and cities than in the wider landscape, while rarer species—which live in smaller areas—appear to favor different habitats, according to new research into species across Europe.

Phys.org4h ago

Ice Age carvers used mammoth tusk patterns to create unique art, study finds

Intricate designs engraved across the surface of 18,000-year-old female figurines carved from mammoth ivory were inspired by the distinctive growth patterns visible in the tusks, a new study published in the journal npj Heritage Science has revealed.

Phys.org4h ago

Spring-like porous crystals could enable chemically responsive microscale materials

Crystals are usually imagined as rigid objects with flat faces and straight edges. A research team led by the University of Osaka has recently created a porous crystal that grows into a spring-like helix. The team also found that the crystal can change shape as solvent molecules move in and out of its internal spaces. Their findings are published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

Phys.org4h ago

Some governments may hide a budget surplus to justify a tax hike

It's annual property tax collection season, and with it may come questions about how those property taxes are used and, if there's a tax increase, why.

Phys.org4h ago

A 6-nanometer vapor barrier insulates ice during rapid heating

Put a drop of water into a very hot pan, and it can skitter across the surface on a cushion of vapor. This is known as the Leidenfrost effect. Now, scientists have observed a related phenomenon involving ice and an extremely hot surface—on a length scale of billionths of a meter (nanometers) and within billionths of a second (nanoseconds).

Phys.org4h ago

Climate change is putting the squeeze on the world's grapegrowers

This year, the European summer has been sweltering. It is unprecedented in many ways, marked by extreme heat, drought and record-breaking fires. Across the continent, fires have consumed hundreds of homes and prompted the evacuation of thousands of people.

Phys.org4h ago

The science behind greener, healthier lawns

A healthy, green lawn can be the envy of any neighborhood, but how does someone cultivate a yard like that? Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Science Amber Churchill has been getting her hands dirty and digging into the science behind it.

Phys.org5h ago

3D scans reveal how lichen fungi grip algae across cell walls

Lichens colonize trees and rocks all over the world. They are symbiotic communities between fungi and photosynthetically active green algae or cyanobacteria, in which both partners benefit from each other: The fungal partner relies on the algae for a supply of carbohydrates and, in return, it protects the algae from UV radiation and other environmental influences. The contact zone where the fungal cells and algal cells touch is crucial for transferring nutrients between the two symbiotic partners. Detailed investigations, particularly a three-dimensional understanding of this area between the cells, have been lacking until now.

Phys.org5h ago

Heat-related lost labor emerges as a major cost of carbon emissions

As the climate warms, people are more exposed to heat stress, which depresses productivity and the global economy. A study from the University of California, Davis, quantifies the cost of heat stress on global labor.

Phys.org5h ago