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. UNSW Sydney engineers have riffed on the famous Schrödinger's cat analogy to demonstrate a more efficient way to eliminate errors in quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dont-cat-smarter-quantum.html Quantum Physics Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:40:07 EDT news699709561 For more than half a century, materials scientists have struggled with how to simulate the complexity of polymer materials. An individual chain can comprise tens of thousands of atoms, a melt or composite contains billions, and the properties engineers actually care about, such as how an adhesive grips a surface, how a self-assembling block copolymer locks into a nanostructure, or how a biopolymer film stretches without tearing, emerge only over length and time scales that forcible atomistic simulation cannot reach. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-thermodynamic-laws-ai-polymer.html Polymers Tue, 26 May 2026 19:20:07 EDT news699029450 Protein language models are artificial intelligence tools which help engineer proteins with useful properties, including completely new structures never seen before in nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-roadmap-safer-protein-ai.html Biotechnology Mon, 11 May 2026 13:20:06 EDT news697716121 Modern biology is awash in data. Scientists can sequence DNA, track gene activity cell-by-cell, map proteins in space, and image tissues at microscopic resolution. However, it is a struggle to put all that information together to form a cohesive view. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-super-aims-biology-ai.html Biotechnology Tue, 05 May 2026 13:40:06 EDT news697198681 Researchers at the University of Oregon have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can read genetic code the way large language models like ChatGPT read text. Scanning the genome for biological mutation patterns, the computer model traces pairs of genes back in time to their last common ancestor. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dna-ai-reconstructs-ancestry-minutes.html Biotechnology Mon, 04 May 2026 16:20:06 EDT news697124401 Penn Engineers have developed a new way to use AI to solve inverse partial differential equations (PDEs), a particularly challenging class of mathematical problems with broad implications for understanding the natural world. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ai-tackles-math-brutal-problems.html Mathematics Fri, 01 May 2026 11:20:05 EDT news696847922 Imagine that a government builds a five-star airport without any roads leading to it. The terminal is immaculate, the runway is regulation length—but there is simply no way to get there. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-countries-ai-laws.html Political science Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:40:05 EDT news696680701 Chemists and computer scientists tapped AI to find new disinfectants to combat the growing threat of dangerous "superbugs." Their computational-experimental framework for developing quaternary ammonium compounds, or QACs, to kill bacteria yielded 11 new QACs that show activity against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-chemists-disinfectants.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:40:02 EDT news696680281 From wearable technology to industrial heat recovery, thermoelectric generators which convert waste heat into electricity have an enormous range of potential applications. So far, however, designing high-performing versions of these devices has remained a painstaking task. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-slashes-harvesting-devices.html General Physics Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:10:02 EDT news696162360 Simulating how atoms and molecules move over time is a central challenge in computational chemistry and materials science. Classical machine learning approaches to molecular dynamics (MD) encode fundamental physical principles directly into their model architectures, most notably energy conservation and equivariance, the requirement that predicted forces remain consistent regardless of how a molecule is oriented in space. These so-called inductive biases have long been considered essential for reliable, physically meaningful MD models. But are they truly indispensable? https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-molecular-simulations-built-physics.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:50:03 EDT news696094081 In a paper just out in Nature Synthesis, researchers led by Prof. Timothy Noël of the University of Amsterdam's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences presented a breakthrough in autonomous laboratory systems for synthesis optimization. With an estimated cost of a mere $5,000, a versatile, modular design and the option for "human in the loop" analytics, RoboChem Flex caters to all synthesis laboratories, large or small. The paper provides all the information to build their own system. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-robotic-chemistry-built-deployed-lab.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:40:02 EDT news695313269 A pervasive narrative has taken hold in education: generative AI (genAI) is an unstoppable force, and educators must adapt or be left behind. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-pragmatists-language-teachers-nuance.html Education Sat, 11 Apr 2026 18:00:01 EDT news694777855 Materials databases lie at the heart of future data-driven discovery in energy-related fields, say researchers from Tohoku University. In an article published in the journal Precision Chemistry, they have examined how different types of databases, both computational and experimental, work together to support modern artificial intelligence (AI) tools used in materials science. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bridging-ai-experimental-materials-discovery.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 09 Apr 2026 22:40:04 EDT news694965804 Quantum computers of the future may be closer to reality thanks to new research from Caltech and Oratomic, a Caltech-linked start-up company. Theorists and experimentalists teamed up to develop a new approach for reducing the errors that riddle today's rudimentary quantum computers. Whereas these machines were previously thought to require millions of qubits to work properly (qubits being the quantum equivalent to 1's and 0's in classical computers), the new results indicate that a fully realized quantum computer could be built with as few as 10,000 to 20,000 qubits. The need for fewer qubits means that quantum computers could, in theory, be operational by the end of the decade. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-quantum-built-qubits-team.html Quantum Physics Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:20:04 EDT news694260841 Proteins are far more than nutrients we track on a food label. Present in every cell of our bodies, they work like nature's molecular machines. They walk, stretch, bend, and flex to do their jobs, pumping blood, fighting disease, building tissue, and many other jobs too small for the eye to see. Their power doesn't come from shape alone, but from how they move. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-proteins-motion.html Biotechnology Fri, 27 Mar 2026 11:20:04 EDT news693825061 Scientists usually study the molecular machinery that controls gene expression from the perspective of a linear, two-dimensional genome—even though DNA and its bound proteins function in three dimensions (3D). To better understand how key components of this machinery, such as super-enhancers, regulate genes in this 3D reality, scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have developed a new algorithm called BOUQUET. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-3d-super-machine-cell-identity.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:00:08 EDT news692279221 The DNA foundation model Evo 2 has been published in the journal Nature. Trained on the DNA of over 100,000 species across the entire tree of life, Evo 2 can identify patterns in gene sequences across disparate organisms that experimental researchers would need years to uncover. The machine learning model can accurately identify disease-causing mutations in human genes and is capable of designing new genomes that are as long as the genomes of simple bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-evo-ai-genetic-code-domains.html Biotechnology Wed, 04 Mar 2026 11:00:01 EST news691755181 Love is in the air for the vinegar fly. Drosophila melanogaster has long been a model for understanding how brains translate sensory information into courtship behavior. Male flies perform a multitude of romantic actions—orienting, tapping, chasing and singing—directed toward eligible females. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-courtship-complicated-fruit-flies.html Ecology Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:40:04 EST news691067281 A research team at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) has developed technology using advanced machine learning techniques that detects signs of gender violence from paralinguistic characteristics of the voice such as tone, rhythm, and intensity. This innovative method helps to recognize situations of psychological stress or trauma while preserving the privacy of the speakers, which could have major implications for telephone helplines and telemedicine services. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ai-based-technology-gender-violence.html Social Sciences Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:10:29 EST news690721801 Researchers at QuTech in Delft, The Netherlands, have developed a new chip architecture that could make it easier to test and scale up quantum processors based on semiconductor spin qubits. The platform, called QARPET (Qubit-Array Research Platform for Engineering and Testing) and reported in Nature Electronics, allows hundreds of qubits to be characterized within the same test-chip under the same operating conditions used in quantum computing experiments. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-carpet-qubits-chip-architecture.html Condensed Matter Thu, 12 Feb 2026 05:00:10 EST news690023335 The unveiling by IBM of two new quantum supercomputers and Denmark's plans to develop "the world's most powerful commercial quantum computer" mark just two of the latest developments in quantum technology's increasingly rapid transition from experimental breakthroughs to practical applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ways-quantum-technology-everyday-life.html Quantum Physics Tue, 10 Feb 2026 19:00:01 EST news689950419 Hybrid climate modeling has emerged as an effective way to reduce the computational costs associated with cloud-resolving models while retaining their accuracy. The approach retains physics-based models to simulate large-scale atmospheric dynamics, while harnessing deep learning to emulate cloud and convection processes that are too small to be resolved directly. In practice, however, many hybrid AI-physics models are unreliable. When simulations extend over months or years, small errors can accumulate and cause the model to become unstable. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-term-climate-simulations-stable-accurate.html Earth Sciences Sat, 07 Feb 2026 08:00:15 EST news689326501 Cities are increasingly becoming the epicenter of climate-related risks, with research showing that impervious surfaces (e.g., roofs, streets, sidewalks, parking lots) are a major driver of urban climate impacts because they disrupt the natural surface energy balance, increase stormwater runoff, and intensify urban heat island effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-pittsburgh-links-dark-roofs-roads.html Environment Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:15:34 EST news689530501 Over the last several decades, urban planners and municipalities have sought to identify and better manage the socioeconomic dynamics associated with rapid development in established neighborhoods. The term "gentrification" has been lingua franca for generations of urbanites who have seen their communities change and property values, and commensurate taxes, shift in ways that can make it difficult for longtime residents to stay. But identifying its unmanaged creep can be a challenge, particularly in densely populated areas, as its visual hallmarks—such as new facades, mixes in building materials and changes in building heights—present differently in different cities and regions. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-philadelphia-communities-ai-machine-gentrification.html Social Sciences Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:20:06 EST news689519501 A team of scientists from EPFL and Alaska Pacific University has developed an AI program that can recognize individual bears in the wild, despite the substantial changes that occur in their appearance over the summer season. This breakthrough holds significant promise for research, management, and conservation efforts. The study is published in the journal Current Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ai-enables-brown-alaska.html Plants & Animals Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:20:04 EST news688907452 Recent advances in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) have opened new exciting possibilities for the rapid analysis of data, the sourcing of information and the generation of use-specific content. To run AI models, current hardware needs to continuously move data from internal memory components to processors, which is energy-intensive and can increase the time required to tackle specific tasks. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-atom-thin-content-memory-enables.html Nanophysics Mon, 12 Jan 2026 09:50:01 EST news687433062 Machine learning is transforming many scientific fields, including computational materials science. For about two decades, scientists have been using it to make accurate yet inexpensive calculations of interatomic potentials, that are mathematical functions that express the energy of a system of atoms and are an ingredient to simulate and predict the stability and properties of materials. But machine learning by itself is not a magic wand, and many problems remain. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-machine-interatomic-potentials-advanced-materials.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 11 Dec 2025 15:34:12 EST news684689641 A new algorithmic framework that can predict flooding could help save lives and reduce the devastation as climate change drives more intense and unpredictable rainfall. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-disaster-multi-scale-deep-neuro.html Earth Sciences Mon, 01 Dec 2025 21:00:01 EST news683822739 Like other sectors of society, artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how investors, traders and companies make decisions in financial markets. AI models have the ability to analyze massive amounts of data while reading company filings or news headlines almost instantaneously. This is allowing for faster, more automated trading, which is making it difficult for human traders—not utilizing AI—to find an edge in the markets. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ai-outperform-neural-networks-stock.html Economics & Business Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:17:04 EST news682859822 The dream of creating game-changing quantum computers—supermachines that encode information in single atoms rather than conventional bits—has been hampered by the formidable challenge known as quantum error correction. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-physicists-unveil-barrier-generation-supercomputers.html Quantum Physics Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:17:04 EST news682247821