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. Some classical physical systems can explore many configurations over time until their long-term behavior no longer reveals their starting conditions. The sampling of available configurations according to the appropriate statistical distribution is a property called ergodicity. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-quantum-birthmarks.html Quantum Physics Sun, 11 Oct 2026 14:20:01 EDT news710685576 A new study by Florida Tech assistant professor of marine sciences Austin Fox, Ph.D. '15, found that low oxygen levels are contributing to the rerelease of nutrients buried on the river floor that feed harmful algal blooms. The study was based on the most widespread testing ever of oxygen levels across the Banana River. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-effects-hypoxia-florida-banana-river.html Ecology Sun, 11 Oct 2026 14:00:07 EDT news710685928 Conservation groups on Sunday condemned the death of a dolphin transferred from France to a Spanish marine park, saying it added to the deaths of other sea mammals recently moved to Spain from Canada. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-groups-alarmed-marine-mammals-deaths.html Ecology Sun, 11 Oct 2026 13:31:37 EDT news710944271 Eight orangutans rescued in recent weeks from blazes that tore through Borneo island have been released into a protected forest, Indonesian authorities and rescuers said on Sunday. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-indonesia-orangutans-forest.html Ecology Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:40:01 EDT news710937157 Four people died in the southeastern United States as post-tropical cyclone Isaias posed flooding and tornado risks Saturday as it moved northward after making landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-dead-cyclone-isaias-drenches-southern.html Environment Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:20:04 EDT news710937137 An international team of researchers has uncovered new evidence illuminating the evolutionary origins of one of the defining features of mammals: the ability to suckle and consume milk during infancy. Their findings, published in Nature, suggest that key anatomical structures required for mammalian suckling, swallowing and breastfeeding behaviors evolved nearly 165 million years ago, long before the appearance of modern mammals. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-jurassic-fossil-reveals-ancient-mammals.html Evolution Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:00:04 EDT news710683675 Hurricane Simon strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm and was expected to make landfall or skirt the coast of west-central Mexico on Sunday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hurricane-simon-nears-western-mexico.html Environment Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:00:01 EDT news710937044 A South Korean container ship returned on Sunday from a trial voyage through the Arctic, testing an alternative route opened by melting sea ice as conflict in the Middle East disrupts global shipping. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-south-korea-trial-arctic-shipping.html Environment Sun, 11 Oct 2026 11:40:02 EDT news710936940 Egypt unveiled Sunday a restored version of the "Tondo of the Two Brothers," a prized second-century painting from the famed Fayoum portraits. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-egypt-fayoum-mummy-portraits.html Archaeology Sun, 11 Oct 2026 11:26:35 EDT news710936769 Researchers at the Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences (ACCESS) at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed a new algorithm that can forecast Arctic sea ice extent up to nine months in advance, offering a new way to anticipate changes in the Arctic that can affect the global climate system. The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-algorithm-arctic-sea-ice-months.html Earth Sciences Sun, 11 Oct 2026 09:00:01 EDT news710768267 A spinach leaf can turn light into chemical energy. A struggling heart cannot. Researchers in China have brought part of the leaf's energy-making machinery into rat heart cells to test whether borrowed photosynthesis could help an overworked heart. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-spinach-nanoparticles-rat-hearts-photosynthesis.html Bio & Medicine Sun, 11 Oct 2026 07:40:01 EDT news710599646 Africa boasts up to 25% of Earth's animal and plant species. This diversity is driven by varied habitats: harsh deserts, vast grasslands, dense forests, towering mountains, lush coastlines and teeming seas. It is also due to deep evolutionary roots, as many animal and plant groups originated here in the distant past. Paleontologists have been excavating this material for nearly two centuries. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-zimbabwe-dinosaurs-south-africa-species.html Paleontology & Fossils Sat, 10 Oct 2026 20:30:01 EDT news710684230 When we think about a diamond, we often think about a material whose value comes from its perfection. In my research, however, I am interested in something almost opposite: the tiny imperfections inside diamonds. These atomic-scale defects can give diamonds new optical and electronic properties, and some of them can serve as quantum systems. The challenge is learning how to control these defects without disturbing the others. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ultraviolet-laser-pulses-diamond-defects.html Condensed Matter Sat, 10 Oct 2026 17:20:01 EDT news710677572 Meal prepping is a great way to save money, spend less time in the kitchen and stick to a meal plan. But while cooking meals for the week ahead may be convenient, there can be real risks associated with eating bulk-cooked meals. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-meal-prep-safely-microbiologist-stepbystep.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 10 Oct 2026 17:00:02 EDT news710759211 As a teenager, Gillian Maegan Montalbo's pimples weren't too bad—just a few bumps on her forehead and nose. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-adult-acne-real-ways.html Molecular & Computational biology Sat, 10 Oct 2026 15:20:01 EDT news710839442 Nearly 300,000 people may live in areas at risk of flooding in the Nepalese, Indian and Chinese areas of the Himalayas. The results, from a study published in Scientific Reports, also indicate that the total area covered by buildings within potential flood zones increased by approximately 45% between 2016 and 2023. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-himalayan-zone.html Earth Sciences Sat, 10 Oct 2026 14:00:06 EDT news710693591 Most of us recognize basic phases of matter and their properties: solids maintain their shape, liquids flow freely with constant volume, and gases expand to fill their container. Quantum phases, on the other hand, are much harder to categorize, overturning traditional notions of what a phase even is and forcing physicists to rethink their definitions. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-stability-distinguish-quantum-phases-older.html Condensed Matter Sat, 10 Oct 2026 13:00:02 EDT news710683734 Two cartoon characters appear on a screen. One belongs to a group of three, and the other to a group of two. Which character would you rather play with? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-preschool-boys-favor-bigger-groups.html Social Sciences Sat, 10 Oct 2026 11:20:01 EDT news710765673 From coral reefs in Papua New Guinea to chimpanzees in West Africa, grizzly bears in Canada and albatross colonies off Tasmania, some ecosystems are thriving despite climate change, habitat loss and other environmental pressures. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-odds-ecosystems.html Plants & Animals Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:40:10 EDT news710587380 Powerful waves thrashed communities along California's southern coast Friday, damaging homes and sending water cascading through streets as residents braced for more potential damage wrought by Tropical Storm Rachel. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-powerful-lash-california-coast-storm.html Environment Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:20:02 EDT news710838011 A magnitude 7.7 earthquake jolted Panama on Friday, setting off panic in the capital city and warnings of dangerous tsunami waves. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-tsunami-major-earthquake-panama.html Environment Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:19:53 EDT news710839169 Isaias weakened from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone early Saturday after it made landfall in northwestern Florida, where it lashed the U.S. Gulf Coast with heavy rain and strong winds, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-isaias-downgraded-tropical-cyclone-landfall.html Environment Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:10:01 EDT news710837937 Some insects, including honeybees and ants, live in highly organized colonies where individuals take on specific roles. In many ant societies, young adult workers typically care for developing young inside the nest before beginning to forage, or search for food, outside it. Some ant species, however, start hunting for food as soon as they reach adulthood, without undergoing a transition period. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-young-ants-early.html Plants & Animals Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:00:06 EDT news710584123 Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) is a chemical reaction that directly converts methane and oxygen, the main components of natural gas, into higher-value hydrocarbons such as ethane and ethylene. However, the reaction presents a fundamental selectivity challenge. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-catalyst-enables-temperature-methane-conversion.html Analytical Chemistry Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:00:01 EDT news710683752 The largest city in the Brazilian Amazon, Manaus, closed public schools on Friday as smoke from hundreds of wildfires blanketed the metropolis amid an intensifying El Niño event. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-wildfire-schools-amazon-biggest-city.html Environment Sat, 10 Oct 2026 07:59:42 EDT news710837910 Physicists in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford have used a hybrid quantum computer, made up of qubits and quantum oscillators, to observe the Aharonov–Bohm effect in a quantum simulation. The effect is a quantum phenomenon in which a particle can acquire a measurable phase by traveling around a magnetic flux, even though it never passes through a region where a magnetic field is present. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hybrid-quantum-foundational-effect.html Quantum Physics Sat, 10 Oct 2026 06:57:07 EDT news710834138 Seventy-three years ago, Tenzing Norgay stood on top of Everest, known as Chomolungma in Tibetan, which roughly translates as "Goddess Mother of the World." https://phys.org/news/2026-10-mountaineer-tenzing-biopic-mountain-today.html Environment Fri, 09 Oct 2026 21:20:01 EDT news710758190 Mountains preserve evidence of ancient oceans, moving continents and tectonic processes that have shaped Earth over millions of years. Later deformation, erosion and burial, however, can obscure important parts of this geological record. An international research team led by Istanbul Technical University (ITU) has identified evidence of a previously unrecognized Late Cretaceous continental magmatic arc in northwestern Iran. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-geologists-uncover-evidence-late-cretaceous.html Earth Sciences Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:20:05 EDT news710768259 Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—a vast family of chemicals used largely for their nonstick, water-repellent and grease-resistant properties—are called "forever chemicals" because of their remarkable resistance to degradation. They are now ubiquitous in our environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-food-reveals-diet-exposure-chemicals.html Environment Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:00:01 EDT news710758214 Every black hole hides a question at its center. Einstein's theory predicts that whatever falls in is crushed into a singularity, a point of infinite density where the theory itself breaks down. Most physicists expect quantum gravity to replace that point with something finite. But the center lies hidden behind the horizon. How could we ever learn what is there? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-quantum-cores-fingerprints-black-holes.html General Physics Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:40:01 EDT news710671667