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. What causes adversaries to escalate conflicts into costly, prolonged wars even when neither side wants to fight? And in the fog of war, what might help them break that cycle and find a path to peace? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-fog-war-game-based-boundaries.html Social Sciences Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:00:13 EDT news711805381 Over the past 30 years, Swiss barn owls have become more reddish-brown and more heavily spotted. By analyzing the genomes of more than 3,000 birds, scientists at the University of Lausanne identified the genetic variants linked to these changes in plumage and revealed natural selection at work. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, show that evolution can happen rapidly in the wild. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-swiss-barn-owls-gradually.html Plants & Animals Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:00:10 EDT news711803641 Bacteria and the viruses that infect them—known as phages—coexist in soils, oceans and living organisms. Scientists have long thought this coexistence reflects a microscopic version of an evolutionary arms race: As parasites and hosts continually adapt to one another, both evolve ways to survive. But a joint study by researchers at the University of Maryland and the University of Exeter shows different pathways to coexistence. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-migration-mechanism-enabling-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:52 EDT news711792422 Keeping to warm climates throughout their 250-million-year history may have helped crocodiles and their relatives survive the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, finds a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-climates-crocodiles-outlast-dinosaurs.html Evolution Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:49 EDT news711792541 Whenever a cell divides, it has to split its chromosomes perfectly between two daughter cells, and even a single mistake can be disastrous. Now, researchers from Japan have found that one of the key structures that makes this possible takes a surprising shape: a hollow sphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-chromosome-anchors-hollow-shells-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:19 EDT news711712921 Despite being known for more mundane uses such as sticking notes to refrigerators or keeping bags shut, magnetization is one of the most fundamental and useful properties of a material. Indeed, it forms the physical basis for storing most of our digital information, encoding the bits used in hard drives, computer memories and credit cards. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ultrafast-ferromagnetism.html Condensed Matter Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:40:04 EDT news711801302 The old saying that one bad apple spoils the barrel suggests that an individual behaving badly can have a negative influence on the entire group. The idea now has some fresh scientific backing. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-people-bad-behavior-quickly.html Social Sciences Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:30:01 EDT news711806166 An international team of researchers, including members from the University of Michigan, has revealed surprising results that could rewrite our understanding of a key transition in the early universe. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hubble-supernova-role-cosmic-reionization.html Astronomy Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:20:15 EDT news711800461 Scientists from RMIT University and Riga Technical University in Latvia have shown that static charge left on surfaces can be controlled, which may have big benefits for companies needing to avoid the little zap in production of common household goods. The discovery could even one day help stop powders such as protein, chocolate malt powders and coffee from clumping. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-invisible-tweak-protein-clumpy.html General Physics Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:40:16 EDT news711796202 Quantum networks, systems that connect devices and allow them to exchange information encoded in the quantum states of particles, could enable more secure communications. To build these networks, physicists need to devise strategies that allow distant particles to share quantum states, preserving them long enough to perform calculations or enable communication between devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-atomic-memory-distant-ions-entangled.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 21 Oct 2026 07:40:12 EDT news711706392 In the early 1980s, scientists observed an anomaly. Embedded within cell membranes, they identified ion channels with extraordinarily high conductance. These so-called "BK" (Big K, or Big Potassium) channels had roughly 10 times the unitary conductance (i.e., conductance per individual channel molecule) of other potassium channels, enabling much more efficient, rapid transport of potassium ions. And while later structural characterization explained how this happened, no one could understand why. That is, until now. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-current-calcium-longstanding-ion-channel.html Evolution Wed, 21 Oct 2026 05:00:06 EDT news711713221 Imagine sitting on a city bus full of strangers. Look around at the people riding with you. If you needed help, how would you choose whom to trust? By scanning people's faces, your brain is already making interpretations about their personalities by judging certain facial features. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-personality-uncovers-key-patterns.html Social Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:20:12 EDT news711727442 Transmitting electricity without losing any energy may sound impossible, yet this is precisely the promise of superconductivity. For nearly 40 years, scientists have been working to understand materials that exhibit this remarkable property at relatively high temperatures. Unlocking their secrets could one day help make power grids more efficient, enhance medical technologies and support the development of quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hidden-rivalry-quantum-states-heart.html Superconductivity Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:00:07 EDT news711721321 The polar vortex, a swirling mass of cold air encircling the North Pole, is sometimes disrupted by sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events, unleashing waves of frigid air that penetrate farther south than usual. Temperatures across North America and Europe drop precipitously when this happens, but such events remain hard to predict, meaning we can't easily warn people when SSW is imminent. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-machine-reveals-potential-polar-vortex.html Earth Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 17:40:16 EDT news711721201 For scientists studying the ocean, finding the right data can sometimes be as challenging as figuring out what to do with it. Want to know seafloor depth, the location of underwater mountains or sea surface temperatures? The information exists, but it can take considerable time and computer coding to pull it together from different sources and get it into the proper format. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-seafloor-depths-fishing-free-software.html Earth Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:40:12 EDT news711719279 Scientists have long been interested in cellular nanodiscs, tiny particles made from natural cell membranes that mimic many of the functions of living cells. While previous studies demonstrated the therapeutic potential of nanodiscs for drug delivery, detoxification and vaccines, one fundamental question remained unanswered: How does size influence how well they work? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-supercomputer-reveals-size-future-nanomedicine.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:20:05 EDT news711718502 Catalysts spur chemical reactions used across industries, from producing fuels and medicines to manufacturing chemicals and treating pollutants. Improving their performance requires understanding where and how reactions happen on their surfaces. However, conventional measurements average the activity of many catalyst particles, concealing local differences that could hold clues to designing more effective materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-fluorescent-reaction-reveal-catalyst-conditions.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:50:06 EDT news711728102 A research team led by distinguished professor Giuseppe Pezzotti at the Biomedical Engineering Center, Kansai Medical University (Japan), has demonstrated that differences in the molecular structures of viral RNA can be captured as "Raman barcodes," enabling the identification of 20 SARS-CoV-2 variants and subvariants. These findings are expected to contribute to the development of a rapid method for identifying newly emerging viral variants. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-raman-barcodes-distinguish-sars-cov.html Biotechnology Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:40:27 EDT news711713502 Some supermassive black holes rapidly consume surrounding matter while simultaneously firing powerful streams of plasma into space at nearly the speed of light. However, this creates a physical puzzle: rapid feeding is expected to form a cold, flat accretion disk around the black hole, which prevents powerful jets from forming. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hot-plasma-rapidly-black-holes.html Astronomy Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:40:01 EDT news711711481 Rivers provide water for everything from growing crops and running factories to the taps in our homes, but droughts can leave them struggling to meet all these demands. A new study, published in Water Resources Research, suggests that changing how water is shared could help make limited supplies go further. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-river-reveals-ease-drought-unequal.html Earth Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:00:16 EDT news711638259 One-quarter of the world's data centers are located in areas where water demand exceeds supply for at least one month each year, according to a new global analysis. Researchers reporting in Environmental Science & Technology mapped data center locations against available water resources and found that, under a future climate scenario, the proportion of facilities in water-stressed areas could rise to one-third. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-centers-resources-limited.html Environment Mon, 19 Oct 2026 14:00:01 EDT news711628081 When Earth formed billions of years ago, its metallic core was wrapped in a global ocean of molten rock, which eventually cooled and crystallized to form the mantle. Today, when deep-rooted mantle plumes rise toward the surface and produce volcanic eruptions, the resulting lava can contain hydrogen from deep inside the planet. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-earth-core-leaking-hydrogen-billions.html Earth Sciences Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:30:01 EDT news711633802 In principle, artificial intelligence could make finding the right material for an application as simple as ordering dinner: Scientists would tell a large language model what they want, and it would serve them the perfect material for the job. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-crystal-view-materials-world.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:20:01 EDT news711622141 Today's computer technology, based on silicon chips, is slowly reaching its physical limits. Components cannot be miniaturized indefinitely, and clock speeds cannot be increased indefinitely. At the same time, huge AI data centers are being built in many places, and these consume an immense amount of electricity. This is why scientists around the world are searching for novel materials that can replace or complement silicon technology and consume significantly less electricity. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-rays-reveal-copper-oxide.html Condensed Matter Mon, 19 Oct 2026 11:40:06 EDT news711621013 Some 23,000 years ago, during the coldest part of the last ice age, people walked across the muddy margins of an ancient lake in what is now White Sands National Park, New Mexico. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-early-humans-america-climate-chaos.html Archaeology Sun, 18 Oct 2026 17:40:01 EDT news711294961 Some quantum systems are so complex that even the most powerful supercomputers struggle to simulate their behavior. One solution is quantum simulation: building a controllable quantum system in the lab and tuning it to mimic the one researchers want to understand. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-monolithic-ion-quantum-simulations.html General Physics Sun, 18 Oct 2026 14:00:06 EDT news711191698 Whether we are waiting for a car windshield to defrost in winter or a warm drink to cool down, how long it takes for an object to settle into a stable, even temperature within its environment (thermal equilibrium) depends on numerous factors. These can include surface area, the material properties of an object and airflow. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-physicists-quantum-limit-thermalization.html General Physics Sun, 18 Oct 2026 13:20:01 EDT news711375948 Researchers have developed and demonstrated a new hybrid photonic platform that integrates quantum emitters with photonic devices, providing a way to reliably control the interaction between photons and quantum information carriers. The chip-based platform, which combines gallium phosphide (GaP) with a diamond substrate, could help make quantum networks more practical by providing a way to connect quantum devices over long distances. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hybrid-diamond-chip-interactions-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Sun, 18 Oct 2026 09:00:05 EDT news711300067 Scientists know a great deal about how lions hunt, breed and survive, but the microscopic communities living inside them have remained largely unexplored. Now, a study of wild lions in Namibia is beginning to change that, while revealing how much biology is still missing from the world's genomic databases. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-lion-yield-previously-unknown-microbial.html Ecology Sun, 18 Oct 2026 08:00:01 EDT news711199822 Ever wonder what goes on inside the brain of a worm—how it processes information, responds to stimuli and perceives the world around it? Northeastern University researchers have opened up that can of worms, specifically the one containing C. elegans, a tiny roundworm that's one of the most extensively studied animals in biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-worm-brain-sex-differences-nervous.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 17 Oct 2026 17:20:01 EDT news711373421