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. Nitrate contamination of drinking water poses a major health concern, particularly in agricultural communities where fertilizers, livestock manure and septic systems can leach nitrates into groundwater. Many rural households rely on private water wells, which may not be routinely tested, leading some to consume contaminated water without realizing it. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-methods-nitrates.html Environment Fri, 24 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news704118001 Birds can inhabit various environments with different climates and temperatures, ranging from cold polar regions to scorching hot deserts. To survive and thrive in these very different environments, they need to effectively regulate their body temperature. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-plumage-framework-insight-birds-evolved.html Plants & Animals Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:40:06 EDT news704021324 In May 2026, OpenAI released a new math result that sent shock waves throughout the world of mathematical research. A major unsolved problem called the "unit distance conjecture" had just been resolved by generative AI. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-golden-age-mathematics-dawning-ai.html Mathematics Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:20:01 EDT news704029562 Researchers at Queen Mary University of London and University of Cambridge in collaboration with colleagues at HHMI Janelia and NIH, have created some of the most detailed three-dimensional maps ever generated of human airway cells, revealing how the specialized cells that protect our lungs are built and organized. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-3d-nanoscale-human-airway-epithelium.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:50:01 EDT news704038861 The world of mathematics handed out its most prestigious awards Thursday at a unique moment for the field, as it faces pressure from AI's potential to outpace human calculation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fields-medal-awarded-young-mathematicians.html Mathematics Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:20:29 EDT news704031607 Researchers at Skoltech, together with a colleague from the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working within the joint SIOM–Skoltech laboratory, have determined how to select the thickness and density of a plasma target so that a pulse passing through it retains its attosecond duration and high intensity. The results will help improve the design of plasma-based sources of ultraviolet and X-ray radiation used to study ultrafast processes in matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-plasma-attosecond-electrons.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:00:01 EDT news703946941 In recent years, research using artificial intelligence to predict material properties has advanced rapidly. Neural network quantum Monte Carlo methods have attracted attention as highly accurate simulation techniques. However, their extremely high computational cost has limited their application to small molecular systems. This study introduces a new computational method that overcomes this limitation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-neural-networks-larger-quantum-simulations.html Quantum Physics Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:40:07 EDT news703946701 Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have become a standard in modern devices with incredible contrast and sleek designs. While initially an expensive luxury, OLEDs are gradually becoming more financially accessible as the technology improves. Now, researchers at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM) at Nagoya University and the Institute for Advanced Study at Kyushu University have combined quantum chemistry with machine learning to identify new materials for blue OLEDs for incorporation in next-generation ultra-high-definition displays. Their research was published in Angewandte Chemie on July 21, 2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-quantum-chemistry-combine-efficient.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:20:01 EDT news703945861 From microplastics clogging up our oceans to landfills leaching dangerous chemicals, plastic waste is a serious and growing problem for human health and the environment. We need to recycle more and, crucially, recycle better. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-super-enzymes-recycling.html Polymers Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:20:04 EDT news703937221 As millions of people were coming down from the excitement of the FIFA World Cup final at the start of this week, a different kind of excitement was building within the mathematical community. Levent Alpöge, a mathematician who works at the artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic, casually announced on X ('hello there the jacobian conjecture is false thanx') that he had found a counterexample to the Jacobian conjecture, a very old and well-known problem in a field of mathematics called algebraic geometry. He had done this using Anthropic's large language model Claude Fable 5, released to the general public only a few weeks ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-tiny-social-media-mathematicians-rethinking.html Mathematics Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:40:03 EDT news703918802 Artificial intelligence faces an energy crisis stemming from a physical traffic jam inside modern computer chips. Processors must continually shuffle data, such as the billions of parameters in complex models, between separate computing and memory nodes. This traffic jam, known as the "von Neumann bottleneck," hinders the speed and energy efficiency of advanced processors. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-microscope-illuminates-transistor.html Condensed Matter Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:20:11 EDT news703858561 Artificial intelligence (AI) models are now used daily by many people worldwide, both for professional and personal purposes. Over the past decades, scientists specialized in various disciplines have also started using these models to conduct research or simplify their experimental practices. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-agent-synchrotron-ray-experimental.html General Physics Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:40:04 EDT news703763124 As generative artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in translation, questions have been raised about whether it could eventually replace professional interpreters. A joint study led by Lingnan University found that while AI can improve translation efficiency, it is still less capable than professional interpreters at adapting language to context and preserving rhetorical and communicative effects. The researchers conclude that human judgment and oversight remain essential, particularly in politically, diplomatically and culturally sensitive settings. These findings have been published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-falls-short-context-cultural.html Social Sciences Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:20:08 EDT news703767301 University of Michigan researchers have used an AI tool to demonstrate that birds in the group Passeriformes evolved in rapid evolutionary bursts and that these bursts frequently coincided with climate shifts throughout Earth's history. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-tool-reveals-climate-shifts.html Evolution Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:00:06 EDT news703496694 A technology has been developed that allows artificial intelligence to inversely determine the process conditions for quantum-dot light-emitting diode (QLED) devices—conditions that previously required extensive trial and error to identify. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-qled-recipe-efficiency-boosts.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:00:09 EDT news703512040 University of Arizona researchers have demonstrated a promising new application for graphene nanoribbons, a nanoscale semiconductor material with the potential to withstand extreme environments. The team's findings could help clear a key hurdle to bringing fusion energy to the electric grid. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-graphene-nanoribbons-survive-gamma-revealing.html Nanophysics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 16:23:15 EDT news703437770 Studies published in prestigious academic journals receive more attention from scholars and media outlets, shaping public discourse and potentially accelerating academic careers. While the path to publication is often murky, a new analysis of more than 110,000 papers submitted to Science and Science Advances—two leading journals published by the world's largest general science association—reveals that Western scientists, larger teams, top-ranked universities and select regions have slight advantages in acceptance rates. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-reveals-editorial-trends-science-journals.html Education Wed, 15 Jul 2026 14:00:30 EDT news703325741 While particulate matter air pollution from human activity in transportation, households and industry is decreasing in Europe, thanks to strict regulations, another source is developing in the opposite direction: desert dust. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-europe-implications-health-solar-energy.html Earth Sciences Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:00:25 EDT news703229095 Researchers have demonstrated a novel AI model that can predict which DNA molecules bind with other DNA molecules. A more thorough understanding of these hypercomplex binding relationships has utility in applications ranging from biomedical diagnostic tools to DNA computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-scientists-dna-sequences.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:50:02 EDT news703250253 The era of "biomanufacturing," in which microbes, not petroleum, produce chemical products, is one step closer. A KAIST research team has analyzed the key challenges limiting the commercialization of biomanufacturing and proposed an AI-driven strategy for industrialization. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-era-microbial-cell-factories-closer.html Biotechnology Tue, 14 Jul 2026 06:35:14 EDT news703229595 A research team has presented a roadmap for developing an "artificial olfactory system" that detects odors like the human nose and analyzes them using artificial intelligence (AI) by leveraging metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The team systematically organized and reviewed key research trends in electronic nose technology, from MOF material design to sensor implementation and AI-based odor pattern recognition. The research was led by Hyuk-Jun Kwon's in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science of Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology. The work is published in the journal Progress in Materials Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-powered-electronic-nose-distinguish.html Biochemistry Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news703169645 To better assess the danger posed by volcanoes, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a new measurement system. Laser beams are sent through escaping gas clouds and reflected by drones. An algorithm uses the reflected signals to generate a map showing gas concentrations, including elevated carbon dioxide levels. The ratio of carbon dioxide to sulfur dioxide is an important indicator of impending eruptions. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-autonomous-drones-volcanic-gas-clouds.html Earth Sciences Sun, 12 Jul 2026 14:00:02 EDT news702896100 When people think about geological faults, they usually think about earthquakes. Yet faults do not move only during earthquakes. Sometimes they slip silently, without generating noticeable shaking, releasing stress over hours or days through slow fault movements that remain largely hidden from conventional monitoring systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-reveals-hidden-san-andreas.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:00:05 EDT news702833771 Physicists at the University of California, Irvine, have developed an artificial intelligence system that can autonomously design theoretical physics models, a task traditionally carried out by human theorists. The approach allows researchers to explore large, uncharted areas of particle physics theory, helping identify promising new explanations for the behavior of neutrinos. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-particle-neutrinos-tiny-mass.html General Physics Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:09:05 EDT news702832117 What makes people change their minds or their behavior? Social scientists spend a lot of time thinking about this question, and experiments are one of the most powerful ways to answer it. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-youll-survey.html Social Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:20:06 EDT news702806835 Cities are often described as "heat islands," with media reports warning that some neighborhoods can be 20° F (7° C) hotter than others. But those temperatures are often based on satellite data rather than the conditions people actually experience, due to the dearth of near-surface urban observations. This data gap hinders understanding public health risks during heat waves, planning for energy demand, infrastructure resilience, and climate adaptation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-block-ai-uncover-real-urban.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:10:01 EDT news702746045 RNA has emerged as one of the most promising molecules in modern medicine, enabling advances from mRNA vaccines and gene therapies to genome editing and synthetic biology. However, designing RNA molecules that reliably fold into a desired secondary structure remains a major challenge. Even for relatively short sequences, the number of possible nucleotide combinations grows exponentially, making it difficult to identify optimal candidates. As a result, conventional computational methods often require extensive candidate evaluations, creating a significant bottleneck when experimental validation is both time-consuming and costly. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-optimizing-rna-ai-ising-machine.html Biotechnology Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:50:01 EDT news702724633 Building material samples from the University of Delaware spent six months mounted outside the International Space Station, where the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit tested their limits. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-lab-moon-lunar-cement-alternative.html Space Exploration Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:00:03 EDT news702724623 The explosive growth of data generated by artificial intelligence, cloud computing and modern digital infrastructure is placing increasing pressure on existing information storage technologies. Although magnetic storage systems such as hard disk drives remain the dominant platform for digital storage, they face challenges including rising costs, limited lifespan and relatively slow information retrieval. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-wavelength-multiplexed-diffractive-optical-storage.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:40:05 EDT news702721575 A new study shows that relationships with artificial intelligence (AI) systems can evolve from casual conversations to bonds characterized by emotional intimacy, emotional dependence or experiences similar to a romantic breakup. The study is based on in-depth interviews with 17 people who were in romantic relationships with AI assistants, such as ChatGPT, and virtual dating platforms, such as Character.AI or Replika. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-romantic-relationships-ai-evolve-similar.html Social Sciences Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:30:01 EDT news702728216