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. Say you buy shares in a company. The price climbs and months later you sell for a healthy profit. Ask why it worked, and the answer is often some version of "I made a good call." Now imagine the trade had lost money instead. Would you be as quick to blame your own judgment? Many of us wouldn't. We may point to bad timing, a jittery market, anything but ourselves. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-psychology-investors-bad-financial-decisions.html Economics & Business Thu, 22 Oct 2026 15:00:25 EDT news711880096 Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new class of light-activated compounds that could lead to safer and more versatile applications in 3D printing, cosmetics and medicine. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nontoxic-compound-safer-3d-advanced.html Biochemistry Thu, 22 Oct 2026 15:00:02 EDT news711899581 One fish. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-access-asl-birth-childhood-math.html Education Thu, 22 Oct 2026 14:40:08 EDT news711879924 New research from the University of St Andrews has uncovered a previously unknown process that may have helped drive Earth into past ice ages. Published today (Oct. 22) in the Journal of Climate, the paper links ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere to changes in ocean circulation and sea ice in the Southern Hemisphere understood to drive down atmospheric CO₂. Linking these two key features of the ice ages has long been a challenge, given how far apart the two regions are. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-earth-hemispheres-ice-ages.html Earth Sciences Thu, 22 Oct 2026 14:00:06 EDT news711733921 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 When people think about democracy, they tend to think about national elections, parliaments or the policies of national governments. Even the recent special election in Holborn and St Pancras showed that democratic events are often framed around what they mean for the fortunes of national leaders, rather than what they mean for daily life within a community. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ways-cities-democratic-values.html Political science Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:00:01 EDT news711877636 Scientists have discovered a hidden layer of identity in plant root cells: an "environmental mode" that switches on in some cells and becomes more common when water is scarce. The study, led by Dr. Marina Oliva and professor Ryan Lister, from the ARC Center of Excellence in Plants for Space and The University of Western Australia's School of Molecular Sciences, examined how plant cells responded to drought conditions. The work is published in Nature https://phys.org/news/2026-10-drought-shifts-root-cells-newly.html Plants & Animals Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:40:14 EDT news711888302 By analyzing data on around 100,000 quasars, or extremely luminous galactic nuclei, researchers at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) have found statistical evidence that some supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies are ejected from their positions after forming. The relationship now identified in the data was predicted 10 years ago by members of the same research group, Peter Raffai and Zsolt Frei, together with Zoltán Haiman. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-supermassive-black-holes-ejected-galactic.html Astronomy Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:20:25 EDT news711886019 A pilot project in which Indigenous people in the Peruvian Amazon were given an unconditional basic income significantly improved community well-being, strengthened food security and supported rainforest protection, according to analysis by the University of Bath released today. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-world-basic-income-trial-boosts.html Environment Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:30:07 EDT news711874905 Technion researchers have presented evidence for the existence of solar-storm-like outbursts near supermassive black holes, which can be a million times larger than the sun or more. The phenomenon was discovered in the vicinity of the black hole in the galaxy NGC 3783, and the researchers' findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-black-hole-uncover-evidence-solar.html Astronomy Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:03:31 EDT news711885705 We've all done it: convinced ourselves that if we can't donate enough money to a cause, it's better not to give at all. But new research led by Jean Zhang, now a postdoctoral researcher at the Wharton School, suggests we're setting the bar for generosity far too high. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-people.html Social Sciences Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:00:37 EDT news711873675 Biological clocks are often associated with light. Historically, most people started their days when the sun was up and ended their days when the sun set. But new research from Carnegie Mellon University suggests that some of the body's most important timekeepers live in the gut. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-gut-bacteria-food-cues-nutrient.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:00:34 EDT news711801722 Scientists doubling as art detectives have traced Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night" to a celestial scene that suggests a new date for one of the world's most famous paintings. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sky-van-gogh-starry-night.html Astronomy Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:00:15 EDT news711804301 An international team of scientists from the University of Sheffield and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, led by a postdoctoral research fellow from the University of Newcastle, Australia, has discovered that solar jets called spicules, which are 6–8 Mm long, take the form of warped, denser plasma sheets like pleated drapery. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-curtain-plasma-solar-jets-apparent.html Astronomy Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:20:06 EDT news711877531 Eastern Australian humpback whales reach nearly their full adult size quickly, a new Griffith University–led study has found, as shown by the first contemporary growth curves for this recovering whale population. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-drone-reveal-rapid-early-growth.html Plants & Animals Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:20:01 EDT news711871038 Researchers studying facial movements have found that it's not just what you say, but what your face does when you say it, that counts when it comes to appearing confident when answering a question. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-brows-speakers-confident.html Social Sciences Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:40:11 EDT news711877322 A new University of Otago—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka study reveals two vastly different life courses for one of Aotearoa New Zealand's least-studied penguin species. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-schrdinger-penguin-species-contrasting-outcomes.html Ecology Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:20:01 EDT news711877201 Citywide measures of urban sustainability can conceal sharp differences between neighborhoods. A city may appear to provide good streets overall while some areas lack greenery, openness or pedestrian-friendly space where diverse populations live. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-tokyo-streets-reveal-hidden-gaps.html Other Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:30:01 EDT news711865906 To most consumers, canned food is an everyday convenience, but to John Coupland, professor of food science at Penn State, each can represents more than two centuries of invention, experimentation and problem-solving. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-qa-canned-food.html Agriculture Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:40:10 EDT news711865515 A generous parental leave reform was introduced in Estonia in 2004. This increased the likelihood of a second or third child being born into the family and also shortened the interval between births, according to Sanan Abdullayev's doctoral thesis, defended at Tallinn University. At the same time, taking shared parental leave did not necessarily mean that the father took time off work and assumed primary responsibility for the children while receiving the benefit. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-parental-benefit-people-children-estonia.html Social Sciences Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:30:01 EDT news711862232 Semiconductors with wider bandgaps could pave the way for smaller, more efficient electronics that can handle far higher voltages, but the wider this gap becomes, the harder it is to control how well a material conducts electricity. Now, a team led by Darrell Schlom at Cornell University has shown that adding silicon to thin films of aluminum gallium oxide can keep this control intact at bandgaps wider than any semiconductor before it. Their research has been published in Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sapphire-grown-semiconductor-bandgap.html Condensed Matter Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:00:04 EDT news711713518 A majority of Americans blame billionaires for the nation's ever-growing income and wealth divide. But economists Eric Zwick and Owen Zidar say there's a much larger but little-known cadre of very rich folks who may be even more important in closing the gap. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-private-business-fortunes-reveal-overlooked.html Economics & Business Wed, 21 Oct 2026 21:00:01 EDT news711794714 By the time a child reaches the age of 4 or 5, most parents and caregivers have heard about "kindergarten readiness." But what if a 5-year-old still struggles to count to 10, sing the alphabet song or play cooperatively with other children? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-kindergarten-redshirting-retention-shifted-sharply.html Education Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:20:03 EDT news711799339 An absence of women scientists in U.K. exam board specifications for science could be a factor in the disproportionate number of girls dropping STEM subjects at 16 and contribute to the gender gap in STEM careers, new research from the University of Cambridge has found. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-uk-exam-board-science-specifications.html Social Sciences Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:10:02 EDT news711799201 Most plants do not gather nutrients from the soil entirely on their own. Many form partnerships with microscopic fungi that grow inside their roots and extend into the surrounding soil. These partnerships, known as arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses, help plants access nutrients, especially phosphorus. In return, the fungi receive carbon-rich compounds from the plants. But how does a plant coordinate the many signals needed to build and maintain this exchange? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-rice-partner-beneficial-soil-fungi.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 18:20:01 EDT news711798606 A new study from Indiana University shows that being in a positive mood leads orangutans to value what they learned more strongly. The study comes from the lab of Erica Cartmill, professor of animal behavior, anthropology and cognitive science in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington, and was led by Daan Laméris, a postdoctoral researcher at IU. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-laughter-orangutans-rewards.html Plants & Animals Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:00:12 EDT news711793621 Salt marsh sediment and vegetation can remain largely intact even during extreme storm surges. This was demonstrated in a large-scale experiment in which researchers transported sections of salt marsh to an experimental facility capable of producing the world's largest artificial waves. The results show how salt marshes can contribute to natural coastal protection, both in the Netherlands and beyond. The results were published in the journals Nature and Communications Sustainability. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-salt-marshes-powerful-allies-climate.html Earth Sciences Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:40:01 EDT news711807002 Researchers at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) have reconstructed approximately 16,000 years of summer temperature changes from sediments collected at Lake Prokoško in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The findings show how the Western Balkans responded to rapid climate changes at the end of the last glacial period, how warmer and cooler phases unfolded during the Holocene, and how the impact of human land use became increasingly pronounced. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-reconstructing-years-summer-temperature-western.html Earth Sciences Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:30:02 EDT news711818342 New active ingredients for drugs to treat infections, cancer or other serious diseases are often based on substances originally discovered in microorganisms, plants or other living organisms. Producing or improving such active ingredients in a targeted manner using microorganisms is often challenging because the underlying biological processes are extremely complex. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-functional-enzyme-components-drug.html Biochemistry Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:20:14 EDT news711806642 The media habits of teens and young adults reflect transformative changes in modern storytelling and technology, and the entertainment industry and other content creators should pay attention, according to the latest "Teens and Screens" report from the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-annual-teens-screens-reveals-young.html Social Sciences Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:00:15 EDT news711796516