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. Eggs and poultry provide important sources of protein globally, driving a major industry with large economic impacts. Challenges to hatchery operations include embryo mortality, fertility, sex determination, and eggshell characteristics. These features have a substantial impact on production, but they are difficult and time-consuming to estimate. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-egg-scanning-ai-hatcheries-life.html Biotechnology Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:30:03 EDT news696614821 Humans are not the only species negatively affected by increasingly hot and humid conditions. Intense heat waves sometimes kill large numbers of wild animals. Eastern Australia's giant fruit bats, known as flying-foxes, provide possibly the most dramatic illustration. In late 2018, two days of extreme heat in the far north of Queensland wiped out one third of Australia's population of spectacled flying-foxes. The species is now red-listed as endangered. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-humidity-killers-tropical-birds-waxbill.html Plants & Animals Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:40:07 EDT news696600122 The exact origin of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is still a mystery, but researchers believe they are edging closer to the source of one of the most important food staples worldwide. Using genetic studies and ancient plant remains, an international team of scientists has narrowed the location and timeline to the Neolithic period(around 8,000 years ago) in Georgia, in the South Caucasus. They present their findings in a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-farming-clues-expose-humanity.html Archaeology Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:40:02 EDT news696602199 NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have captured two 360-degree landscapes that highlight how the missions are revealing details of the Red Planet's formation, watery past, and potential for life. Located 2,345 miles (3,775 kilometers) apart from each other on Mars—about the distance from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.—both rovers are exploring areas that are billions of years old. But as the nearly 15-year-old Curiosity reaches ever-younger terrain in the foothills of Mount Sharp, the 5-year-old Perseverance is venturing into some of the oldest landscapes in the entire solar system. By time-traveling in opposite directions, the rovers are filling in missing details about the planet's history. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nasa-perseverance-curiosity-panoramas-capture.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:20:01 EDT news696577981 The moon has played a huge role in the development of Earth. It stabilizes the planet, tempers dramatic climate swings, and possibly even provides the tidal heating that might have led to the first life forms. So it's natural we would want to find a similar Earth/Luna system somewhere else in the cosmos. But astronomers have been searching for one for years at this point to no avail. And a new paper, available on the arXiv preprint server, from Emily Pass and her colleagues at MIT, Harvard, and the University of Chicago describes using the James Webb Space Telescope to track some of the most promising exomoon candidates—only to be foiled by the star they were orbiting. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-jwst-earth-moon-twin-habitable.html Astronomy Mon, 27 Apr 2026 20:20:08 EDT news696505768 The search for next-generation electronic materials often starts with studying the Fermi surface, which serves as a map of a material's electronic structure. Its shape varies with crystal structure, composition, and electronic band arrangement, directly impacting properties such as carrier density, magnetic behavior, and spin polarization. This makes it a crucial tool for understanding and engineering new materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-machine-faster-reliable-analysis-fermi.html Condensed Matter Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:20:01 EDT news696512162 Scientists have captured the most detailed structural images to date of a specific type of protein's DNA repair process, a finding that could reveal ways to inhibit the effects of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations that heighten the risk for breast, ovarian and other cancers. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dna-snapshots-reveal-brca-linked.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:50:01 EDT news696521641 Researchers from Skoltech and the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics have developed an approach that helps optimize the parameters of a laser-plasma source of attosecond pulses—ultrashort flashes of light used in physics experiments. Instead of relying on a large number of time-consuming calculations, the team trained a neural network to quickly identify promising settings and thereby speed up the optimization of the sophisticated laboratory equipment. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-neural-network-tuning-attosecond-pulses.html General Physics Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:00:04 EDT news696513061 When Mauna Loa erupted in 2022, the largest lava flow headed on a path headed directly toward Daniel K. Inouye State Highway 200, also known as Saddle Road, a critical route that carries many residents from their homes on one side to their jobs on the other. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-volcano-eruption-earth-venus-mauna.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:20:08 EDT news696508381 A scientist from Tokyo Metropolitan University has proposed using safety monitoring at synchrotron facilities to study the properties of dark photons, hypothetical particles proposed to explain dark matter. Calculations show that the X-ray source at these sites and a Geiger-Muller counter behind safety shielding could be used to propose limits on how strongly dark photons interact with normal photons. The experiment would not involve a dedicated facility and could run alongside other experiments. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-synchrotron-safety-dark-photons.html General Physics Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:40:05 EDT news696506941 Astronomers can use telescopes to find specific molecules in the atmospheres of neighboring planets, in nebulae—clouds of interstellar dust and gas—hundreds or thousands of light-years away, or in galaxies beyond the far reaches of the Milky Way. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-potential-life-distant-planets-years.html Astronomy Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:40:01 EDT news696509641 The endangered Black Sea harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena relicta) is facing a critical fight for survival. As Europe's smallest marine mammal, this isolated population is being pushed toward extinction by bycatch—the unintentional entanglement in fishing gear. The crisis is most acute in the Black Sea turbot fishery, where recent estimates reveal that more than 10,000 porpoises die annually. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-acoustic-device-bycatch-endangered-black.html Ecology Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:20:06 EDT news696502705 Scientists at Stanford University have discovered that DRT3, a unique defense system found in bacteria, creates DNA to protect against viral infections. DRT3 is made up of two different enzymes called reverse transcriptases, Drt3a and Drt3b, and a piece of noncoding RNA (ncRNA). Together, this trio makes long, double-stranded DNA consisting of alternating repeats (GT/AC). https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bacterial-defense-dna-unexpected-viruses.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:20:03 EDT news696502424 Finding planets used to be a painstaking business. Astronomers would fix their gaze on a handful of carefully chosen stars, watch and wait, and hope to catch the faint dip in starlight that signals a world passing in front of its host. It worked. It worked brilliantly. But it also meant we were fishing with a very small net in a very big ocean. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-planet-haul.html Astronomy Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:40:04 EDT news696491963 Scientists at Ames National Laboratory developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that accelerates discovery of materials needed for next-generation fusion energy systems. The tool, DuctGPT, combines advanced AI with physics-based modeling to help researchers predict materials with the appropriate properties to function in the extreme conditions inside of fusion reactors. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ductgpt-ai-discovery-generation-fusion.html Plasma Physics Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:00:03 EDT news696490741 In a comprehensive analysis of state and local sanctuary and anti-sanctuary policies, researchers have mapped the rapidly evolving legal immigration landscape in the US from 2000 to 2021. The dataset sheds light on trends in immigration legislation including "punitive" preemption, state government tendencies to enact laws that are ideologically opposed to the current federal administration, and conservative states using preemption to control liberal localities. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-immigration-policy-landscape.html Political science Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:03 EDT news696232049 A detector buried deep in Antarctic ice has captured the first experimental evidence of a predicted but never-before-seen phenomenon: radio pulses generated when high-energy cosmic rays slam into the ice sheet and trigger particle cascades inside it. Through results published in Physical Review Letters, astronomers of the Askaryan Radio Array (ARA) Collaboration have validated a key technique, which they hope will eventually allow them to detect some of the rarest and most energetic particles in the universe. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-deep-antarctic-ice-cosmic-strange.html General Physics Sun, 26 Apr 2026 10:00:01 EDT news696072009 Catalysis—the reduction of activation energy in a chemical reaction by a catalyst—plays a key role in the chemical industry, as well as in the development of sustainable technologies essential for achieving a low-carbon economy. However, the search for high-performance and sustainable catalysts is often costly and time-consuming. It can be accelerated through data-driven catalysis research. Yet experimental data are often not available in machine-readable and standardized formats. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-catalysis-app-sustainable-catalysts.html Analytical Chemistry Sat, 25 Apr 2026 14:30:02 EDT news696170566 Gene editing has emerged as a powerful approach for targeting the genetic causes of disease, but getting the editing machinery into the right cells efficiently, safely, and at the scale needed for therapies remains one of the biggest set of challenges in the field. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-human-cells-boost-gene-particle.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:20:03 EDT news696254581 Designing molecules is one of chemistry's most complex challenges. From life-saving drugs to advanced materials, each compound requires a precise sequence of reactions. Planning these steps demands both technical knowledge and strategic insight, making it a task that often relies on years of experience. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-natural-language-ai-chemists-molecules.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:00:01 EDT news696251720 The detection and study of isotopes, atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons, could expand the scope of physics research and enable new scientific discoveries. So far, rare isotopes have been primarily detected using a technique known as accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), which accelerates atoms, to then measure their mass and charge. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-approach-ultra-rare-sextillion-isotopes.html General Physics Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:40:07 EDT news696241546 How did the earliest life on Earth build complex biological machinery with so few tools? A new study explores how the simplest building blocks of proteins—once limited to just half of today's amino acids—could still form the sophisticated structures life depends on. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-life-earliest-proteins-complex-amino.html Evolution Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:20:05 EDT news696174061 Researchers at McMaster University have developed a new generative artificial intelligence (AI) model capable of drastically speeding up drug discovery—and, in early tests, it has already designed a brand-new antibiotic. The discovery is a demonstration of how AI could dramatically improve the slow and costly search for new antimicrobial medicines, as bacteria and other microbes continue to evolve resistance to our current suite of drugs. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-antibiotic-staph-infections-exploring.html Biotechnology Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:00:05 EDT news696167822 Americans spend a remarkable amount of time shopping—more than on education, volunteering or even talking on the phone. But the way they shop is shifting dramatically, as major platforms and retailers are racing to automate commercial decision-making. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-1.html Economics & Business Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:00:05 EDT news696164402 Paleontologists from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) have published a new study in the scientific journal Royal Society Open Science, in which they describe a new species based on a fossil skull approximately 230 million years old. The specimen was discovered within the Quarta Colônia UNESCO Global Geopark, in southern Brazil, at a fossil site that has already yielded some of the oldest dinosaurs in the world. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-brazil-unearths-bizarre-beaked-reptile.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:40:02 EDT news696164521 Tropical rainforests are known for their unique biodiversity, with species found nowhere else on Earth. But nearly 30% of tropical rainforest has been destroyed or has become seriously degraded since 1990. Many of these forests have not been fully explored for their biodiversity. This means that the world may be losing species before they are even discovered by modern science. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mozambique-sky-island-species-chameleon.html Plants & Animals Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:20:06 EDT news696164282 NASA's Curiosity rover has identified seven new organic compounds on the planet Mars, according to new research published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nasa-curiosity-rover-ancient-life.html Astrobiology Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:20:04 EDT news696161582 New observations and simulations by a team of researchers led by MPE reveal that a massive binary star near our galaxy's center is responsible for creating a series of enigmatic gas clouds—compact gas clumps that help feed the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. The study is published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mysterious-gas-clouds-milky-black.html Astronomy Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:08 EDT news696159422 Modern medicine has played a significant role in improving the length and quality of our lives. While many treatments may seem like miracles, they are the result of a lengthy, rigorous research process. Drug discovery is a particularly time-consuming and costly activity that is fraught with complex challenges and labor-intensive bouts of trial and error. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-drug-discovery-fragment-screening.html Biotechnology Wed, 22 Apr 2026 22:20:04 EDT news696065499 The search for life beyond Earth has traditionally focused on exoplanets orbiting sun-like stars, which is a G-type star. However, low-mass stars, which are designated as K-type and M-type stars, have rapidly become a target for astrobiology, primarily due to their much longer lifetimes. This also means the habitable zone (HZ), which is the distance from a star where liquid water could exist, is much smaller than our solar system's HZ, and is referred to as the liquid water habitable zone (LW-HZ). In contrast, another type of HZ that involves a star's ultraviolet (UV) radiation potentially enabling life-harboring conditions is known as UV-HZ. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-stellar-flares-habitable-zones-small.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:00:05 EDT news696065137