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. From 2010 to 2024, the Amazon rainforest—the largest tropical rainforest on the planet—released an average of 1.17 billion metric tons more carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere than it absorbed each year. Wildfires were the main source, emitting approximately 1.47 billion metric tons of CO₂ per year—far exceeding the forest's absorption capacity of 300 million metric tons per year. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-wildfires-amazon-emit-billion-metric.html Earth Sciences Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:00:20 EDT news711890465 For decades, researchers around the world have been working toward this goal—and now major advances are following in rapid succession. Vienna is now home to the world's first nuclear clock that stabilizes itself, as atomic clocks typically do. This system has been shown to remain stable for more than 24 hours without intervention, and the related findings are published in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nuclear-clock-vienna.html General Physics Wed, 07 Oct 2026 11:00:51 EDT news710523241 From a drone flying above the waves to a camera just inches from the seafloor, University of Miami researchers are transforming how scientists observe coral reefs and measure changes that were once difficult, costly or time-consuming to document. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-imaging-technologies-clearer-view-coral.html Ecology Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:00:01 EDT news709898082 RNA vaccines and other nucleic acid therapeutics are typically packaged within fatty molecules known as lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). MIT researchers have now developed a way to produce these particles much more quickly and with more precise control over their size and shape. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-automated-lipid-nanoparticle-production-rna.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:20:07 EDT news709813443 Researchers often use antibodies to detect specific molecules or biological markers because they are remarkably precise at recognizing their targets. However, finding the faint signals of cancer in blood samples is a challenge even for the most reliable techniques. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-laser-enables-colorectal-cancer-biomarker.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 25 Sep 2026 15:00:01 EDT news709553761 A UK-led research collaboration has taken a significant step in the global effort to protect cereal crops from the devastating blast fungus. Researchers at the John Innes Centre explored a recently discovered class of plant defense receptors, showing at the molecular level how they limit blast pathogen attacks and how they might be bioengineered to provide broader, more durable immunity in wheat, barley and rice. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-biotech-halt-destructive-cereal-killer.html Biotechnology Wed, 23 Sep 2026 19:00:04 EDT news709400581 An international research team has developed microscopic particles that can make blind retinas respond to light. The particles act as tiny light receptors. Researchers inject them into the eye, where they settle close to nerve cells in the retina. When light hits the particles, it triggers electrical and chemical processes that can activate the nerve cells and prompt them to send signals toward the brain. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanoparticles-retinas-preclinical.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 22 Sep 2026 18:40:02 EDT news709314961 Every new generation of phone display, television screen and solar panel is the result of precision optics experiments, which use lasers and other light sources to measure the optical properties of candidate materials. These experiments can take months to run, requiring scientists to meticulously angle and adjust delicate light sources, mirrors, cameras and other components in a process of careful, constant tuning that can be physically tedious and time-consuming. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-robotic-lab-optics-demand.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:40:27 EDT news708854343 Detecting radiation is key to technologies ranging from particle accelerators and scientific instruments to medical imaging and security screening. But current detectors must often make trade-offs, providing signals that are strong but slow or fast but weak. The trade-off between signal strength and speed can limit precision detection. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ultrafast-electrons-lasers-reveal-unexpectedly.html Condensed Matter Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:40:06 EDT news707738641 Scientists at UMass Chan Medical School and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole have shown that the four core clock genes responsible for maintaining circadian rhythms in animals—Per, Cry2, Bmal1 and Clk—also regulate circatidal behavior in the crustacean P. hawaiensis. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tiny-crustacean-scientists-genes-circatidal.html Plants & Animals Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:40:01 EDT news707646781 Researchers at Constructor University and Constructor Labs have developed BiteNetI, a deep-learning model that locates the binding sites of 14 biologically important ion types directly in three-dimensional protein structures. The model needs only several seconds per structure and reaches two- to threefold higher accuracy than most existing predictors, including Google DeepMind's AlphaFold 3. The study, authored by Igor Kozlovskii and Petr Popov, has been published in the journal Communications Biology. The tool provides an open-access platform that could help accelerate drug discovery and the understanding of protein function. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-ion-sites-proteins.html Biotechnology Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:40:02 EDT news707481901 A research team from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed an innovative "one-pot" testing platform, known as TEMPO, that could transform highly sensitive nucleic acid testing from a laboratory-based procedure into a simple, single-step test that can be performed at home. With a single reaction tube, users can obtain results comparable to those of professional laboratory tests in as little as 30 minutes. The breakthrough has the potential to bridge the technological gap between existing rapid tests and laboratory-based nucleic acid diagnostics, offering a more convenient solution for future infectious disease surveillance and genetic screening. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-pot-crispr-platform-lab-sensitivity.html Biotechnology Mon, 31 Aug 2026 18:40:03 EDT news707406541 Sweet, salty, crunchy or creamy—no matter how it's munched, the Virginia peanut has been a cash crop for the commonwealth for much of the past two centuries. But a fungal disease called Sclerotinia blight has decimated peanut plant populations in recent years, with severe outbreaks causing up to a 50% yield loss. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-peanut-sensors-fend-fungus.html Biotechnology Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:20:07 EDT news707396761 In April 1917, the German submarine UC-30 sailed beneath the waves off the coast of Rømø. It had originally been on a mission in Ireland, but after suffering engine trouble, it turned around and was almost home in Germany. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-shipwrecks-wwi-wwii-polluting-north.html Environment Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:40:13 EDT news706532941 Adjusting to a new time zone or work schedule can leave the body's internal clock out of sync for days, contributing to sleep disruption, metabolic changes and other health consequences. Researchers at Rice University and Northwestern University have developed an implantable cell therapy that may help the body adapt more quickly to these disruptions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-jet-lag-cells-circadian-adjustment.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:00:02 EDT news705932281 The DNA of Asian elephants tells a concerning story. Although all four subspecies are under pressure, there are considerable differences in their genetic health. In an article published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution, researchers show how whole-genome analyses can help identify more precisely which populations are most vulnerable and where conservation measures could have the greatest impact. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dna-highlights-genetic-vulnerability-asian.html Ecology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:50:02 EDT news705755261 From precision medicine to personalized job training, customizing interventions for individuals is often assumed to produce better outcomes than a one-size-fits-all approach. But personalization also comes with costs: it can be more expensive, harder to implement reliably and may require more resources to design. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-statistical-personalization.html Mathematics Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:00:08 EDT news703232999 Reading difficulties, like dyslexia, are common and often affect achievement and outcomes during school and later in life. A new study, published in Current Biology, reports that current methods used to test for reading disabilities in young children may be missing a certain subgroup of children whose reading issues stem from visual-processing difficulties. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-language-based-screeners-kids-struggle.html Education Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:00:01 EDT news701522868 By teaching an AI to use optical tweezers, researchers from the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology have sped up the analysis of life's smallest components. The AI platform captures particles, takes measurements and loads new samples, all without human intervention. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ai-driven-optical-tweezers-hundreds.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 18 Jun 2026 05:00:05 EDT news700900562 Disorder brings more life to the forest: Birds and bats react to this in different ways. This is shown by a new study from the University of Würzburg's Biocenter. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-forest-gaps-deadwood-boost-bird.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:20:03 EDT news700399621 Aeron Tynes Hammack, a physicist by training and currently interim facility director of the Nanofabrication Facility at the Molecular Foundry, likes to work with nanoscale objects to better understand the world and solve problems—but he doesn't restrict himself to one category of tiny stuff. He helps develop qubits for quantum computers and viral therapies to combat infectious diseases. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-qa-combating-antibiotic-resistance-nanotechnology.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 09 Jun 2026 18:20:06 EDT news700241042 Gene editing can repair a DNA error in mice that causes Dravet syndrome, a rare, incurable, and potentially deadly form of childhood epilepsy. After the edit, the mice have far fewer seizures and live much longer. As published in Science Translational Medicine, the results suggest that a one-time genetic correction could someday treat the root cause of the disease rather than just managing its symptoms. The work represents a major step for genetic medicine, as restoring disease-relevant brain function with gene editing tools remains a major challenge. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-precision-dna-root-severe-childhood.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 13 May 2026 15:22:14 EDT news697904142 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 University of California San Diego researchers have developed a new tool for understanding and modifying any microbiome, including the human microbiome. The approach, called Microbial Interaction and Niche Determination (MIND), accurately predicts how microbes compete within complex communities and identifies their specific nutrient preferences. The findings, published on April 17 in Cell, have the potential to accelerate the translation of microbiome science from the lab to the clinic, paving the way for highly targeted microbiome therapies, for example, as an alternative to traditional antibiotics. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-thwart-pathogens-beneficial-microbes.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:20:06 EDT news695904041 A United Nations-backed framework for protecting tropical forests could allow governments to collect income from carbon credits without advancing forest conservation. The weakness lies in how the program calculates baselines, which is the expected rate of deforestation without intervention. There is no evidence that enrolled jurisdictions—countries, states, and provinces—have acted on that opportunity, but the incentive structure favors those who do, according to a study by Yale researchers appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The framework also penalizes the jurisdictions that are in most need of intervention. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-global-carbon-credit-rewarding-wrong.html Environment Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:10:10 EDT news694366861 One of the most striking features of quantum physics is that certain properties cannot both be known or measured with arbitrary precision at the same time. Every measurement may inevitably affect the object's physical state being measured—and therefore also the outcome of any subsequent measurement. How fast something is moving, for example, can depend on whether its position was measured beforehand. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-uncertainty-quantum-errors.html Quantum Physics Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:00:01 EST news691753237 A technology has been developed that uses robots rather than humans to evaluate the performance of newly developed catalysts. By operating 45 times faster than manual work while also improving precision, it is expected to significantly shorten catalyst development timelines. A research team led by Dr. Ji Chan Park of the Clean Fuel Research Laboratory at the Korea Institute of Energy Research has developed a system that fully automates complex and repetitive catalyst performance evaluation experiments. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-automated-catalyst-robots-days-hours.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:00:01 EST news691073308 A new study led by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Kirill Martemyanov, Ph.D., and international collaborators highlights a new approach to treating depression that bypasses many limitations of traditional antidepressants. The team has developed a highly selective protein-based biologic called a nanobody that targets a newly discovered brain receptor implicated in depression. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-nanobodies-treatment-resistant-depression.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 04 Feb 2026 10:00:01 EST news689419865 The development of humans and other animals unfolds gradually over time, with cells taking on specific roles and functions via a process called cell fate determination. The fate of individual cells, or in other words, what type of cells they will become, is influenced both by predictable biological signals and random physiological fluctuations. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-cell-mathematics-machine.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:40:01 EST news688394192 Light can be sculpted into countless shapes. Yet building optical devices that can simultaneously manipulate many different optical patterns at once is extremely complicated, and remains a major challenge in modern photonics. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-configuring-optical-devices-automatically.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:13:27 EST news687100382