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. Advances in weed management technology could reduce reliance on herbicides and manual labor, but a new review from the University of Mississippi and Cornell University indicates those tools also bring steep costs and potential challenges. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-weed.html Biotechnology Tue, 20 Oct 2026 20:00:07 EDT news711718874 A University of Mississippi study is adding nuance to a debate over how often police interrogation tactics can produce false confessions leading to wrongful convictions. In a recent simulation study published in the Journal of Criminal Justice, Ole Miss criminal justice and legal studies professors Mary Catlin and Thomas Bryan Smith found that the predicted likelihood of a false confession grows with the length of a police interrogation. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-criminal-justice-statistical-wrongful-conviction.html Social Sciences Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:00:01 EDT news711640091 Popular culture often depicts people with psychopathy as cold, emotionless and hollow, but a recent University of Mississippi study found that the language associated with psychopathic traits is more complicated than often described. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-psychopathic-traits-language.html Social Sciences Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:40:09 EDT news710424962 Nanographenes can be considered molecular fragments of graphene, a 2D conductive material in which carbon atoms are connected in a honeycomb pattern. Because their electronic and photophysical properties vary depending on the size and shape of the molecule, nanographenes are expected to find applications in OLEDs, organic solar cells, organic field-effect transistors and more. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanographene-membered.html Nanomaterials Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:20:10 EDT news708096121 As NASA prepares to send humans to Mars as early as the 2030s, University of Mississippi researchers are working on one of the key questions: How will they get back? https://phys.org/news/2026-09-martian-air-yield-methane-rocket.html Space Exploration Tue, 08 Sep 2026 15:20:01 EDT news708092281 Certain chemical substances, broadly called luminogens, have an inherent ability to emit light. Most fluorescent molecules emit light in solution but lose their emission in the solid state, where the molecules aggregate. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-small-molecular-substitutions-reshape-energy.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 06 Sep 2026 14:30:01 EDT news707573895 Turning carbon dioxide into industrial chemicals used in everything from synthetic fuels to plastics and pharmaceuticals is costly. But new research shows it does not have to be. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-larger-catalyst-batches-carbon-recycling.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 01 Sep 2026 16:40:04 EDT news707486761 Artificial intelligence can create realistic depictions of just about anything, but that does not mean advertisers should lean on the technology, according to a study led by University of Mississippi professors. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-ads-succeed.html Economics & Business Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:20:01 EDT news707398741 When high or low tide occurs, the water does not necessarily rise and fall uniformly along the entire coastline. In fact, the height of the tide in a bay can vary by up to one meter (3 feet) from one location to another just a few kilometers away. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tides-locally-method-based-satellite.html Earth Sciences Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:00:04 EDT news706970739 Near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) that emit about 1,000 nanometers could support biomedical and security technologies. Yet pushing organic light to these longer wavelengths usually causes a steep drop in efficiency. As the energy gap becomes smaller, molecular vibrations more readily turn excited-state energy into heat rather than light. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-molecular-makeover-brightens-nanometers.html Materials Science Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:20:03 EDT news707050828 AR and VR glasses once seen only in science fiction may soon be realized not as bulky stacks of lenses but as a single eyeglass-like optical element. That future is now closer to reality. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-thinner-lenses-brighter-metalens-hurdles.html Nanophysics Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:20:02 EDT news706451041 Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have become a standard in modern devices with incredible contrast and sleek designs. While initially an expensive luxury, OLEDs are gradually becoming more financially accessible as the technology improves. Now, researchers at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM) at Nagoya University and the Institute for Advanced Study at Kyushu University have combined quantum chemistry with machine learning to identify new materials for blue OLEDs for incorporation in next-generation ultra-high-definition displays. Their research was published in Angewandte Chemie on July 21, 2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-quantum-chemistry-combine-efficient.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:20:01 EDT news703945861 A technology has been developed that allows artificial intelligence to inversely determine the process conditions for quantum-dot light-emitting diode (QLED) devices—conditions that previously required extensive trial and error to identify. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-qled-recipe-efficiency-boosts.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:00:09 EDT news703512040 Researchers have designed and built the first 3D device that can make objects invisible to heat, an advance that could transform how we protect sensitive electronics, manage heat in microchips and shield equipment from thermal detection. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-3d-thermal-cloak.html General Physics Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:57:06 EDT news703173398 A new study led by MIT researchers could drive the development of more energy-efficient digital displays—such as flat-screen TVs, augmented and virtual reality headsets, smartphone screens, medical imaging devices and even large-area ambient lighting surfaces—that also generate richer, brighter colors. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-simple-solution-lifespan-quantum-dots.html Nanophysics Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:00:06 EDT news702888058 Some World Cup crowds are more in sync than others, but all have some common features, Northeastern experts say. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-world-cup-crowds-synchronized-quickly.html Social Sciences Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:00:09 EDT news702725222 A new University of Mississippi-led study suggests that a telepractice resilience program may help children who stutter develop coping and self-advocacy skills. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-resilience-children-stutter.html Education Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:40:05 EDT news702558602 There are some magical limits to how much energy we can get out of a heat pump. This story is about pushing the technical limits. It is about getting more energy out than you put in. And it's about how SINTEF—one of Europe's largest applied research organizations—the renewable energy company Aneo, and the Norwegian agricultural cooperative Felleskjøpet together managed to shift the recovery of process heat from theoretical calculations in researchers' notebooks to becoming an industrial electricity-saving project on a large scale. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-huge-specially-norwegian-agricultural-cooperative.html Biotechnology Wed, 01 Jul 2026 21:00:01 EDT news702128391 Endometriosis is a painful, common condition affecting women worldwide, but treatment and diagnosis options are scarce. A new University of Mississippi-led study may have found an answer to both problems. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-gold-laced-nanoparticles-eventually-endometriosis.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:00:04 EDT news701956262 Investment podcasts can prompt investors to take action. However, they do not provide a reliable return advantage. This is shown in a new working paper by Prof. Dr. Marten Laudi of Kühne Logistics University (KLU) and Janik Ole Wecks of the University of Bremen. Using more than 25,000 episodes, the study examines how podcast content about publicly traded companies and stocks correlates with trading activity, price movements and investment returns. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-podcasts-stocks-analysis-episodes.html Economics & Business Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:40:06 EDT news701364962 Frontline employees who face rude or disrespectful customers are more likely to justify negative behaviors, from cutting corners to leaving their jobs, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-customer-rude-customers-business.html Economics & Business Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:00:01 EDT news700917001 A research team at the University of Greifswald's Research Training Group RTG-PRO "Proteases in pathogen and host: importance in infection and inflammation" has discovered a new mechanism by which bacterial pathogens adjust their activity to the metabolism of infected host cells. Bacteria tailor their attack to the metabolic state of the host cells and are thus able to specifically regulate their pathogenic effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-bacteria-exploit-human-cell-metabolism.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:40:03 EDT news700908421 With artificial intelligence tools available on every phone, laptop and tablet, higher education has struggled to implement consistent recommendations for how and when AI can be used. A new national guide seeks to change that. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-national-teachers-guidance-ai-classroom.html Education Tue, 16 Jun 2026 19:00:01 EDT news700842541 University of Mississippi researchers are studying how plants respond to heat at the molecular level, an important consideration for farmers, businesses and policymakers as global temperatures rise. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-reveal-backup-temperatures.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:50:01 EDT news700762201 Over the past several decades, light sources have gradually transitioned to light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, and inorganic LEDs are now used across a wide range of applications. In parallel, organic LEDs, or OLEDs, have become widely used in display technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-molecule-ultranarrow-emission-spectrum.html Nanophysics Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:00:08 EDT news700398901 A dribble and a jump shot, followed by a fractions task. That is what physical education classes looked like for a group of pupils, and the pupils not only found the lessons more engaging than usual—they also became better at mathematics with a basketball in their hands, according to a new study from the University of Copenhagen. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-basketball-mathematics-children-boost-math.html Mathematics Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:40:04 EDT news700308601 Air pollution does not have to exceed federal limits to potentially harm human health, according to a new published study from the University of Mississippi. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-safe-air-pollution-health.html Environment Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:20:02 EDT news699709021 Mechanochemistry is a growing field for chemical reactions that proceed in the solid state in the absence, or with minuscule amounts, of solvent added. For decades, solvents have been considered conventional for the progression of modern chemistry; nonetheless, researchers are increasingly demonstrating that mechanochemistry can synthesize complex molecules more effectively. With more progress, mechanochemistry could alleviate solvent-related environmental and financial burdens in chemical industries. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mechanochemistry-synthesis-molecules.html Biochemistry Fri, 01 May 2026 15:20:01 EDT news696856981 Nanographenes are organic semiconductor materials used in smartphones, OLED displays, and solar cells. At the molecular level, they are composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are a network of connected benzene rings (hexagon-shaped carbon molecules). Chemists can modify the electronic properties of PAHs by adding more benzene rings to them, changing their size and shape. As such, there is high demand for methods that can selectively extend specific sites of PAH molecules to allow greater versatility in technological applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-conquering-frontiers-nanographene-synthetic-methodologies.html Nanomaterials Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:20:01 EDT news696615181 Recent research led by the University of Trento reveals that fundamental atomic vibrations remain unchanged also in ultra-stable glasses. This discovery advances the decade-long debate on the physics of disorder and opens the way to new applications, from electronics to pharmaceuticals. The research work was carried out by the Department of Physics in collaboration with other European research institutions and published in Physical Review X. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-disordered-heart-glass.html Soft Matter Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:00:03 EDT news696612421