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. Nitrate contamination of drinking water poses a major health concern, particularly in agricultural communities where fertilizers, livestock manure and septic systems can leach nitrates into groundwater. Many rural households rely on private water wells, which may not be routinely tested, leading some to consume contaminated water without realizing it. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-methods-nitrates.html Environment Fri, 24 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news704118001 Haonan Chen, a CSU associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and his team have published research that could improve the accuracy of precipitation forecasts up to two weeks in advance. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-driven-method-weeks-advance.html Earth Sciences Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:40:01 EDT news704104695 Birds can inhabit various environments with different climates and temperatures, ranging from cold polar regions to scorching hot deserts. To survive and thrive in these very different environments, they need to effectively regulate their body temperature. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-plumage-framework-insight-birds-evolved.html Plants & Animals Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:40:06 EDT news704021324 Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in classroom practice in Hong Kong, following the Education Bureau's release of the Blueprint for Digital Education Development in Primary and Secondary Schools and its commitment to supporting innovative technology in schools. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-explore-classroom-applications-ai-platforms.html Education Thu, 23 Jul 2026 22:20:02 EDT news704018597 Drug development is among the slowest, most failure-prone processes in modern science, with about 90% of drug candidates never reaching the market. Today, artificial intelligence methods have accelerated the first step—plucking promising molecules out of endless possibilities—but countless challenges remain. A successful drug must be not only safe and effective but also able to bypass the body's defenses and reach the right target. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-drug-discovery-qa.html Biotechnology Thu, 23 Jul 2026 20:00:03 EDT news704030459 For more than 20 years, about 4,000 autonomous profiling floats have been drifting through the ocean. They form part of the international Argo program (Argo—global array of profiling floats). At regular intervals, they descend to a depth of 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) and, as they rise, measure parameters such as temperature, salinity and pressure. Once they reach the sea surface again, they transmit these data via satellite to the Argo network, which is available to researchers worldwide. Hardly any other observation system has transformed ocean research so profoundly in recent decades. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-atlantic-circulation-insights-years.html Earth Sciences Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:20:06 EDT news704030442 In May 2026, OpenAI released a new math result that sent shock waves throughout the world of mathematical research. A major unsolved problem called the "unit distance conjecture" had just been resolved by generative AI. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-golden-age-mathematics-dawning-ai.html Mathematics Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:20:01 EDT news704029562 A startling new study of a little-known, unpublished short story by Alan Turing challenges our understanding of the man who played a key role in cracking the Nazis' Enigma code, developed the theoretical underpinnings of the first computers and laid the groundwork for the development of artificial intelligence. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-alan-turing-gay-short-story.html Social Sciences Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:10:01 EDT news704018582 Researchers at Queen Mary University of London and University of Cambridge in collaboration with colleagues at HHMI Janelia and NIH, have created some of the most detailed three-dimensional maps ever generated of human airway cells, revealing how the specialized cells that protect our lungs are built and organized. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-3d-nanoscale-human-airway-epithelium.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:50:01 EDT news704038861 The world of mathematics handed out its most prestigious awards Thursday at a unique moment for the field, as it faces pressure from AI's potential to outpace human calculation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fields-medal-awarded-young-mathematicians.html Mathematics Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:20:29 EDT news704031607 In recent summers, wildfire smoke has been inescapable across Wisconsin, drifting south from Canada and leading to long stretches of poor air quality. Whether that smoke clears or lingers is often influenced in part by the atmospheric boundary layer—the lowest part of the atmosphere, where airborne particles mix and move. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-wildfire.html Earth Sciences Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:00:03 EDT news704006402 Researchers at Skoltech, together with a colleague from the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working within the joint SIOM–Skoltech laboratory, have determined how to select the thickness and density of a plasma target so that a pulse passing through it retains its attosecond duration and high intensity. The results will help improve the design of plasma-based sources of ultraviolet and X-ray radiation used to study ultrafast processes in matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-plasma-attosecond-electrons.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:00:01 EDT news703946941 In recent years, research using artificial intelligence to predict material properties has advanced rapidly. Neural network quantum Monte Carlo methods have attracted attention as highly accurate simulation techniques. However, their extremely high computational cost has limited their application to small molecular systems. This study introduces a new computational method that overcomes this limitation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-neural-networks-larger-quantum-simulations.html Quantum Physics Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:40:07 EDT news703946701 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 In precision agriculture, where data is used to automate and optimize agricultural tasks for maximum yield, large-scale mapping and digital modeling of the land of interest are essential. This digital backbone enables tasks such as yield estimation, targeted spraying and phenotyping while also providing the foundation for autonomous navigation, perception and robotic operation. However, in modern commercial orchards, with their large scale, high tree density and structured layouts, achieving consistent mapping and accurate 3D modeling remains challenging. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-highly-accurate-orchards.html Biotechnology Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:40:04 EDT news703941301 From microplastics clogging up our oceans to landfills leaching dangerous chemicals, plastic waste is a serious and growing problem for human health and the environment. We need to recycle more and, crucially, recycle better. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-super-enzymes-recycling.html Polymers Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:20:04 EDT news703937221 Many modern technologies, from optical communications and artificial intelligence (AI) hardware to advanced sensors and medical imaging, depend on photonic and semiconductor devices that precisely control the interaction between light and electrons. Designing these devices, however, remains a major challenge because existing simulation tools often require researchers to choose between modeling an entire device or capturing the detailed behavior of electrons. Few can do both within the same model. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-simulation-tool-generation-photonic-quantum.html Quantum Physics Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:40:02 EDT news703923302 As millions of people were coming down from the excitement of the FIFA World Cup final at the start of this week, a different kind of excitement was building within the mathematical community. Levent Alpöge, a mathematician who works at the artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic, casually announced on X ('hello there the jacobian conjecture is false thanx') that he had found a counterexample to the Jacobian conjecture, a very old and well-known problem in a field of mathematics called algebraic geometry. He had done this using Anthropic's large language model Claude Fable 5, released to the general public only a few weeks ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-tiny-social-media-mathematicians-rethinking.html Mathematics Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:40:03 EDT news703918802 A research team consisting of researcher Somi Joo, Professor Changjun Lee and Professor Daeho Lee from the Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) Department of Artificial Intelligence Convergence have published a study comprehensively analyzing the opportunities and risks of using generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in educational settings. The study examines how students have recently used generative AI in education. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-uncovering-multidimensional-effects-generative-ai.html Education Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:40:06 EDT news703857342 Artificial intelligence faces an energy crisis stemming from a physical traffic jam inside modern computer chips. Processors must continually shuffle data, such as the billions of parameters in complex models, between separate computing and memory nodes. This traffic jam, known as the "von Neumann bottleneck," hinders the speed and energy efficiency of advanced processors. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-microscope-illuminates-transistor.html Condensed Matter Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:20:11 EDT news703858561 More than 3.4 million American children, or about 6% of the school-age population, now learn at home, and that group has grown at nearly three times the pre-pandemic rate. Homeschooling is also increasingly popular in countries including Canada and the United Kingdom, as more parents look to customize educational options for their children. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-personalize-homeschooling-families.html Education Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news703853942 Scientists studying space weather are turning to human volunteers rather than artificial intelligence to help sort through hundreds of thousands of images of the Arctic sky. The Clear Skies—Kiruna project is asking members of the public to look at pictures of the sky above Kiruna, Sweden, and say whether it is clear or cloudy. Volunteers need no experience to get involved. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-human-eyes-ai-arctic-sky.html Environment Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:30:01 EDT news703865281 Recent U.S. Supreme Court terms have seen justices openly accuse one another of rewriting statutes, ignoring precedent and substituting policy preferences for law. Whether in disputes over presidential immunity, administrative power, nationwide injunctions or transgender rights, justices have demonstrated that they aren't afraid to challenge one another's reasoning. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-supreme-court-decisions-sharper-justices.html Political science Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:20:11 EDT news703852862 Feeding a growing global population is no longer enough. Scientists say the next generation of crops must also deliver better nutrition while withstanding the increasing impacts of climate change. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-shift-crop-tackle-hunger-malnutrition.html Agriculture Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:20:06 EDT news703850582 Artificial intelligence is being adopted rapidly across industries, workplaces and personal use, with an estimated 1 in 4 Americans using it regularly, but there is a knowledge gap. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-awareness-nebraska-differs-age.html Social Sciences Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:40:06 EDT news703845183 HateLab, led by Professor Matthew Williams of Cardiff University, has shown that spikes in online hate speech can be followed by increases in hate crime offline. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-highlights-esrc-online.html Social Sciences Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:00:18 EDT news703841461 Last fall, students filed into Vilas Hall for the first session of Online Communication and Personal Relationships, a class with the potential to improve their friendships and family relationships. There was even a chance it could help them meet the love of their lives while boosting their mental health and well-being, even though that is not what it's designed to do. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-upside-online-relationships.html Social Sciences Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:40:01 EDT news703841101 Artificial intelligence (AI) models are now used daily by many people worldwide, both for professional and personal purposes. Over the past decades, scientists specialized in various disciplines have also started using these models to conduct research or simplify their experimental practices. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-agent-synchrotron-ray-experimental.html General Physics Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:40:04 EDT news703763124 Anyone who has opened the door of a vacation rental after a long trip, only to find it hasn't been cleaned as promised, knows the burn of betrayal. That traveler is more likely to distrust the proprietor of their next vacation rental, according to new research from Annabelle Roberts, assistant professor of marketing at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-consumers-distrust-outweighs.html Social Sciences Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:00:02 EDT news703830481 From game highlights to cold cases to political pontificating, podcasts provide the stage for public conversations in 2026. But are we learning anything from all that chatter? When it comes to investing and playing the markets, the answer seems to be yes. New research from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business published in the Review of Accounting Studies suggests that people who trade individual stocks, known as retail investors, do better because of the information they glean from financial markets podcasts. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-investing-podcasts-super-popular-people.html Economics & Business Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:00:05 EDT news703772281