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. Last year, we described Agrilo, an affordable "colorimetric" soil-testing system developed through research at MacEwan University. Using a smartphone camera to interpret color changes, Agrilo measures soil nutrients and can provide farmers with timely guidance to support fertilizer decisions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-soil-global-virtual-reality-farmers.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:00:06 EDT news705770821 You might think of rockets as powerful vehicles that blast astronaut crews and robotic missions into space. But what if they could be used to send cargo from one side of Earth to the other in a fraction of the time it would take a plane? The company SpaceX recently announced a project that aims to use its rockets to do just that. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-spacex-aims-rockets-quickly-cargo.html Space Exploration Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:01 EDT news705150364 In a new study by the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), researchers evaluated oil sorghum lines in Nebraska and Illinois over two years to quantify genotype-by-environment effects on agronomic performance and triacylglycerol accumulation. The research is published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-field-trials-oil-rich-sorghum.html Biotechnology Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:40:06 EDT news705058441 The United States on Tuesday said it plans to exempt its private space sector from numerous environmental regulations to accelerate the pace of space launches and ramp up competition with China. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-loosen-environmental-safeguards-space-industry.html Space Exploration Wed, 29 Jul 2026 04:50:04 EDT news704517911 Coffee grounds that usually end up being thrown away can have a second life as a raw material for producing biofuels and other high-value-added products. A study by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has evaluated how to extract oil from coffee grounds efficiently while preserving the rest of the plant material so that it can also be used in other processes. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-spent-coffee-grounds-reveal-route.html Biochemistry Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:10:01 EDT news704039042 Millions of people across the UK marveled at the spectacular northern lights that lit up the night sky in May 2024. But while the display captivated skywatchers, the geomagnetic storm behind it also served as the biggest test in a generation of the UK's preparedness for severe space weather. So did it pass? https://phys.org/news/2026-07-powerful-northern-generation-expose-weaknesses.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:40:01 EDT news704019301 Logically, you would think a sleek surface has optimal aerodynamics—but recent research at Tohoku University turns this fundamental principle on its head. Applying an irregular microscale surface texture reduced the aerodynamic drag of a test model. The innovation has potential applications in the design of fuel-efficient vehicles. The study is published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-microscale-roughness-breakthrough-defies-years.html General Physics Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:00:04 EDT news703935124 Landslides in Alaska. Air quality in Atlanta. Fire clouds out West. From the Arctic fringes to farm country, NASA's newest class of suborbital Earth Venture missions is gearing up to deliver science that will benefit communities in the United States and beyond. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nasa-earth-missions-gear-science.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:40:06 EDT news703844102 The brain is the machine that perceives, analyzes, sorts, stores and prioritizes our memories. However, not all experiences and perceptions are stored in the same way, and not everything is remembered equally, especially when under pressure or emotional stress. A new research study carried out by researchers at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has found that negative emotions help cement the central information, details and key aspects of experiences but diminish recollection of the surrounding context and environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-virtual-reality-reveals-role-stress.html Social Sciences Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news703773571 Reflect Orbital moves ahead with the company's first Eärendil launch amid concerns from the astronomical community. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fcc-space-reflector-constellation.html Astronomy Fri, 17 Jul 2026 23:00:01 EDT news703500899 Superconducting technologies have the potential to supercharge the decarbonization of transport, saving gigatonnes of emissions in the future, a landmark new paper suggests. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-roadmap-paper-superconductors-decarbonize-sector.html Superconductivity Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:30:01 EDT news703418641 Sustaining attention over long periods affects everything from routine tasks to high-stakes decisions. Whether it is an umpire making a split-second call or a driver glancing at a navigation system, even small lapses in focus can have meaningful consequences. New research from Texas A&M University is shedding light on how people allocate their attention and why it fluctuates in ways that can lead to both errors and improved performance. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-people-shift-attention-everyday-high.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Jul 2026 09:40:01 EDT news703410667 The vast majority of carbon emissions caused by "mega-events" such as World Cups and global concert tours come from audience travel, according to University of Cambridge researchers. In a new study, researchers estimate that expanding to 48 teams for this year's World Cup increased emissions by well over half a million metric tons to some 4.23 million metric tons of carbon for the whole tournament, 82% of which comes from traveling fans, with around 3 million metric tons from flying alone. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fifa-superstars-discount-tickets-fans.html Environment Thu, 16 Jul 2026 05:00:06 EDT news703318193 China and the southern United States were hit last year by some of their worst sand and dust storms in decades, the United Nations said Friday. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-intense-storms-struck-china.html Environment Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:20:02 EDT news702908402 Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to launch into space, has died. She was 87. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-wally-funk-aviation-oldest-woman.html Space Exploration Fri, 10 Jul 2026 03:57:28 EDT news702874626 For 15 years, a Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 has been carrying not only passengers around the world but also a piece of research from Jülich. On July 8, 2011, the aircraft with the registration D-AIGT took off for the first time with an IAGOS measuring system on board. Since then, it has been collecting climate-relevant atmospheric data on regular scheduled flights—coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-years-climate-lufthansa-flights.html Environment Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:40:01 EDT news702639910 Private commercial operators are launching more rockets into space, carrying more people and pursuing more ambitious missions than ever before. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-private-space-tourism-laws-outer.html Space Exploration Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:40:01 EDT news700394341 Researchers at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, University of Massachusetts and University of Illinois have developed breakthrough methods to track the migration of individual bird species by combining participatory science data with weather radar technology. This advancement addresses a long-standing limitation in migration monitoring: While radar can detect birds in flight, it cannot identify which species are migrating. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-methods-tracking-individual-bird-species.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:10:01 EDT news700329181 An offshore earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least 35 people, injuring more than 200 others mostly in ruined buildings and sending a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami into nearby coasts. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-magnitude-quake-philippines-fells-tsunami.html Environment Mon, 08 Jun 2026 05:50:03 EDT news700114545 The Canadian government recently announced that it will lease a fleet of 10 firefighting aircraft and other support assets to be deployed for the 2026 wildfire season. The plan will see these 10 leased aircraft being managed by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center deployed strategically across the country and made available to provinces as they face intense wildfires. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-canada-aerial-wildfirefighting-strategy.html Environment Sat, 06 Jun 2026 11:00:01 EDT news699706926 When regional airlines leave a market, travelers are likely to see fewer flights and higher fares. The harder question is how much service disappears, how quickly prices rise and whether other airlines step in to fill the gap. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-impact-regional-airline-exits.html Economics & Business Thu, 28 May 2026 14:40:05 EDT news699192721 SpaceX Starship launches are on hold pending an investigation into last week's test flight. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-spacex-starship-rockets-grounded-pending.html Space Exploration Thu, 28 May 2026 04:53:27 EDT news699162676 If health care were a country, it would be the fifth largest carbon emitter on the planet—between the European Union and the Russian Federation, with CO2 emissions in the sector higher than all of aviation and shipping combined. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-lancet-medzero-platform-carbon-product.html Environment Thu, 21 May 2026 07:40:01 EDT news698564342 Many pilots and cabin crew members go to work despite suffering from mental or physical health issues. This is shown in a new doctoral thesis by Filippa Folke at Karolinska Institutet. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-flying-sick-illness.html Social Sciences Wed, 20 May 2026 13:27:57 EDT news698502429 A fast-growing wildfire sparked by the fatal crash of a small medical plane outside Ruidoso, New Mexico, has triggered evacuations for a rural area north of the Capitan Mountains and closures in the Lincoln National Forest, officials said Monday. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mexico-wildfire-fatal-medical-plane.html Environment Tue, 19 May 2026 03:53:40 EDT news698381595 During takeoff and landing, planes emit ultrafine aerosol particles. Some particles also contain lubricating oil, as shown by measurements made by researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI in the environs of the Zurich Airport. Low-sulfur fuels could be the solution. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-airport-uncover-ultrafine-particle-spikes.html Environment Tue, 12 May 2026 16:20:09 EDT news697816441 Reducing aircraft soot emissions may not reduce contrail clouds, according to in-flight observations of emissions from a passenger jet with modern "lean-burn" engines, reported in Nature. Contrails from aircraft contribute to the climate-warming impacts of aviation. The findings demonstrate that more work is needed to understand and reduce the climate impact of jet engine emissions. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-aircraft-soot-climate-effects-contrails.html Environment Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:20:01 EDT news694268221 A new research review published in npj Climate Action counters a recently proposed idea published in Nature Climate Change that ecotourism could serve as a mechanism to decarbonize the tourism industry. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ecotourism-valuable-decarbonize-tourism-industry.html Environment Wed, 01 Apr 2026 09:00:02 EDT news694250361 Earth's magnetic field acts as a vital shield against radiation arriving from space, but it is not constant. A new international study has examined how a reduction of the magnetic field similar to the Laschamps excursion would affect aviation on routes such as Helsinki–Dubai and Helsinki–New York if it occurred today. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-laschamps-geomagnetic-excursion-today-aviation.html Earth Sciences Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:00:01 EDT news693660361 Small changes to aircraft flight paths to avoid the atmospheric conditions that create condensation trails—known as contrails—could reduce aviation's global warming impact by nearly half, a new study suggests. The study, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, suggests that changing cruising altitude by a few thousand feet, either up or down, could prevent contrails from forming. Reducing or avoiding contrail formation in this way would also be faster and cheaper than other climate mitigation measures for the aviation industry, since the practice can be adopted with existing aircraft and fuel. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-flight-paths-slash-aviation-climate.html Environment Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:40:04 EDT news692967181