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. Giant manta rays can grow up to nine meters (30 feet) long with a disk size of seven meters (23 feet) across and weigh up to 2,000 kg (4,400 pounds). This size leaves them with very few natural enemies once they reach adulthood at around eight to 10 years old. But giant manta ray babies, called pups, cannot rely on their size to protect them from predators that live in the open ocean, including several species of shark and orcas. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-baby-manta-rays-hunker-coasts.html Plants & Animals Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:01 EDT news711799141 Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars, the extremely dense cores left behind when massive stars explode. Astrophysicists have recently observed a pulsar rotating over 300 times per second that appeared to be slowing down unusually quickly. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-pulsar-apparent-slowdown-reveals-rare.html Astronomy Tue, 20 Oct 2026 14:20:10 EDT news711713533 Scientists at Columbia University and Imperial College London have found that the largest canyon system in the solar system is still active and shaping Mars today, billions of years after it first formed. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-giant-canyon-mars-tectonically-today.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:20:36 EDT news711705481 The aurora is among nature's most visually striking phenomena. It occurs when charged particles from the sun are funneled by Earth's magnetic field into the upper atmosphere, where they collide with atoms and molecules and produce distinctly colored curtainlike patterns of light. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-auroral-electrons.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 19 Oct 2026 14:40:01 EDT news711628203 Most natural gas leakage in Indianapolis likely originates from homes and other buildings, not exterior pipelines and large-scale distribution infrastructure that deliver the fossil fuel, according to Penn State researchers who assessed nearly a decade of data. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-natural-gas-midwest-city-leaks.html Earth Sciences Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:30:02 EDT news711377822 Most studies of how clouds are responding to climate change focus on clouds over the oceans, rather than over mountains. Those that do focus on mountain clouds tend to explore cloud microphysics rather than long-term trends in cloud phase. But understanding cloud behavior over regions such as the Tibetan Plateau, which supplies water to hundreds of millions of people, is critical—especially as diminishing snowpack and altered precipitation patterns threaten this critical water source. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-supercooled-clouds-highest-mountains-differently.html Earth Sciences Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:10:01 EDT news711376981 A phenomenon rarer than a solar eclipse and more powerful than any single storm system is unfolding this fall, and NASA is tracking it closely. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nasa-satellites-historic-el-nio.html Earth Sciences Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:44:08 EDT news711373385 On May 10, 2025, a spacecraft built in the Soviet Union to land on Venus came home. Launched in 1972, Cosmos-482 was stranded by a failed upper stage of its rocket and circled Earth for 53 years. In its last days, several space agencies and research groups forecasted when it would fall, and therefore where. Roscosmos later reported that it came down in the Indian Ocean, west of Jakarta. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-air-deep-uncontrolled-satellites-rocket.html Space Exploration Fri, 16 Oct 2026 10:40:12 EDT news711280994 When a marine heat wave strikes, scientists often turn to satellites to see how the ocean is responding. From space, changes in ocean color can reveal shifts in phytoplankton, microscopic organisms that form the foundation of marine food webs and play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. But satellites have a fundamental limitation: they can only see the ocean's surface. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-north-sea-fueled-underwater-plankton.html Earth Sciences Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:00:07 EDT news711292632 A new study led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) provides the most comprehensive observational analysis yet of the towering ice cliffs that fringe Earth's ice sheets, giving scientists new evidence to evaluate a long-debated process that could influence future sea level rise. Improving these projections is increasingly important as rising seas threaten coastal communities and infrastructure worldwide. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-global-ice-cliff-survey-disputed.html Earth Sciences Thu, 15 Oct 2026 14:00:20 EDT news711201735 Mont Blanc's snowy crown has been measured at nearly 2 meters (6 feet) higher than in 2023, French surveyors announced Wednesday after an expedition that involved hauling instruments up Western Europe's highest mountain for an appointment at dawn. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-mont-blanc-snowy-crown-meters.html Earth Sciences Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:36:23 EDT news711200145 Researchers have conducted the largest-ever controlled test of space-based methane monitoring, finding that dedicated methane sensors correctly detected nearly all methane plumes released on clear days. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-satellites-accurately-methane-emissions-largest.html Earth Sciences Wed, 14 Oct 2026 11:01:33 EDT news711043321 Methane emissions from the oil and gas sector held steady in the United States even as oil and gas production increased during a recent period of heightened regulations, according to new research from Johns Hopkins University. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-methane-emissions-flatline-oil-gas.html Environment Wed, 14 Oct 2026 09:20:14 EDT news711187201 A new ice sheet model developed by glaciologists at the University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory projects that the melting of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica will contribute up to 30 millimeters (1.2 inches) of sea level rise by 2100—twice previous estimates—even without additional climate warming. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-thwaites-glacier-contribute-sea-previously.html Earth Sciences Tue, 13 Oct 2026 17:50:01 EDT news711130141 Peatlands in the Alps are mostly small, scattered and difficult to access. As a result, up-to-date information on their extent and condition is often lacking. An international research team, including researchers from the University of Göttingen, has now developed a cross-border approach to identifying these particular areas. A comparison with official maps shows that the model identifies many peatlands as smaller than previously mapped—particularly in areas where aerial photographs reveal visible signs of disturbance. The findings were published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-satellite-alpine-peatlands-smaller.html Earth Sciences Tue, 13 Oct 2026 15:40:10 EDT news711116761 Polynyas are patches of open water surrounded by sea ice, where heat and moisture can pass freely between the ocean and atmosphere. In August 2024, a vast polynya opened up in Breid Bay, off the coast of East Antarctica, in the depths of winter. The region had stayed ice-covered at this time of year ever since satellite records began in 1979. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-atmospheric-rivers-portugal-sized-hole.html Earth Sciences Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:40:15 EDT news711112560 Declining Colorado River flows and falling water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead are highly visible signs of the Southwestern megadrought. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-colorado-river-drought-unprecedented-pattern.html Earth Sciences Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:40:11 EDT news711104486 A new study led by researchers at the University of Oulu in Finland sheds light on a poorly understood part of space weather: where powerful waves form at the edge of Earth's magnetic shield and where the solar wind can find a way through. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-space-reveal-earth-magnetic-shield.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:00:18 EDT news711098882 Zavodovski, a volcanic island in Antarctica, is silently witnessing a shift in the local ecosystem. Known as home to the world's largest penguin colony, this island has long been under the watchful eye of scientists. One such study has now led to a bittersweet discovery. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-world-largest-penguin-colony-title.html Plants & Animals Tue, 13 Oct 2026 06:20:01 EDT news711014785 A global study has revealed a striking divergence in how urban and rural vegetation respond to climate stress. The study was led by Jin Wu from the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, and professor Yuyu Zhou from the Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), with Dr. Zhengfei Guo as the first author. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-global-satellite-reveal-widening-recovery.html Environment Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:20:14 EDT news711037862 Land subsidence is the gradual sinking of the ground, which can damage buildings, foundations, and drainage and sewage systems, and may increase flood risks. However, information on land subsidence dynamics remains limited, which makes it difficult for policymakers to identify where risks are intensifying and where urgent intervention may be needed. Previous assessments have often used different methods or time periods, or focused only on small numbers of cities, which has made global comparisons difficult. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-major-cities-worldwide-satellite-reveal.html Earth Sciences Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:40:11 EDT news711036901 Though strong El Niños have occurred only four times in as many decades, 2024's intense El Niño is already getting a sequel. New UCLA research shows that 2024 broke the record for extreme rainfall, with 40% of that increase tied to global warming—and conditions are ripe for a repeat. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-rainfall-el-nio.html Environment Mon, 12 Oct 2026 15:20:17 EDT news711035521 On open beaches, gravel riverbeds and bare volcanic plateaus, banded dotterels—or double-banded plovers, as they are called in Australia—are a familiar and much-loved sight across New Zealand, the only country where these charismatic plovers breed. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-migration-zealand-banded-dotterels-australia.html Plants & Animals Mon, 12 Oct 2026 13:00:01 EDT news711025141 Episodic lava fountaining is a rare volcanic behavior in which repeated, hours-long bursts of molten lava and gas are spewed from volcanic vents, with quiet pauses lasting days to weeks between episodes. These lava fountains have been observed in active volcanoes in places like Hawaii, Iceland and Italy, but researchers still do not fully understand what starts, sustains or stops these individual fountain episodes. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-klauea-summit-scientists-lava-fountain.html Earth Sciences Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:40:08 EDT news710765919 When the COVID-19 pandemic brought human activity to a standstill around the world in the first half of 2020, wildfire incidents also declined by more than 12%. A new study published in Cell Reports Sustainability reveals the complex role humans play in shaping global fire patterns, both as a source of fire and in helping keep fires in check. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-global-wildfires-decreased-covid-lockdown.html Earth Sciences Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:00:40 EDT news710677201 A new paper published in the journal Phytotaxa describes a new species in the genus Victoria, the Colombian giant water lily (Victoria colombiana). With only three other known species in the genus, V. colombiana joins the pantheon of nature's giants with pads measuring up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) across. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-chance-instagram-sighting-discovery-rare.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:10:06 EDT news710667361 Just two weeks after it was launched, the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite returned its first images and measurements from two of its key instruments—a major milestone that confirms the satellite is working well and on track to monitor the health of Earth's oceans, land, cryosphere and atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sentinel-3c-views-earth.html Earth Sciences Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:40:14 EDT news710690581 On Aug. 26, a rock and ice avalanche triggered a huge flood that swept through a steep valley in Nepal, leaving thousands dead and missing. It was an extreme example of a growing problem across the Himalayas. As glaciers melt, glacial lakes expand and mountain permafrost thaws, the risks from floods, landslides and other high-mountain hazards are increasing. At the same time, more people and infrastructure are moving into the valleys where these hazards are most likely to strike. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-people-floodprone-areas-nepalese-himalayas.html Environment Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:20:47 EDT news710680382 Using data from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, with help from artificial intelligence, an international team of scientists has discovered 70 new gravitational lenses—rare cosmic alignments that act as natural magnifying glasses. The new lenses further expand one of the largest collections of confirmed lenses to date and will allow scientists to study dark matter, galaxy evolution and the structure of the universe. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-largest-2d-universe-scientists-gravitational.html Astronomy Thu, 08 Oct 2026 09:40:12 EDT news710669701 One year after New York City launched its congestion pricing policy, fine particulate pollution inside Manhattan's congestion relief zone was 13% lower, according to a new analysis that accounted for regional pollution trends, weather and normal year-to-year variability. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nyc-congestion-pricing-policy-linked.html Environment Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:00:10 EDT news710603821