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. A key step in the origin of many pandemics occurs when an animal-borne virus infects humans and then evolves to spread more efficiently from person to person. That is why scientists and physicians keep a close watch on viruses that could jump from animals to humans, such as emerging strains of avian flu and bat coronaviruses, as well as viruses that have already crossed into humans but, for now, spread poorly among people, such as hantavirus and Ebola. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lab-evolution-recreates-covid-path.html Evolution Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:40:02 EDT news699619681 A tiny sea creature might hold the secret to reversing the aging process. When treated with a brief series of electrical pulses, sea squirts experience dramatic and long-lasting health improvements that can significantly extend their lifespans, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford and other institutions. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electrical-pulses-reverse-aging-sea.html Biotechnology Thu, 28 May 2026 14:20:06 EDT news699190473 A 2021 outbreak of leptospirosis that sickened more than 200 dogs in Los Angeles County reveals critical gaps in vaccination practices and raises broader concerns about the spread of the disease between animals and people, according to new research led by the University of California, Davis. The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dog-daycare-leptospirosis-outbreak-los.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 26 May 2026 15:40:05 EDT news699018621 A new large-scale study led by a research team from the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change has found that wildlife responds not only to how humans reshape their habitats, but also to the simple presence of humans—and sometimes in surprising ways. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-wildlife-behavior-response.html Plants & Animals Thu, 21 May 2026 14:00:14 EDT news698571662 Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have discovered that high-frequency ultrasound waves similar to those used in medical exams can eliminate viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1 without damaging human cells. In an article published in Scientific Reports, they describe how the phenomenon, known as acoustic resonance, causes structural changes in viral particles until they rupture and become inactivated. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ultrasound-rupture-covid-flu-viruses.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 07 May 2026 17:20:08 EDT news697378206 A nanocrystal is an extraordinarily tiny piece of material—composed of anywhere from a few to a few thousand atoms—in which atoms are arranged in a precise, ordered structure. Think of it like taking a piece of gold and shrinking it down to the size of a few hundred atoms. It's still gold, still crystalline, just almost incomprehensibly small. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-combine-metals-nanocrystal.html Nanomaterials Thu, 07 May 2026 14:00:11 EDT news697361581 The closest-ever detailed look at a key enzyme inside the virus that causes COVID-19 could lead to more effective treatment of the disease. Nucleotide analogs are a common type of antiviral medication that mimic the genetic material viruses use to replicate, essentially duping them into inserting faulty building blocks into new copies of the virus. Many nucleotide analogs don't work as well as expected against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, because coronaviruses carry an enzyme that identifies and removes genetic errors in its RNA—a "proofreader" called exoribonuclease (ExoN). https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atomic-snapshots-enzyme-covid-drugs.html Biochemistry Wed, 06 May 2026 17:00:07 EDT news697291621 A research team led by Prof. Hsing I-Ming, Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), in collaboration with Prof. Zhai Yuanliang, Associate Professor of the Division of Life Science (LIFS), has successfully developed the world's first DNA-guided CRISPR-Cas system capable of programmable RNA targeting and cleavage. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dna-crispr-flips-gene-script.html Biotechnology Wed, 06 May 2026 15:00:05 EDT news697289641 Millions of students worldwide have long relied on self-paced learning through pre-recorded video lectures, a model that forms the backbone of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and large-scale online education. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, dependence on video-based online learning has increased significantly, with learner participation rising sharply. However, this expansion has also been accompanied by a widespread decline in student engagement, undermining overall learning outcomes. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ai-human-teachers-pre-chat.html Education Wed, 06 May 2026 13:00:04 EDT news697285561 Scientists at the Université de Montréal's affiliated Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) have identified a new family of natural molecules with strong antiviral activity, notably against the Ebola virus and SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The discovery comes at a time of renewed fears of the rapid emergence of new pandemics, and highlights the ongoing search at the IRCM for novel antiviral agents derived from natural sources. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hidden-molecules-stronger-ebola-covid.html Biochemistry Sat, 02 May 2026 11:00:01 EDT news696769999 In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, much has been said about how the lockdowns created conditions for dual-parent families to spend more time at home with their children. In an ideal vision of family life, this would have led to parents sharing in quality time and caregiving responsibilities, and bonding with their children in a way they hadn't been able to do before. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-term-covid-lockdown-family-life.html Social Sciences Fri, 01 May 2026 11:00:06 EDT news696847743 Chemists and computer scientists tapped AI to find new disinfectants to combat the growing threat of dangerous "superbugs." Their computational-experimental framework for developing quaternary ammonium compounds, or QACs, to kill bacteria yielded 11 new QACs that show activity against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-chemists-disinfectants.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:40:02 EDT news696680281 The peopling of South America has long been debated, with various routes proposed for how they spread across the subcontinent. However, routes along the Atlantic coast were typically much younger than their Pacific counterparts, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of when and how early hunter-gatherers traveled along the South American Atlantic coast. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-oldest-burial-patagonia-reveals-early.html Archaeology Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:40:05 EDT news696675481 For decades, two different viruses were believed to be responsible for a common, untreatable disease in dahlias, a colorful, high-value flower grown worldwide. Virologists at Washington State University have now learned that the two viruses, known as dahlia mosaic virus and the dahlia common mosaic virus, are variants of the same viral species. Based on the sequencing and comparison of the viruses' genomes, the discovery was published in the journal Archives of Virology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dahlia-viruses-variants-species.html Plants & Animals Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:20:05 EDT news696081482 A seismic hush fell over U.S. and Canadian cities that were in the "path of totality" during the 8 April 2024 total solar eclipse, according to new research presented at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-total-solar-eclipse-quiets-seismic.html Earth Sciences Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:40:01 EDT news695893561 Photosynthetic bacteria helped shape planet Earth. Among them are cyanobacteria that produced the oxygen in the atmosphere and made complex life possible, captivating scientists for decades. Now, researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) report a surprising new discovery—a system thought to separate DNA has developed to sculpt the shape of the cell in cyanobacteria instead. The results, published in Science, shed light on how protein systems evolve and how multicellularity emerged in this type of ecologically essential bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-cyanobacteria-scientists-evolutionary-shift.html Evolution Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:07 EDT news695472121 If you can't get no satisfaction, then maybe it's because happiness does not only stem from pleasure or a meaningful existence. Instead, a new Simon Fraser University study suggests that freedom is the key to happiness. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-autonomy-key-happiness.html Social Sciences Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:20:02 EDT news695474282 A simple test developed at Washington State University could eventually allow astronauts and others in round-the-clock occupations to monitor their biological rhythms in just minutes using a drop of blood, a paper test strip, and a smartphone-based reader. An interdisciplinary team of WSU researchers created an inexpensive, 15-minute test using fluorescent nanoparticles to measure melatonin levels, which rise and fall along with a person's internal biological clock. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-rapid-melatonin-astronauts-easily-biological.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:40:07 EDT news695467081 A multidisciplinary archaeological team has examined plague burials from a 17th-century monastery turned hospital in Basel, Switzerland, shedding light on how social status impacted plague mortality in Early Modern Europe. Their study, "All equal in the face of death? Life histories of confirmed victims of the last plague epidemic in Basel," is published in the journal Antiquity. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-great-equalizer-young-laborers-hardest.html Archaeology Tue, 14 Apr 2026 05:00:05 EDT news694964942 The wave-shaped chart Ratul Chowdhury pulls up on a computer monitor in his office captures the evolutionary cat-and-mouse game his research lab is up against. The undulating curves track variants of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus, which causes a swine disease that annually costs the global pork industry more than $1 billion—damage attributable in part to how quickly it adapts to escape from immune defenses. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-future-proofing-livestock-vaccines-viruses.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:20:06 EDT news695300942 Hedgehogs, elephants, pangolins, bears or fennec foxes: many wild species are sold as pets, hunting trophies, for traditional medicine, biomedical research, or for their meat or fur. These practices, whether legal or illegal, concern one-quarter of all mammal species. Now a study conducted at the Department of Ecology and Evolution of the University of Lausanne (Unil) quantifies the impact of wildlife trade on the exchange of germs and parasites between animals and humans. The work, titled "Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years," appears in Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-wildlife-pathogen-transmission-years-spillover.html Ecology Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:00:08 EDT news694945081 From space, Earth's populated areas glow on the otherwise "black marble" of the planet at night. For decades, scientists assumed this glow was steadily increasing as the world developed. However, a new study published in Nature flips this narrative. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-satellites-capture-volatile-humanluminescence-relationship.html Environment Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news694880162 An international team of scientists is warning that everyday antibacterial soaps, wipes, sprays, and other "germ-killing" products are quietly contributing to the global rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) while providing no added health benefit for most consumer uses. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-antibacterial-soaps-fuel-antimicrobial-resistance.html Environment Tue, 31 Mar 2026 09:20:03 EDT news694167135 When you go out to run errands on the weekend, you're on a "tour" as defined by human mobility researchers. Same if you book a guided tour of a famous city or take a trip on a cruise boat that reaches multiple ports. A characteristic of such tours is that you begin and end up in the same place and take intermediate stops along the way. The number of stops is the tour's "length." https://phys.org/news/2026-03-science-delivery.html Mathematics Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:20:02 EDT news694089403 This week, we learned that across the animal kingdom, sperm cells have a short shelf life. A study implicated autoantibodies in the development of long COVID. And among its other drawbacks, the weedkiller glyphosate may foster the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-saturday-citations-birthday-cetaceans-quantifying.html Other Sat, 28 Mar 2026 09:00:02 EDT news693831274 Nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA play a central role in gene therapies and vaccines. They store and transmit biological information. In order for them to work in the body, they must enter the cells using chemical carrier systems. Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon are now proposing a new strategy for developing such systems: instead of using the same carrier material for different nucleic acids, the carrier should be individually adapted to the respective payload. This could improve the effectiveness of vaccines, for example. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-lipid-nanoparticles-custom-polymers-ai.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:50:01 EDT news693763621 Analysis of two decades of student data at a large U.S. university suggests that grade inflation exists in graduate education. Researcher Vivien Lee and colleagues at the University of Minnesota, U.S., present these findings in the journal PLOS One. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-significant-grade-inflation-decades-worth.html Education Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:00:03 EDT news693587581 A new paper in Genome Biology and Evolution, indicates that while the COVID-19 virus has developed rapidly since 2019, it has done so within limited genetic channels. These genetic limits have remained unchanged. Despite scientists' earlier fears about dramatic, rapid evolution of the COVID-19 virus, it appears recent changes in the virus were relatively constrained; the virus altered by combining pre-existing mutations. The virus has not expanded the number of genetic routes it can take to evolve. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-uncovering-evolutionary-limits-covid-virus.html Evolution Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:10:02 EDT news693576421 When holidays or pandemics shut down schools, gender differences in children's reading habits widen; boys stop reading, while girls continue, according to a new study from the University of Copenhagen. The researchers say their findings suggest that boys are more dependent on school routines and expectations than girls. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-boys-ditch-schools-girls.html Social Sciences Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:00:01 EDT news693570698 Following the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, lateral flow assays (LFAs)—the category of test strips in which the presence or lack of a pink line indicates whether a specific molecule, like a drug or a virus, has been detected—became household items. Yet despite their ubiquity and decades of development, there has not been a quantitative, physics-grounded method for explaining the sensitivity and limits of LFAs to help guide their design. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-sensitive-fentanyl-physics.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:00:07 EDT news693479511