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. Temperatures have warmed dramatically across the equatorial Pacific Ocean in 2026, signaling the onset of a strong and potentially historic El Niño. These events can affect weather around the world, and the intensity of recent El Niño events is raising alarm that, as global temperatures rise, they are becoming stronger and more destructive. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-galpagos-corals-el-nio-events.html Environment Fri, 28 Aug 2026 18:20:01 EDT news707126515 Have you ever wondered what your Melbourne suburb looked like before all the streets and houses? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-weve-reconstructed-melbourne-year-forests.html Environment Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:20:05 EDT news707119262 Fungal contamination in stored grain across sub-Saharan Africa causes major post-harvest losses and severe public health risks, costing billions of dollars annually, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). High humidity, warm temperatures and inadequate storage facilities can drive mold proliferation and toxin production in staple crops such as corn and sorghum. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mixture-traditional-edible-inhibits-fungus.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 27 Aug 2026 17:40:04 EDT news707069401 In dark skies at night, distant starlight twinkles and speaks to vast cosmic histories almost as old as time itself. New data from instruments such as NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are helping astrophysicists probe deep cosmic mysteries, including the evolution of black holes and galaxies. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-astrid-billion-years-black-hole.html Astronomy Thu, 27 Aug 2026 17:10:01 EDT news707067781 As extreme heat becomes more frequent and intense across California, knowing which communities are struggling and what kind of help they need is increasingly important for protecting public health. A new UC Irvine study suggests that part of the answer may be hiding in everyday conversations on social media. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-social-media-reveal-communities-cope.html Environment Thu, 27 Aug 2026 16:20:05 EDT news707065381 More than 150 people are dead and hundreds more are missing after an enormous wave of water, ice, mud and rock cascaded more than 170 kilometers (106 miles) down the Bhote Koshi River valley in Nepal. The valley is the main link between Kathmandu in Nepal and Lhasa in Tibet. At least 34 Australians are missing. There was little warning. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tsunami-dirt-nepal-deadly-glacial.html Earth Sciences Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:20:05 EDT news707054162 A new manufacturing method could help move the production of nanoscale sensors from specialized fabrication facilities to conventional semiconductor manufacturing plants.Publishing in Science Advances, researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology liken their technique to uprooting a tree stump with a rope. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-uprooting-tree-stumps-nanoscale-anchors.html Nanomaterials Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:40:03 EDT news707049181 Using a new combination of computational tools to analyze ancient DNA, Yale researchers have discovered two ancient, extinct giant tortoise lineages that once lived on the Galapagos Islands. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-degraded-dna-reveals-extinct-galapagos.html Evolution Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:40:03 EDT news707039701 A huge piece of ice that fell thousands of meters from a glacier into a river below may have unleashed the disaster in Nepal and Tibet that killed at least 180 people. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-experts-nepal-deadly.html Environment Thu, 27 Aug 2026 05:40:01 EDT news707023180 What does a clean room smell like? Many people say citrus, pine, or flowers because these fragrances are common in cleaning products. A research team led by Brandon Boor found that scent compounds in cleaning products—conventional and botanical essential oil-based—quickly react in the air, forming nanoparticles that can travel deep into the lungs if inhaled. To reduce exposure to this invisible pollution, the team suggests using unscented products, running exhaust fans, and avoiding ozone-generating devices while cleaning. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scented-cleaners-nanoparticles-deep-lungs.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 27 Aug 2026 05:00:03 EDT news706883273 Imagine a plume of brown sediment washed off the land into Queensland rivers and carried out to sea. Here, it can settle on seagrass and inshore corals, potentially smothering them. River water often also carries nitrogen from fertilizer residue, which can fuel algal growth and damage coral health. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-news-great-barrier-reef-quality.html Environment Wed, 26 Aug 2026 22:20:01 EDT news706953835 Imagine the Western Plains of North America, from Texas to Alaska, submerged under a broad, shallow seaway. To the west lay the ancestral Rocky Mountains. To the east were low-lying plains traversed by large, sluggish rivers. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rare-dinosaur-tracks-coniacian-age.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:00:05 EDT news706968249 As climate change makes extreme weather more frequent and intense, floods, heat waves, droughts, wildfires and storms are increasingly disrupting roads, railways, airports and waterways. Roads have been closed in Germany during this summer's heat waves, for example, while travel has been chaotic on railways in the UK. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-climate-affects-modes-roads-railways.html Environment Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:20:01 EDT news706957982 Can DNA traces in just two liters (0.5 gallons) of water reveal how a river's biodiversity changes over the course of a year? A study by the University of Duisburg-Essen using the River Lippe as an example shows how biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems can be monitored comprehensively, efficiently and at comparatively low cost. The results have now been published in the journal Ecological Indicators. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genetic-reveal-river-residents-species.html Ecology Wed, 26 Aug 2026 14:40:03 EDT news706955997 UBC researchers and municipal partners have developed a modeling tool to help cities adapt to rising temperatures by mapping where new trees offer the greatest cooling impact. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-canopyfit-urban-tree-sites-greatest.html Environment Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:00:07 EDT news706953737 Scientists have directly observed a fleeting chemical reaction that creates a key ingredient in urban smog. The research offers insight into the earliest stages of pollution formation and could help improve air quality forecasting models. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-years-elusive-molecules-reveal-ozone.html Environment Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:20:09 EDT news706953431 A new study that combines paleoclimate data and climate models suggests that large volcanic eruptions can disrupt the relationship between atmospheric circulation patterns over the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans. In addition, human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are now driving an unprecedented breakdown in interbasin coupling, according to researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). https://phys.org/news/2026-08-volcanic-eruptions-climate-disrupt-link.html Earth Sciences Wed, 26 Aug 2026 05:00:02 EDT news706872181 With the invasive emerald ash borer beetle decimating black ash across North America, according to the U.S. Forest Service, a team led by researchers at Penn State conducted an expansive study of genetic diversity in black ash seeds collected across the tree's geographic range and stored in seed banks. The research was done with an eye toward someday reintroducing the ecologically and culturally important tree to U.S. and Canadian forests. As part of the research, the team established three large common gardens—experimental plantings—of black ash that someday may play a role in producing seeds needed to bring the species back. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-noah-ark-trees-endangered-black.html Plants & Animals Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:40:01 EDT news706888501 Tall trees are generally associated with high-biomass forests. This is particularly true for forests dominated by Sequoia sempervirens (hereafter redwood), the world's tallest tree species. Extreme decay resistance, the ability to survive high-severity fires, shade tolerance and prolific trunk reiteration (resprouting) make the species unique, allowing tall redwood forests to accumulate more biomass and store more aboveground carbon than any other vegetation type. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hydroclimate-whiplash-california-tallest-redwoods.html Plants & Animals Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:20:01 EDT news706879229 Forests support much of the world's biodiversity and play a vital role in regulating Earth's climate, but they are increasingly exposed to drought. To understand the potential consequences of drought, a key question is whether trees can acclimate to prolonged water stress by altering their physiology. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-forty-forest-drought-reveal-trees.html Environment Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:00:03 EDT news706876441 Wildfire smoke is usually discussed as an airborne pollutant and a threat to human health. But when smoke and rain coincide, nutrients released by burned landscapes rain back down. A new study finds that smoke-rain events can deliver large bursts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium—three nutrients essential to life—across ecosystems in the United States. As wildfires become more frequent, these nutrient pulses could become an increasingly important and largely overlooked ecological consequence of fire. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-wildfires-dont-pollute-air-fertilizer.html Environment Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:20:07 EDT news706879502 University of Oregon biologists have resurrected prehistoric proteins up to 160 million years old that carry natural antimicrobial properties. The revived molecules could inspire the design of new treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections, a pressing global health issue. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-resurrect-ancient-proteins-antibiotic.html Biotechnology Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:00:07 EDT news706801801 A tornado of rare intensity devastated a village in southern France, causing widespread destruction and leaving residents in shock Tuesday, with the mayor describing the aftermath as resembling "wartime." https://phys.org/news/2026-08-wartime-situation-tornado-ravages-french.html Environment Tue, 25 Aug 2026 13:10:01 EDT news706880639 With no tall trees reaching to the sky, Alaska's North Slope tundra can look desolate—especially to outsiders from the Lower 48 who are used to in-your-face greenery. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-lush-knee-high-jungle-arctic.html Environment Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:43:19 EDT news706880571 Roses are known for their thorns, the sharp structures that can sting and prickle the skin. Thorns, botanically known as prickles, are thought to discourage animals from feeding on plants and may also help climbing roses grip other vegetation. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hidden-physics-rose-thorns.html Evolution Tue, 25 Aug 2026 10:00:07 EDT news706868441 Urban parks and public spaces need more shrubs and small trees to improve community well-being and support wildlife, University of Queensland researchers say. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-cities-people-nature.html Environment Tue, 25 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news706793162 Summer in Europe is normally cause for celebration. Not this one, however, which will rank as one of the hottest on record. Wildfires have broken out everywhere from France to Greece, while intense drought has turned the grass in London's famous Hyde Park brown. This week, much of Europe is sweltering through yet another heat wave. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nightlife-life-night-cities-stay.html Environment Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:40:07 EDT news706861682 At Hampton Court Palace, head gardener Graham Dillamore strode across the burned beige grass in the spectacular formal gardens southwest of London, laid out in the 17th century. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-trees-climate-historic-english-gardens.html Environment Tue, 25 Aug 2026 04:31:04 EDT news706851045 When I first arrived in Peru's Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve in 2005, a local youth surprised me with an offer to sell me a live owl, despite the fact that we were in a protected area where commercial hunting was prohibited. We set the owl free together, but this turned out to be an early lesson about the vulnerability of tropical protected areas to exploitation, even when laws and policies had been put in place to protect them. At that time, Allpahuayo-Mishana was a newly designated protected area with no paid staff except for its director, who was stationed in the nearby city of Iquitos. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bird-eye-view-illegal-consequences.html Plants & Animals Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:40:06 EDT news706783338 Green and blue spaces, such as woodlands and riversides, could provide a vital line of defense for cities facing increasingly hot summers, according to new research from the University of Surrey. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-woodlands-natural-spaces-cities-cope.html Environment Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:00:08 EDT news706802881