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. Occasionally, the sun unleashes powerful flares and coronal mass ejections, which hurl plasma and energetic particles into space. On the infant Earth, this solar activity drove cascades of atmospheric chemical reactions that may have helped form the building blocks of life. More recently, scientists have discovered that applying plasma to seeds in a controlled way can trigger similar activity, making them faster-growing and more resilient. Researchers at Nagoya University and Kyushu University in Japan have compiled a comprehensive review of this new field—termed "plasma agriculture"—as a potential sustainable solution to address global food shortages. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-plasma-agriculture-super-seeding-conventional.html Plasma Physics Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:20:04 EDT news703329254 Fats and oils are essential to life. They provide energy, support the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, contribute to the structure of cell membranes, and give foods their flavor, texture and mouthfeel. Yet the way fats are produced, processed and consumed is changing. Food manufacturers are under pressure to develop ingredients that are not only safe and stable, but also better aligned with health, sustainability and clean-label expectations. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-diacylglycerols-cleaner-oil-functional-foods.html Biotechnology Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:20:01 EDT news703325866 Canadian companies that disclose their climate-related risks and impacts have a considerable advantage over those that don't when it comes to attracting financing from European institutional investors, according to our recent report for the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Queen's University. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-climate-disclosure-canadian-companies-edge.html Economics & Business Mon, 13 Jul 2026 18:20:02 EDT news703166973 Inside the cell nucleus, genes must be turned on and off with precision to regulate biological processes. The first models of gene regulation were developed in the 1960s, yet modern science continues to uncover new layers of control. A new study involving researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), the Institut Pasteur and Princeton University, published in PNAS, suggests that genes obey an optimal switching principle—random at any given moment, yet precise on average. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-random-flickering-genes-energy-precision.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:00:10 EDT news703149643 Shielding astronauts from the deadly radiation they face is a central challenge for any designer of a deep-space crewed mission. Even relatively low levels of exposure over long periods can lead to everything from central nervous system damage to cancer. But current solutions, such as passive water shells or active superconducting magnets, have their own limitations. To get around those, a new paper, available in preprint on arXiv by Valerio Parisi and a team of researchers from Italy and Germany, looks at the feasibility of using a permanent magnet (and its associated permanent magnetic field) to potentially block some of that radiation without the costs of competing technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-permanent-magnets-astronauts-solar-storms.html Space Exploration Sat, 11 Jul 2026 11:30:01 EDT news702823747 Oil refining is necessary for transforming raw, unusable crude oil into valuable goods like gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and petrochemical feedstocks. However, the usual distillation process is energy-intensive, spurring researchers to find better, more efficient ways of refining oil. A new study published in Science describes a potential solution to this problem in the form of a specialized membrane. So far, these membranes are proving to be a scalable and highly plausible industrial technology, and testing has shown promising results for significantly reducing the energy needs of oil processing. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nextgeneration-membranes-refine-crude-oil.html Materials Science Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:20:02 EDT news702814462 Building material samples from the University of Delaware spent six months mounted outside the International Space Station, where the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit tested their limits. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-lab-moon-lunar-cement-alternative.html Space Exploration Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:00:03 EDT news702724623 As visitors peered at skeletons and preserved animals in a London zoological museum during a UK heat wave, staff focused on a different attraction: a computer screen glowing with red and green temperature indicators. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-uk-museums-sharp-climate.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:10:02 EDT news702702022 Superconductors have long been considered a promising technology for the energy systems of the future. They can conduct electricity without resistance, thus eliminating both conduction losses and waste heat. Up to now, however, superconductors have only been applied in special cases, as in the immensely powerful magnet coils of particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. This is because superconductors must be well cooled, down to extremely low temperatures for some materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-pressure-3d-superconductivity-tantalum-disulfide.html Superconductivity Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:40:03 EDT news702646997 Researchers at the University of Osaka developed a light-driven method for synthesizing Davis reagents that generates the hazardous oxidant mCPBA only on demand and consumes it immediately. Kinetic analysis showed no detectable accumulation of the oxidant, improving process safety. The reaction proceeds at room temperature in non-halogenated solvents and can use sunlight or LEDs, offering a safer, greener and scalable alternative for pharmaceutical-related synthesis. The work is published in the journal Green Chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sunlight-powered-chemistry-hazardous-oxidant.html Materials Science Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:20:04 EDT news702630483 Achieving the blackest of blacks has been one of humanity's enduring challenges. It is a frontier that unites modern nanotechnologists with nature's ancient color palette. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-blackest-black-nature-nanotechnology.html Nanomaterials Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:40:02 EDT news702562621 A new analysis sheds light on the most likely route for the Carthaginian general's famous crossing of the Alps. The study, led by the University of Oxford and iDiv/Friedrich Schiller University Jena, reveals that the Col de la Traversette would have been the least energy-intensive route. The findings have been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-elephant-energetics-hannibal-alpine-route.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:00:16 EDT news702537909 Researchers from UNSW Sydney have built the first artificial protein motor capable of taking controlled, directional steps along a DNA track. The protein, dubbed Tumbleweed, moves by alternating between three "feet" that bind to specific DNA sequences. By changing the surrounding chemical environment, the researchers can control both when the motor steps and the direction it travels. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-synthetic-protein-motor-dna-programmable.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:20:07 EDT news702562593 Researchers in the Texas A&M University J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering have developed a new method for producing graphene oxide, a high-value carbon nanomaterial used in batteries, electronics and advanced manufacturing. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-unexpected-discovery-yields-graphene-oxide.html Nanomaterials Mon, 06 Jul 2026 13:40:07 EDT news702553665 Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in the U.S., an ozone nanobubble system has been used to keep the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool clear. Months before the celebrations, a massive cleanup of the pool had taken place, but despite this, an algae bloom had turned the water bright green. To deal with this, a US$1.7 million (£1.27 million) ozone "nanobubbler" injected microscopic bubbles into the pool. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nanobubbles-lincoln-pool-dying-seas.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 06 Jul 2026 11:40:09 EDT news702550922 In the world of market competition, having the best and brightest package could send company sales into the millions. On the other hand, the amount of colored plastic waste increases, adding to the growing challenge of recycling it. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-plastic-recycling-downgrading.html Polymers Thu, 02 Jul 2026 18:30:04 EDT news702230521 Of the known things in the universe, black holes are among the most extreme. They pack huge amounts of mass densely into a small area, producing gravity that is so strong that even light cannot escape. To describe their properties, physicists have relied on complex equations from Einstein's theory of general relativity and quantum mechanics. But in the early 1970s, Stephen Hawking and other physicists found parallels between the laws of thermodynamics describing ordinary things—like how a stovetop boils a pot of water—and black hole mechanics. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-dynamic-black-holes-obey-hawking.html Astronomy Thu, 02 Jul 2026 13:40:04 EDT news702218369 Published in Nature Climate Change, new research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison finds that reaching net-zero emissions by midcentury would substantially improve public health in the United States. However, climate strategies that heavily depend on carbon dioxide removal are likely to lead to worse pollution, air quality and climate-related premature deaths than scenarios that prioritize direct emissions reductions and rely less on carbon dioxide removal (CDR). https://phys.org/news/2026-07-emissions-carbon-yearly.html Environment Wed, 01 Jul 2026 18:20:04 EDT news702138790 A new analysis supports the previously overlooked "brain lag" hypothesis—the idea that, in some primate lineages, the evolution of larger body size preceded the evolution of larger brain size—while also building on that hypothesis by suggesting that some lineages' brain sizes then continued to grow beyond an expected baseline. Robin Dunbar of the University of Oxford presents these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-primate-brains-evolved-larger-bodies.html Evolution Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:00:09 EDT news702027061 Plants need nitrogen to grow. Many legumes meet this need through a symbiotic relationship: They harbor bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to the plant. Until now, it was largely unclear how a perennial plant regulates this symbiosis without destroying its bacterial partners. An international team led by TU Braunschweig has now described a previously unknown mechanism: The black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) employs a newly discovered family of small proteins that specifically "reprogram" its symbiotic bacteria for nitrogen fixation while keeping them alive. The findings are published in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-black-locust-deploys-peptides-root.html Plants & Animals Tue, 30 Jun 2026 18:00:03 EDT news702042901 A University at Buffalo-led team of researchers has developed a method for producing advanced nanoparticles that could accelerate the discovery of new materials for energy and electronic applications. The study, published in Nature Communications, introduces a one-step process that rapidly combines multiple metals into uniform nanoparticles in milliseconds. This allows researchers to quickly produce and explore a wider range of material combinations than was previously possible. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-onestep-generates-high-entropy-alloy.html Nanomaterials Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:00:08 EDT news702042192 There is growing demand for smart materials that can change their physical properties in response to various external stimuli such as light, heat, pressure, magnetic fields and electric fields. One such physical property is the magnetic state of material complexes, which depends on electronic spin states. Metal atoms in these complexes can change their spin state—between magnetic and nonmagnetic configurations—in response to light, heat or mechanical pressure. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-synthetic-chemical-framework-magnetic-states.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:10:01 EDT news701965141 The recent Israeli–United States war with Iran sent oil prices soaring worldwide, and Canada was no exception. In some regions, gasoline passed $2 per liter. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-oil-price-exposed-cardependent-cities.html Political science Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:20:07 EDT news701952782 Nonlinear optical materials are essential for advanced photonics and laser technologies, but researchers are still searching for ways to optimize organic, carbon-based alternatives. Using computational modeling, scientists demonstrated that adding a lithium atom to the outside of a carbon molecule made of 12 benzene rings creates a material with exceptionally strong optical responses. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lithium-doped-carbon-nanorings-generation.html Nanophysics Sat, 27 Jun 2026 14:30:01 EDT news701439394 Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are tiny carbon-based nanomaterials that have attracted increasing attention as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional heavy-metal quantum dots. They are lightweight, photostable and potentially biocompatible, and their light absorption and emission properties can be tuned. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-atomic-defects-carbon-quantum-dots.html Nanophysics Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:00:01 EDT news701696975 When the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turned green with algae just days after a US$15 million renovation, the U.S. government scrambled for chemicals and expensive technical solutions to fix the iconic landmark. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-pool-pond-green-algae-dont.html Environment Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:20:06 EDT news701674321 Earlier this year, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) completed observations that mapped 47 million galaxies across 11 billion light-years, allowing astronomers to better evaluate the large-scale structure of the visible universe. After studying these data, astronomers Francesco Sylos Labini and Marco Galoppo say the universe may not look the same in all directions. Their results, published in Nature, contradict a fundamental assumption in modern cosmology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-universe-large-scales-desi.html Astronomy Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:50:01 EDT news701609313 Deep inside gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, hydrogen and helium coexist under pressures millions of times greater than Earth's atmosphere. Under those conditions, helium may separate from hydrogen and influence a planet's internal heat flow, structure and magnetic field. Understanding these processes and how these materials behave under extreme conditions is essential to building accurate models of planetary evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-laser-helium-pressures.html General Physics Wed, 24 Jun 2026 19:50:01 EDT news701539261 The Netherlands is a major agricultural exporter. But look beyond euros to land, animal feed, calories and protein, and a different picture emerges. In a study published in Nature Food, researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) conclude that the Dutch contribution to the global food supply through net food exports is far more limited than is often assumed. The study shifts the focus from gross exports to the Netherlands' net contribution to food supply. It looks not only at the products the Netherlands exports, but also at the food, animal feed and agricultural land the country uses through imports from abroad. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-netherlands-world-familiar-view-dutch.html Agriculture Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:20:04 EDT news701517841 Multiferroics are materials that exhibit more than one prominent "ferroic" property, such as ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity. One of their most advantageous features is that they allow engineers to control their magnetic states with electric fields or vice versa, due to an effect known as magnetoelectric coupling. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-interlayer-doping-room-temperature-multiferroics.html Condensed Matter Wed, 24 Jun 2026 08:40:01 EDT news701346383