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. NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has completed the first drives on another world that were planned by artificial intelligence. Executed on Dec. 8 and 10, and led by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the demonstration used generative AI to create waypoints for Perseverance, a complex decision-making task typically performed manually by the mission's human rover planners. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-perseverance-rover-ai-mars.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:26:07 EST news689257530 After nearly 20 years on the Red Planet, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has snapped its 100,000th image of the surface with its HiRISE camera. Short for High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE is the instrument the mission relies on for high-resolution images of features ranging from impact craters, sand dunes, and ice deposits to potential landing sites. Those images, in turn, help improve our understanding of Mars and prepare for NASA's future human missions there. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-nasa-key-cameras-orbiting-mars.html Astronomy Tue, 16 Dec 2025 15:03:20 EST news685119782 A research team from Queen Mary University of London has discovered a new way to engineer thin films that can "tune" themselves much more effectively than existing materials, making them highly responsive and efficient. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-tuning-paves-future-wireless-radar.html Nanophysics Mon, 03 Nov 2025 16:37:03 EST news681410221 How do left-handed and right-handed molecules differ? Researchers at ETH Zurich are using a new imaging method to visualize what was previously only measurable as an average, opening up new possibilities for biology and materials science. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-left-image-technique-reveals-chiral.html Nanophysics Tue, 05 Aug 2025 09:44:04 EDT news673605842 In recent years, with the public availability of AI tools, more people have become aware of how closely the inner workings of artificial intelligence can resemble those of a human brain. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-geometric-link-convexity-bridge-human.html Mathematics Wed, 02 Jul 2025 05:00:05 EDT news670604634 A curious cow watches as NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Kate Rubins perform a simulated moonwalk in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 14, 2024, in preparation for NASA's historic Artemis III moon landing mission. Flight controllers and scientists guided activities during the week-long simulation from mission control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-image-astronauts-moonwalks-unusual-earth.html Space Exploration Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:14:24 EDT news669395661 Picture a living cell as if it were a city. If you were the urban planner for this (very little, very alive) city, one of the things you would have to decide is how to allocate space for different functional uses. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-uncovering-cells-allocate-space-growth.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 06 Jun 2025 13:16:04 EDT news668434562 Hyperspectral imaging (HSI), or imaging spectroscopy, captures detailed information across the electromagnetic spectrum by acquiring a spectrum for each pixel in an image. This enables precise identification of materials through their spectral signatures. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-bimodal-video-imaging-platform-hyperspectral.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 23 May 2025 13:00:04 EDT news667223182 University of Edinburgh scientists have harnessed the power of AI in a new tool that promises to speed up analysis of data from gel electrophoresis experiments. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-ai-tedium-gel-electrophoresis-fast.html Biotechnology Mon, 05 May 2025 11:59:03 EDT news665665141 Air pollution has become an ever-pressing issue since the Industrial Revolution began in the mid-18th century. Progressive urbanization, industrialization and agricultural development over more recent decades have been linked to a plethora of consequences for the environment and health of humans and wildlife. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-atmospheric-pollutants-offsetting-primary-productivity.html Environment Wed, 26 Feb 2025 06:40:02 EST news659637091 A Chinese rover that landed on Mars in 2021 detected evidence of underground beach deposits in an area thought to have once been the site of an ancient sea, providing further evidence that the planet long ago had a large ocean. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-ancient-beaches-testify-ocean-mars.html Astrobiology Mon, 24 Feb 2025 15:00:09 EST news659608201 Though it's a cold, dead planet, Mars still has its own natural beauty about it. This image shows us something we'll never see on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-bizarre-features-mars-carbon-dioxide.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 30 Jan 2025 09:37:03 EST news657452221 Western researchers have developed a novel technique using math to understand exactly how neural networks make decisions—a widely recognized but poorly understood process in the field of machine learning. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-mathematical-technique-black-ai-decision.html Mathematics Mon, 13 Jan 2025 12:09:38 EST news655992575 A team led by the University of Oxford has solved a mystery that has intrigued scientists for centuries: how does the squirting cucumber squirt? https://phys.org/news/2024-11-mathematical-reveals-explosive-secret-squirting.html Plants & Animals Mon, 25 Nov 2024 15:00:01 EST news651749941 Noninvasive phenotyping has emerged as a vital tool in plant science, enabling the study of stress indicators without disrupting plant growth. While most studies have historically focused on analyzing stress responses in leaves, this novel research adopts a multi-organ view, assessing the dynamic interplay between leaves, stems, and roots when exposed to abiotic stress. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-noninvasive-stress-phenotyping-multi-approach.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:18:03 EST news651341881 Energy-making chloroplasts from algae have been inserted into hamster cells, enabling the cells to photosynthesize light, according to new research in Japan. It was previously thought that combining chloroplasts (chlorophyll containing structures in the cells of plants and algae) with animal cells was not possible, and that the chloroplasts would not survive or function. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-solar-powered-animal-cells-combining.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 30 Oct 2024 14:30:28 EDT news649517425 A significant advancement in nuclear-data analysis has been achieved, which is relevant for several key areas, ranging from particle and nuclear physics to clean energy and health care. Researchers have developed a new tool to process nuclear data in a faster and more transparent way, helping to advance technologies that rely on nuclear science. The study is published in the journal Nuclear Science and Techniques. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-tool-faster-depth-analysis-nuclear.html General Physics Thu, 03 Oct 2024 15:54:03 EDT news647189641 Scientists have made a significant leap in developing lasers that use sound waves instead of light. These phonon lasers hold promise for advancements in medical imaging, deep-sea exploration, and other areas. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-method-phonon-lasers-stable-powerful.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:27:02 EDT news644848021 Imagine owning a camera so powerful it can take freeze-frame photographs of a moving electron—an object traveling so fast it could circle the Earth many times in a matter of a second. Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed the world's fastest electron microscope that can do just that. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-world-fastest-microscope-electrons-motion.html Quantum Physics Wed, 21 Aug 2024 14:00:01 EDT news643448881 An international team of scientists, led by Trinity College Dublin, has devised an innovative imaging method using state-of-the-art microscopes that significantly reduces the time and radiation required. Their work represents a significant breakthrough that will benefit several disciplines, from materials science to medicine, as the method promises to deliver improved imaging for sensitive materials such as biological tissues that are especially vulnerable to damage. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-microscopy-breakthrough-imaging-sensitive-materials.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 01 Aug 2024 14:00:01 EDT news641712419 A study from the University of California, Los Angeles, published in Advanced Photonics introduces a cutting-edge approach to 3D Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) using a wavelength-multiplexed diffractive optical processor. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-method-3d-quantitative-phase-imaging.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 26 Jul 2024 10:34:03 EDT news641208841 After starting science operations in February, Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) studied the monster black hole at the center of galaxy NGC 4151. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-nasa-jaxa-xrism-iron-fingerprints.html Astronomy Wed, 08 May 2024 16:39:03 EDT news634405141 Researchers have developed a 3D full-color display method that uses a smartphone screen rather than a laser to create holographic images. With further development, the new approach could be useful for augmented or virtual reality displays. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-smartphone-screen-3d-layered-holographic.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 02 Apr 2024 12:51:04 EDT news631281061 Materials science enables cutting-edge technologies, from lightweight cars and powerful computers to high-capacity batteries and durable spacecraft. But to develop materials for these applications, they need to be exactingly analyzed through numerous microscopic lenses—a difficult and time-consuming process. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-ai-autonomous-materials-science.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 22 Mar 2024 11:22:31 EDT news630325336 Inspired by nature, nanotechnology researchers have identified 'spontaneous curvature' as the key factor determining how ultra-thin, artificial materials can transform into useful tubes, twists and helices. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-spontaneous-curvature-key-shifting-nanomaterials.html Nanomaterials Mon, 04 Mar 2024 10:23:03 EST news628770181 Researchers led by Cornell have discovered an unusual phenomenon in a metal-insulating material, providing valuable insights for the design of materials with new properties by way of faster switching between states of matter. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-physics-insulating-material-path-faster.html Nanophysics Fri, 09 Feb 2024 11:50:50 EST news626701835 Allegations of research fakery at a leading cancer center have turned a spotlight on scientific integrity and the amateur sleuths uncovering image manipulation in published research. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-science-sleuths-technology-fakery-plagiarism.html Other Sun, 28 Jan 2024 12:32:41 EST news625667544 Northwestern University researchers have developed a novel method to host gas molecules as they are being analyzed in real time, using honeycomb structures found in nature as inspiration for an ultra-thin ceramic membrane they incorporated to encase the sample. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-membrane-platform-enables-analysis-gas.html Nanomaterials Mon, 22 Jan 2024 10:18:03 EST news625141081 A new AI program can train neural networks using just a handful of images to rapidly characterize in satellite and drone data new objects such as ocean debris, deforestation zones, urban areas and more. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-chameleon-ai-satellite-images-faster.html Earth Sciences Tue, 16 Jan 2024 11:09:01 EST news624625738 The Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory has released a first look at the unprecedented data it will collect when science operations begin later this year. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-nasajaxa-xrism-mission-reveals-ray.html Astronomy Fri, 05 Jan 2024 11:09:27 EST news623675364