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. The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of living organisms contains regulatory elements that control when, where and to what extent specific genes are turned on or off. They can be co-opted to create "gene switches" that hold significant potential for understanding gene expression and for therapeutic applications, particularly for the noninvasive treatment or management of genetic disorders. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-molecular-electromagnetic-sensor-enable-remote.html Biotechnology Mon, 17 Aug 2026 19:40:04 EDT news706196881 A current system in the Atlantic Ocean that shapes regional climates and distributes ocean nutrients also serves as a control knob to help regulate temperatures across the planet, new research has found. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-weakening-atlantic-ocean-current-earth.html Earth Sciences Mon, 17 Aug 2026 18:10:01 EDT news706206001 What is heat, and what is useful work if a machine consists only of an atom and light particles? In modern quantum technologies, this kind of question connects thermodynamics with quantum physics. Researchers at the University of Basel, Switzerland, have developed a theoretical approach that can reconcile both theories. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-quantum-links-atom-photon-thermodynamics.html General Physics Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:30:02 EDT news706204501 Climate change presents animals and plants with a fundamental challenge: What can they do when their established habitats become increasingly warm? They can adapt to the changing conditions—or move to areas where the climate remains suitable for them. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-butterflies-higher-ground-redraws-alpine.html Plants & Animals Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:20:01 EDT news706190401 When people think about climate change and animals, they might picture melting sea ice, drought-stricken landscapes or species struggling in the wild. Far less attention is given to the animals living in our care. Yet as heat waves become more frequent, intense and unpredictable, zoos may be facing one of the biggest animal welfare challenges of the coming decades. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-zoos-ready-climate.html Ecology Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:40:05 EDT news706190821 Tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the United States. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported, with nearly half a million people diagnosed each year. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, it is most often spread by bites from blacklegged ticks. Lyme can be treated with antibiotics, but if untreated, infection can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system, and some people can experience persistent symptoms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-year-ecological-lyme-disease.html Ecology Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:00:12 EDT news705920766 The abandoned houses of Old Podampetta on India's east coast tell the story of a small fishing village that no longer exists. Families once woke up to the sound of the sea and made their living by reading the tides and winds. But years of coastal erosion and relentless cyclones eventually made staying impossible. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-climate-entire-communities-relocate-simply.html Environment Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:00:04 EDT news706186562 The artificial intelligence boom is driving unprecedented demand for data centers, raising concerns about their growing energy consumption, water use and carbon footprint. These challenges are making companies look beyond traditional land-based data centers. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-companies-ocean-centers.html Environment Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:00:11 EDT news706188970 It's nearly 170 million years old. It's more than 2.5 times the size of Earth. And it's the first exoplanet discovered and cataloged by researchers with the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research (WiCOR). https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mega-earth-gj-523b-massive.html Astronomy Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:40:04 EDT news706181881 By the early 1990s, there were only around 20 Florida panthers left on the planet. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-poor-genetic-health-threatens-species.html Plants & Animals Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:20:02 EDT news706167542 People rarely give much thought to the trees around them—until there aren't any. Not when they're driving past them. Not when they're scrolling on a park bench. But on a sweltering Miami afternoon, when the sidewalk feels like a frying pan and the air itself seems to radiate heat, stepping beneath a tree can feel like walking into a different climate. A cooler, more welcoming climate. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-miami-largest-tree-canopies-cooling.html Environment Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:40:04 EDT news706166822 Clean-up efforts were underway Sunday as Hurricane Lala, which was downgraded to a tropical storm, rolled past Hawaii's Big Island and dumped heavy rain across the U.S. Pacific state. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hawaii-recovery-efforts-lala-downgraded.html Environment Mon, 17 Aug 2026 03:28:35 EDT news706156078 You may have heard the phrase "we are made of star-stuff." This statement by the astronomer Carl Sagan refers to the fact that elements heavier than hydrogen and helium were forged in the centers of the first stars. But how does this star-stuff evolve into the chemistry of rocks, plants and people? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-radio-telescopes-scientists-molecules-space.html Astronomy Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:40:01 EDT news705925133 Hurricane Lala was pulling away from Hawaii's Big Island early Sunday as heavy rain and strong winds struck the U.S. Pacific state and officials warned of potentially dangerous flooding. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hurricane-lala-hawaii-big-island.html Environment Sun, 16 Aug 2026 15:40:01 EDT news706112193 Water-bombing aircraft and farmers' tractors joined forces Sunday to help firefighters tame Belgium's largest modern-day wildfire, which has scorched vast swaths of a hard-to-reach nature reserve near the German border. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-belgium-huge-wildfire-germany.html Environment Sun, 16 Aug 2026 15:20:02 EDT news706112153 Firefighters battled for a second day Sunday to contain a forest fire on the Greek Aegean island of Skyros, as the local mayor voiced hope it could soon be brought under control. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-firefighters-day-blaze-greek-island.html Environment Sun, 16 Aug 2026 11:10:01 EDT news706096788 A new paper published in Physical Review Letters reveals that a leading dark matter candidate—the hypothetical "dark photon"—would not have heated the early universe as previously thought. The finding opens a vast region for experimental searches and could change the hunt for dark matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-early-universe-plasma-dark-photons.html Astronomy Sat, 15 Aug 2026 12:40:01 EDT news705910291 Neptune's moon and ring system stand out among the giant planets because of the strange imbalance between its one very large moon and its many tiny moons. Its largest moon, Triton, makes up more than 99% of the mass of all satellites orbiting the planet while orbiting retrograde compared with Neptune's rotation. The predominant theory is that Triton is a captured Kuiper Belt object that caused a major disruption in Neptune's early moon system. Now, a new study published in Science Advances provides spectroscopic evidence to support this theory. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-neptune-tiny-moons-story-triton.html Planetary Sciences Sat, 15 Aug 2026 11:20:01 EDT news704628891 A strengthening tropical storm named Lala is set to hit Hawaii's Big Island with hurricane-force gales on Saturday, bringing dangerous winds, rainfall and heavy surf. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hurricane-poised-hawaii-el-nio.html Environment Sat, 15 Aug 2026 06:20:01 EDT news705983322 The UK has experienced several heat waves this summer—heat stress among workers is one of the biggest causes of weather-related sick leave. Very high temperatures can cause symptoms like heat rash and cramps, or even exhaustion and heatstroke. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-extreme-weather-difficult-people.html Environment Sat, 15 Aug 2026 06:00:04 EDT news705842371 On the banks of the Waal, the Dutch branch of the Rhine, swimmers are sunning themselves on a Nijmegen beach that didn't exist before the river level dropped a few months ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-historic-drought-dutch-rethink.html Environment Sat, 15 Aug 2026 04:00:01 EDT news705983288 Why do disagreements about vaccines, climate change or elections often feel so personal? Our research suggests it is not simply because other people have different beliefs. It is because we think those beliefs are mistaken. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-false-furious-bothered-beliefs-wrong.html Political science Fri, 14 Aug 2026 20:20:02 EDT news705830906 As summer temperatures soar across the United States and Europe, cities are being forced to confront the difficult reality that they're getting dangerously hot. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-green-roofs-cool-cities-summer.html Environment Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:40:01 EDT news705756601 Firefighters raced to save a 1,000-year-old monastery in northeastern Spain on Friday as a growing wildfire prompted the hasty removal of the bones of medieval monarchs buried there. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bones-medieval-kings-spanish-wildfire.html Environment Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:20:04 EDT news705928687 Chalk streams are among the world's rarest river habitats. Fewer than 300 exist globally, and most are found in England. They support rich wildlife and have been described as England's 'Great Barrier Reef' due to their biodiversity. But they face pressure from climate change and other long-term impacts including pollution and water abstraction. Professor Rachel Stubbington of Nottingham Trent University's School of Science and Technology explains what makes chalk streams unique, why they are important and what can be done to protect them. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-qa-chalk-streams-rare-rivers.html Ecology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:20:06 EDT news705935102 According to a new study led by researchers from Brazil and Germany, the main system that transports heat from one end of the Atlantic Ocean to the other may undergo sudden changes in intensity driven by climate change similar to what we are experiencing now, even when it is already weakened. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-sediments-brazil-northeast-coast-reveal.html Earth Sciences Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:00:04 EDT news705931022 When it comes to compounding natural hazards like landslides, wildfires, flooding and extreme heat, where you live makes all the difference. New research from Portland State University underscores this disproportionate reality, finding that in Portland, the areas most vulnerable to multiple climate hazards are historically underinvested neighborhoods marked by lower median incomes, lower levels of education and greater racial diversity. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hazards-converge-east-portland-underinvestment.html Earth Sciences Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:20:06 EDT news705924916 Three factors—spectacular images, a high death toll and strong personal ties—make it more likely that the media in one country will report on a natural disaster in another, according to a study by the University of Bonn, the University of Warwick and Imperial College London, which has been published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-climate-driven-droughts-rarely-international.html Environment Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:20:01 EDT news705921028 The Huashan rock art landscape in southern China, close to the border with Vietnam, is a remarkable UNESCO World Heritage site. Thousands of images are painted on river cliffs across more than 80 locations stretching 260 kilometers (162 miles). They depict people, musical instruments, boats, animals, weapons and many other figures, and date back at least 2,000 years. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-human-blood-ancient-chinese-art.html Archaeology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news705842919 Fields, parks and lawns across Europe have turned to straw this summer. Landscapes thousands of years old have been revealed as green outlines against yellow backgrounds, where ancient underground walls and ditches retain enough water to sustain pockets of grass above them. Lawns and parklands have been especially affected because what water is available is being directed to homes and farms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-britain-grass-yellow-scientist.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 20:40:01 EDT news705765107