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 Mauritian dodo—a global symbol of human-caused extinction and one of the world's largest pigeons—may not have deserved its reputation as a silly simpleton and may have been the only member of its group to live in the dark. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dodo-birds-clever-thought.html Ecology Sat, 08 Aug 2026 11:20:01 EDT news705161909 A new simulation study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests winter canola could be profitable and environmentally beneficial if added to a conventional corn-soy rotation in the U.S. Midwest. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-winter-canola-profit-illinois-farmers.html Agriculture Sat, 08 Aug 2026 10:40:01 EDT news705376801 The dodo has been extinct for more than 300 years, wiped out within decades of humans arriving on its home island of Mauritius, but it lives on in the public imagination. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dodos-werent-stupid-historians.html Paleontology & Fossils Sat, 08 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news705231121 From reaching for a cup of coffee to tying your shoelaces, gravity shapes nearly all human movement. So how do our bodies react when that familiar force begins to change? Texas A&M University researchers are exploring the answer through a multiphase project supported by NASA. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gravity-people-simpler-movement-patterns.html Space Exploration Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:20:01 EDT news705377293 Microplastics, which are plastic particles under 5 millimeters, are a major and growing threat in both soil and water. They damage soil fertility, disrupt nutrient cycling, harm aquatic and terrestrial life, and can move through the food chain. That makes cleaning them up an urgent priority. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-swarms-tiny-robots-microplastics-soil.html Environment Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:40:01 EDT news705161846 Researchers led by Sa Kan Yoo at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) in Japan have discovered that the natural turnover of gut cells in fruit flies depends on how much food the flies get, rather than on any specific nutrient. They found that gut cells were replaced more frequently when nutrient levels were low and the insides of gut cells were fluid and watery. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gut-cells-hunger-watery-insides.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news705328524 Are some interventions designed to induce gratitude more effectively than others? In which countries and cultures do they work best to improve mood, strengthen bonds between people and promote social reciprocity? A study aimed at answering these questions—conducted in 34 countries with more than 10,000 participants—had its results published in PNAS. In Brazil, the project received the help of researchers and 598 volunteers who responded to intervention prompts via an online tool. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mega-impact-gratitude-interventions.html Social Sciences Sat, 08 Aug 2026 07:20:03 EDT news705314828 Faced with another summer when wildfires have scorched millions of hectares of land and blankets of smoke have disrupted daily life nationwide, Canada is trying to limit the annual devastation. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-canada-future-wildfires.html Environment Sat, 08 Aug 2026 07:00:04 EDT news705381009 You can spend every day surrounded by other people and still feel lonely. You can also spend long periods alone without finding the experience distressing. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-loneliness-health-ways-isolation.html Social Sciences Sat, 08 Aug 2026 06:40:02 EDT news705071155 A tiny greenish, nocturnal frog that thrives in coffee plantations has been discovered in Costa Rica's central Pacific region, where it also faces risks from agrochemicals used in farming. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nocturnal-coffee-frog-costa-rica.html Ecology Sat, 08 Aug 2026 06:00:03 EDT news705380574 For the first time, researchers have discovered that the same silver (Ag) nanocatalyst operates at different reaction sites depending on whether a solid oxide cell is generating electricity or producing hydrogen. This finding introduces a new design principle for improving the performance of next-generation solid oxide cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-silver-nanocatalysts-reaction-sites-power.html Materials Science Sat, 08 Aug 2026 02:50:52 EDT news705376221 Scientists have made a surprising finding about how an asexually reproducing stick insect has evolved. Research led by Dr. Darren Parker, lecturer in evolutionary biology at Bangor University, studied the genes of several species of Timema (a type of stick insect), which have not engaged in sexual reproduction for 1 million years—the longest known asexual period for any insect. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-million-years-sex-erase-insects.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:00:02 EDT news705330364 How much ice is stored in the world's glaciers? And where exactly is it located? A new study led by Ca' Foscari University of Venice, in collaboration with the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISP), provides an updated global map of glacier ice volume. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-reveals-volume-world-glaciers.html Earth Sciences Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:40:01 EDT news705329281 Oxygen provides the driving force for many vital chemical reactions. Two well-known examples include respiration, the process that allows living things to break down food to release its energy, and combustion, reactions that produce heat and light. But oxygen has an unusual electronic configuration that tends to slow reactions with organic matter, so reactions often need help to get started. In nature, specialized proteins called enzymes can activate oxygen on demand by first rearranging its electrons. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-cleaner-chemical-reactions-oxygen.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:20:01 EDT news705328021 By rapidly twisting a microscopically small tip back and forth, researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have unlocked a new way to detect subtle changes on the surface of a material flexing in response to infrared light. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-high-res-view-2d-materials.html Nanomaterials Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:00:03 EDT news705327588 The initiation of rain in clouds without ice remains one of the largest unsolved mysteries in atmospheric science. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hidden-anatomy-clouds-reveals-ice.html Earth Sciences Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:40:02 EDT news705325862 For the first time, researchers have determined the shape of the actinide nucleus of fermium-255 and measured its structure with high precision and resolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-laser-spectroscopy-reveal-hidden-nuclear.html General Physics Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:20:01 EDT news705325561 Using light to process quantum information is one of the most promising approaches to building future quantum computers. Light particles, known as photons, are excellent carriers of quantum information, but their lack of natural interactions has created a major challenge for researchers seeking to build systems capable of performing a full range of computations. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-shifting-architecture-versatility-photonic-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:00:01 EDT news705325201 In Goethe's ballad "Erlkönig," immortalized in Schubert's fevered 1815 setting, a dying boy riding through the night sees a spectral king beckoning from the darkness. His father calms him: "Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif"—my son, it is only a wisp of fog. In the poem, the father's reassurance proves tragically wrong. In the quantum world, however, his words acquire an uncanny new meaning. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mirror-world-particles-wisps-fog.html General Physics Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:40:02 EDT news705324723 Measuring faint magnetic fields is useful in a number of areas, including mapping brain activity, monitoring hearts and probing fundamental physics. Typically, picking up such weak signals requires expensive or bulky equipment, such as liquid-helium cooling tanks or specially shielded rooms that block out Earth's magnetic field. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-magnet-ultrafaint-magnetic-fields.html General Physics Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:20:02 EDT news705322283 When most baby turtles hatch, their sex depends on the temperature of the sand or soil where their mother laid her eggs. Warm incubation produces females, while cool nests produce males. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-antenna-cell-appendage-turtle-embryos.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:00:01 EDT news705323701 As global temperatures rise, scientists have largely assumed that mountain tree species will move uphill in search of cooler conditions. A new study published in Nature Climate Change reveals a more complex reality: Some tree species are moving uphill, while others are shifting downhill, and the key to understanding these contrasting responses lies in how trees manage water. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hydraulic-traits-reveal-mountain-trees.html Environment Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:40:01 EDT news705323461 Scientists in China predict that stacking two microscopic layers of boron could set a new record for superconductivity. Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity with zero resistance. Traditional types need temperatures close to absolute zero to work, requiring complex and expensive cooling equipment. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-boron-layers-superconductivity-theoretical.html Condensed Matter Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:20:01 EDT news705241771 Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a platform that pinpoints genetic triggers that turn microbes into efficient factories for new chemicals and materials. The method enables rapid, precise reprogramming of bacteria as biotechnology tools, supporting domestic production of valuable products and recovery of critical minerals and materials to enhance the nation's supply chains and global competitiveness. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-platform-bacterial-gene-biotech.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:00:01 EDT news705323281 An international research team led by plant scientist Professor Dr. Bart Thomma of the Institute of Plant Sciences at the University of Cologne, the MiBiNet Collaborative Research Center and the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences has identified the region of the genome in the pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae responsible for producing a specific protein that the pathogen secretes during infection. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mobile-fungal-starship-protein-triggers.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:40:01 EDT news705321153 A new genomic resource from the Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant genomics team is providing a powerful new foundation for faster, more precise turfgrass genetics and breeding. The team discovered a breakthrough genome that finally reveals the full genetic blueprint of zoysia grass. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-full-zoysia-grass-genetic-blueprint.html Biotechnology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news705320702 You need to tread carefully among the leaf litter of the Indonesian scrubland and its tropical rainforests. The dead leaves might seem caught in a gentle breeze, but there's more here than meets the eye. Try plucking one from the ground and you'll find an insect caught in the act of prayer. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-creatures-born-code-generative-ai.html Evolution Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:11 EDT news705329101 In the animal kingdom, only those that adapt to their environment survive. This adaptation takes a wide range of forms, from invisible internal shifts in gene expression to dramatic anatomical changes, such as tadpoles growing legs and transitioning to life on land as frogs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hidden-hormonehabitat-relationship-revealed-reef.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:09 EDT news705236641 An international team of researchers has uncovered a previously undetected structure in the birdsong of Bengalese finches that has the same statistical patterns found in human languages. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-birdsong-whale-song-patterns-similar.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:05 EDT news705227461 All living organisms need vitamin B12 to form red blood cells and DNA, as well as to build and support brain and nerve cells. But it's hard to come by: Humans don't make it. Animals don't make it. Plants don't make it. In fact, this essential nutrient is made exclusively by certain bacteria and archaea. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-phages-essential-vitamin-b12-gut.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:40:06 EDT news705320644