https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from The Conversation Birds undertake some of the world's most impressive migrations, traveling hundreds to thousands of kilometers every year in search of safe breeding grounds and seasonally abundant food resources. For many birds, migration is the key to their success. However, migration can also make species more vulnerable to threats. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-seas-threaten-world-migratory-shorebirds.html Ecology Wed, 07 Oct 2026 21:00:01 EDT news710597162 Fashion lovers are generally associated with bursting wardrobes and chasing the latest trends. But that reputation is beginning to shift. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ways-enjoy-fashion-hobby-indulging.html Economics & Business Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:40:01 EDT news710596921 After heavy rain, Spanish cities often awaken to refreshed air and clean streets, while the rainwater itself vanishes into storm drains along with everything it swept away. Underground, however, a very different story unfolds. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-spain-torrential-rainstorms-sewage-rivers.html Environment Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:20:01 EDT news710596742 When people think about what ChatGPT or other large language models are doing behind the scenes, it's common to reach for the language of computing. You might assume there is a database or a logical series of steps being executed to provide a response to your query. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-ai-brain-database-cognitive-science.html Machine learning & AI Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:00:13 EDT news710601688 Articles published in The Conversation go well beyond academics writing for a general audience—they can also serve as valuable content for educators to use in the classroom. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-jargon-impact-undergraduates-art-communication.html Education Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:00:02 EDT news710596683 For millions of years, parasitic worms have had to survive inside animals without being destroyed by their hosts' immune systems. To do that, they have evolved remarkably effective ways of dampening the immune response. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-parasitic-worms-key-immune-diseases.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:20:04 EDT news710596981 Canada is recruiting internationally educated health professionals to help address health care workforce shortages, while governments are also trying to make it faster and easier for newcomers to have their qualifications recognized. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-canada-internationally-health-professionals-credential.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:00:27 EDT news710597102 A laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia, Russia, has died just days after falling ill with an undisclosed illness. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-russian-plague-expert-panic.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:40:10 EDT news710596862 Picking up a book for half an hour may feel like simple downtime, but reading for pleasure appears to do more than just entertain us. Research suggests it can support aspects of cognition and well-being, while also helping us understand and connect with other people. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-brain.html Social Sciences Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:40:04 EDT news710588521 Rising numbers of visitors headed for destinations in northern Europe in the summer of 2026, seeking respite from the heat. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-coolcations-tourism-boom-toll-chillier.html Environment Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:20:06 EDT news710588402 Climate does more than shape the weather. It can influence when and where infectious diseases emerge by changing how disease-carrying vectors and animal hosts survive and behave. Scientists use weather data to anticipate some disease risks days or weeks ahead. But forecasting how those risks will change across seasons and years remains difficult. We asked Adrià San José Plana, a researcher in infectious disease modeling, and Xavier Rodó, a research professor and founding director of the Catalan Institute of Climate Sciences in Barcelona, about their recent research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-ocean-rainfall-parasitic-disease-patterns.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:02 EDT news710588702 The postpandemic push to bring workers back to the office has left many nostalgic for more flexible arrangements, such as hybrid or remote work. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-boss-remote-hybrid-burnout-job.html Economics & Business Wed, 07 Oct 2026 11:00:43 EDT news710582102 The number of people sick with flu is starting to increase across the United States, with health authorities warning that in some western regions of the country, the 2026–27 flu season may be off to an early start. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-flu-season-vaccines.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 08:40:07 EDT news710576822 Every few years, the elders of Muluk, a tiny coastal community in Papua New Guinea, close a stretch of their reef to fishing. They do this to give these underwater gardens room to breathe, grow and replenish. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-conservationists-bright-globe.html Ecology Wed, 07 Oct 2026 08:20:01 EDT news710575802 Nearly half a century has passed since the first recognized case of AIDS in the U.K. in December 1981. During that time, perceptions of HIV and people living with HIV have been transformed by medical advances and changing cultural attitudes. Yet the stigma created during the early years of the epidemic has proved much harder to leave behind. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-hiv-treatment-uk-stigma-lingers.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 16:40:11 EDT news710516522 Ever felt a sudden wave of cringe toward someone you were into—all because they wore questionable shoes or chewed a bit too loudly? Congratulations, you've caught "the ick." https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ick-psychology-romantic-partner-suddenly.html Social Sciences Tue, 06 Oct 2026 16:20:01 EDT news710516162 Microalgae (microscopic organisms that use light and carbon dioxide to grow) can be used to make ingredients and food for animals, pigments and potentially renewable fuels. But growing microalgae efficiently at an industrial scale is difficult. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-food-fuel-ai-microalgae-scale.html Biotechnology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:20:15 EDT news710511242 In January 2013, Lake Michigan reached its lowest water level on record. Seven years later, in the summer of 2020, it broke the opposite record with widespread flooding, eroded shorelines and closed lakeside roads. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-great-lakes.html Earth Sciences Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:10:01 EDT news710515621 The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union are currently debating EU Inc., draft legislation seeking to establish a single set of rules for starting, operating and growing a business across EU member states. The proposed framework is designed to make business registration and operation within the EU faster, easier and more harmonized. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-europe-eu-framework-boosting-competitiveness.html Economics & Business Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:00:22 EDT news710509141 Detecting impaired motor function as early as possible after birth with the help of a standard camera linked to intelligent systems can help diagnose infantile conditions characterized by hypotonia: reduced muscle tone, which can limit active movement. A research team is investigating this approach based on work carried out on babies with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-camera-combined-ai-diagnosis-movement.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:00:10 EDT news710505361 The brain is unbelievably complicated, which is both daunting and fascinating for neuroscientists like me. In the space of a cubic millimeter—about the size of a single poppy seed—there are tens of thousands of neurons and other brain support cells, all influencing each other's function. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-nobel-technique-scientists-brain.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:40:06 EDT news710504102 This summer broke records around the U.K. for maximum temperatures and dry weather. According to the U.K.'s Met Office, while it was rare to hit 35°C (95°F) in the 20th century, that temperature has been surpassed in six out of the past 10 years. And temperatures are only expected to get higher. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hot-summer-people-climate.html Earth Sciences Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:24 EDT news710502181 Few historical figures are as divisive as Christopher Columbus. For some, in both Spain and the United States, he remains a great hero, an explorer who found a "new world." He is reviled by others who see him as an arrogant conqueror: the first European to enslave Indigenous Americans and the man who launched ecological destruction in the Western Hemisphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-columbus-reveal-tightly-religion-conquest.html Archaeology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:40:28 EDT news710501942 Antidepressant use continues to rise. In England, 96 million antidepressant prescription items were dispensed to an estimated 9.1 million patients in 2025–2026. These medicines are prescribed for depression and other conditions, including anxiety and some forms of pain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-antidepressants.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:40:13 EDT news710502242 Imagine your mom has just been discharged from the hospital to a rehabilitation center after hip replacement surgery. She has the paperwork, the facility's address—and a long list of questions. Will her insurance cover her entire rehab stay? Does she have enough pain medication until she gets settled? Will the hospital transfer her prescriptions? Are they accurate? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-professional-patient-advocate.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:20:18 EDT news710501582 A team of researchers from Sivas Cumhuriyet University in Turkey is investigating a long-standing claim: that a boat-shaped geological formation in the country's east contains the remains of Noah's Ark. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-people-noah-ark-natural-formation.html Social Sciences Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:20:15 EDT news710501462 Earth seems like a troubled place right now, but at least our cosmic surroundings appear peaceful. This is not universally true, as explosions, collisions and other dangers lurk in other places and times. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-life-cosmos-universe-supercomputer-yields.html Astronomy Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:40:29 EDT news710498341 On a typical night, I go to bed wearing a tracking watch on one wrist and another type of tracker on the other wrist. Then I compare their sleep findings while I drink my morning coffee. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-tracker-neuroscientist.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:40:20 EDT news710501162 Most people know someone with Alzheimer's disease. When I was growing up, my grandmother struggled with dementia, and I saw firsthand how difficult that was for our family. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-dogs-alzheimer.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:20:12 EDT news710492701 Small, hairy and cheekily charismatic. Those words sprang to mind when I first met a Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) after traversing the maze of wooden slat paths at the conservation center in the dense, humid forests of Malaysian Borneo. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-africa-rhinos-spotlight-indonesia-rhino.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 08:20:05 EDT news710488682