Research roundup: 6 cool science stories we almost missed

It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best stories that nearly slipped through the cracks. April’s list includes tracking Roman ship repairs, the discovery that mushrooms can detect human urine, crushing soda cans for science, and the physics of why dolphins can swim so fast. DOI: Physics of Fluids, 2026. 10.1103/tnxb-ckr5 (About DOIs). Credit: Adriboats © L. Damelet, CNRS/CCJ Credit: Adriboats © L. Damelet, CNRS/CCJ It turns out that how a full can buckles isn’t random and that the liquid inside actually alters how the can responds to force. The buckling may start in the middle, and minor variations in a given can’s shape and size might affect when the first ring emerges. But then, the authors say, the physics takes over in a highly predictable process. The rings arise because the metal softens as the can compresses, then stiffens, then compresses and stiffens again, repeating the pattern until the compression is complete—akin to something called homoclinic snaking. This seems to be a fundamental property of liquid-filled cylinders, which are common in such industries as industrial storage transportation, construction, energy systems, and rocket parts. So this work could help engineers detect early signs of failure in such structures. DOI: Communications Phhysics, 2026. 10.1038/s42005-026-02589-5 (About DOIs). Credit: Mark Cuthell Credit: Mark Cuthell That’s when tectonic plates first pushed them out of the sea, but the shaping of the pillars via coastal erosion only occurred over the last few thousand years. And that tectonic movement didn’t push them straight up, but tilted them just a few degrees. There are also small fault lines in the layers, evidence of past earthquakes. The next step is to take a closer look at the individual rock layers. DOI: Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 2026. 10.1080/08120099.2026.2638817 (About DOIs). Credit: Yu Fukasawa et al., 2026 Credit: Yu Fukasawa et al., 2026 DOI: Scientific Reports, 2026. 10.1038/s41598-026-42673-y (About DOIs). Credit: National Archives of Japan/Public domain Credit: National Archives of Japan/Public domain