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. Researchers have discovered a thermal asymmetry deep beneath the surface across Mars' southern hemisphere. Based on gravitational measurements that provide clues to the Red Planet's interior structure, Mars' southern interior is around 200 to 400 degrees Celsius warmer than the planet's northern half and partially molten. The surprising finding adds context to Martian history and the periods during which it may have hosted conditions favorable for life. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-thermal-anomaly-mars-south-pole.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:20:08 EDT news706964473 Plastic might be the last ingredient you would ever add to a cookie recipe. But a team of researchers is looking to change that. They've programmed yeasts to turn plastic and agricultural waste into edible proteins and flavoring molecules, creating a treat from trash. The technology not only offers a new upcycling method but could also sustain life in disaster zones or even deep-space missions with humans aboard. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-yeasts-pet-plastic-crop-protein.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:00:07 EDT news706534861 A new study from Monash University has delivered the most complete and accurate digital map of Earth's windblown sand dunes to date. The research, published in Nature Communications, answers long-standing questions about why dunes form where they do, unlocking key insights into climate conditions on Earth and other planets. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-global-sand-dunes-reveals-clues.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 20 Aug 2026 10:20:03 EDT news706436221 Deimos, the smaller and outermost of Mars' two moons, is roughly oval in shape and has a deep depression at its south pole. Unlike its heavily scarred sister moon, Phobos, Deimos is covered by a loose layer of dust and rubble—a so-called regolith layer—which gives it a smoother, dustier appearance. Although numerous space probes have provided increasingly detailed images of its surface over the past decades, the origins of the debris layer and the depression at the south pole remain unclear. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-asteroid-impact-mars-moon-deimos.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:20:06 EDT news706273561 So far, most of the minerals found on Mars tell a story of lava poured out by ancient volcanoes, followed by long stretches in which water trickled through and slowly reshaped the rock. However, some rocks scattered across the Martian surface seem to hint at a different geological history—carrying the same material that forms rubies and sapphires. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ruby-mineral-mars-rover-hints.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:30:01 EDT news706193441 Japanese scientists are readying a mission to Mars' moons to retrieve samples that may unlock the origins of the solar system and life on Earth, although a rival Chinese mission aims to make it back first. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-japan-aims-moons-mars.html Planetary Sciences Sun, 16 Aug 2026 15:05:17 EDT news706111469 For astronauts in space, constipation is a well-known problem. But why this happens has long been unclear. Now, a new study from the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with NASA provides an idea of what happens in the stomach without the influence of gravity. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-constipation-common-astronauts-blood.html Space Exploration Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:20:03 EDT news705932401 Detecting water where none remains today: Neutron and X-ray tomography make it possible. In an international study conducted with the participation of the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, researchers have brought to light macroscopic hydrogen-rich regions inside a Martian meteorite. The findings provide evidence for early water-rock interactions on Mars. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dry-meteorite-mars.html Astrobiology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:00:01 EDT news705841861 Some cynodonts may have been giving birth to live young much sooner in evolutionary history than previously assumed. A new Frontiers in Mammal Science study has offered the first compelling evidence that cynodonts may have been viviparous—a reproductive mode characterized by live birth. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-million-year-fossil-story-mammalian.html Evolution Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:02 EDT news705656222 It's common to see images of astronauts on the International Space Station exercising, running on special treadmills and pedaling cycles designed for tight quarters. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-space-doesnt-affect-strength-heart.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:20:03 EDT news705759301 A new study suggests a protective vest tested on a manikin during NASA's first Artemis moonshot could drastically cut the radiation exposure of lunar astronauts during severe solar storms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-vest-nasa-moonshot-astronauts-exposure.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:35:26 EDT news705764085 In extreme environments, habitats are built for survival. Submarines, Antarctic bases and post-disaster dwellings are designed to prioritize health and safety. This is especially the case for habitats in space, where room is limited, contact with Earth is remote and hazards are numerous. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-space-habitat-residents-mental-health.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Aug 2026 05:00:04 EDT news705673502 For decades, astronomers have assumed that the Martian surface froze solid around 3 billion years ago and has stayed that way ever since. If this were really the case, any liquid water would have long since either been locked away underground or lost to space. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mars-liquid-thought.html Astrobiology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:00:13 EDT news705587200 Boston College scientists have determined that a newly discovered meteorite from Mars is 1.27 billion years old and derived from a previously unsampled, pristine source on the Red Planet. The study is published in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rare-mars-meteorite-billion-year.html Planetary Sciences Sun, 09 Aug 2026 10:20:01 EDT news705310410 Named for the mythical valley where the god Dionysus was raised in secret by nymphs, the asteroid 44 Nysa inhabits the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Through observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have determined it to be the largest and brightest known member of a rare category of asteroids called "E-types," made of unusually bright, enstatite-rich material similar to some rare meteorites found on Earth. Separately, models built from how its brightness flickers as it spins hinted it might have an elongated, lopsided shape, often seen in large asteroid pairs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-asteroid-nysa-rare-lobed-formation.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:00:03 EDT news704977595 A new study provides quantitative data on cranial vault thickness in Homo antecessor, based on the analysis of three parietal fragments recovered from the Gran Dolina site in the Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-homo-antecessor-skull-layers-resemble.html Evolution Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:00:03 EDT news704985241 Using spectral data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), astronomers have gained some of the clearest evidence yet that white dwarf stars are accreting debris from disintegrating exoplanets. Captured while DESI was unable to study its primary targets: distant galaxies, the results provide unprecedented insights into the chemical makeup of rocky exoplanets, revealing compositions remarkably similar to the planets and asteroids of our own inner solar system. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-desi-side-reveals-spectra-disintegrated.html Astronomy Sun, 02 Aug 2026 08:20:01 EDT news704452570 Our sun constantly releases a stream of high-speed charged particles, known as the solar wind. Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a strong global magnetic field to shield its atmosphere from this flow. As a result, the solar wind can interact directly with Mars' upper atmosphere and gradually strip atmospheric particles into space. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-solar-mars-upper-atmosphere-boosting.html Planetary Sciences Sat, 01 Aug 2026 06:20:01 EDT news704728639 We know Mars has water ice in its polar regions, but astronauts (and their solar-powered equipment!) would much rather experience life closer to Mars' equator. As NASA looks toward landing humans on the red planet, the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) is mapping where water should and shouldn't be found and using statistics to quantify its certainty. Two new papers, led by PSI's Hanna Sizemore and Samuel Courville, highlight new global maps of subsurface water ice and identify the missions and tools needed to increase the certainty of the maps. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-laying-odds-potential-martian-future.html Astrobiology Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:20:03 EDT news704725321 As NASA's Curiosity rover recently began climbing a Martian valley nicknamed "Valle Grande," it sent back images that were a familiar sight to mission scientists: honeycomb-like textures called polygonal fractures, each about 1.5–3 inches (4–8 centimeters) across. The mission has spotted small patches of these geometric shapes several times before, but nothing at the scale discovered in Valle Grande. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-curiosity-mars-rover-field-honeycomb.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:30:01 EDT news704550550 In August 2023, communities across Southern California braced for Tropical Storm Hilary—the first tropical storm to directly impact the region this century. Although the storm weakened from a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall, it still brought damaging winds, record rainfall and widespread flooding across the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-juvenile-great-white-sharks-fled.html Plants & Animals Tue, 28 Jul 2026 17:00:05 EDT news704469602 Seoul National University (SNU) College of Engineering announced that a research team led by Professor Jeong Woo Han of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering has developed a new nanostructured catalyst with up to 14.4 times the greenhouse gas decomposition performance of conventional commercial catalysts. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nanomace-catalyst-boosts-greenhouse-gas.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 28 Jul 2026 15:40:04 EDT news704458089 More than 20 years after NASA's Spirit rover landed on Mars, a researcher from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has uncovered new evidence that suggests water may once have covered large parts of the red planet. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-evidence-mars-emerges-spirit-rover.html Astronomy Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:40:03 EDT news704446561 SpaceX's mammoth Starship rocket blasted off Friday on another test flight stretching halfway around the world, this time releasing 20 of the most advanced Starlinks. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-spacex-starship-flight-advanced-starlinks.html Space Exploration Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:15:07 EDT news704204084 NASA MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission scientists have uncovered a key puzzle piece in understanding certain types of auroras on Mars, finding that they form in a similar way to Earth–based auroras. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-mars-auroras-reveal-miniature-version.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:20:03 EDT news704032622 Solar storms may affect weather on Mars when they strike at the same time as major Martian dust storms, a new study suggests for the first time. Researchers found evidence of rising temperatures in the red planet's lower atmosphere when the two events coincided—hinting that Mars may have a more complex atmospheric environment and weather system than previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-mars-planetwide-storm-hints-solar.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:00:01 EDT news703783082 Heavy, acrid wildfire smoke blanketed much of the eastern United States on Saturday, marring preparations for the weekend's highly anticipated World Cup final to be held in an open stadium in New Jersey. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-wildfire-haze-eastern-world-cup.html Environment Sun, 19 Jul 2026 04:39:36 EDT news703654744 The spacecraft aced its encounter with Mars. Now, mission scientists are studying a trove of data from the flyby in preparation for its arrival at asteroid Psyche in 2029. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nasa-psyche-mission-mars-flyby.html Planetary Sciences Sat, 18 Jul 2026 14:51:26 EDT news703605061 For more than 25 years, lab-on-a-chip technology has allowed researchers to model human organs and blood vessels using real human cells in artificial microscopic environments. These microphysiological systems (MPS) may replicate human cells and mimic organs or even full organ systems under numerous conditions. They have become key to studying everything from heart disease to the effectiveness of new drugs. However, they have been held back by one major limitation: an inability to accurately re-create the blood flow waveforms generated by the human heart. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-recreates-human-heartbeat-blood-lab.html Biotechnology Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:00:03 EDT news703410569 Scientists have painted the most detailed portrait yet of the planetary system orbiting Barnard's Star—the sun's closest neighbor after Alpha Centauri, just under six light-years from Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-astronomers-nearby-planets-small-strange.html Astrobiology Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:20:01 EDT news703340046