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. In a major advance, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have devised a method to grow high-quality 2D magnetic materials (2D-MMs) over centimeter-scale wafers. Earlier approaches in the field were limited to growing micrometer-sized flakes. This advance paves the way for their integration into next-generation electronics and spintronics materials used in hard drives and sensors. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-wafer-scale-2d-magnetic-emerge.html Nanomaterials Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:00:09 EDT news695573455 A paper published in the journal Science Advances is adding to the growing body of research showing that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is weakening. In this new study, instead of relying mainly on computer models, scientists used two decades of direct ocean measurements to confirm the decline. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-atlantic-current-decade-decline-deep.html Earth Sciences Sun, 19 Apr 2026 10:20:01 EDT news695645865 The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has successfully completed the largest high-resolution 3D map of the universe ever made, a major milestone in understanding the force driving cosmic expansion. The milestone was reached when DESI's 5,000 fiber-optic sensors captured their final scheduled observations, targeting a region of sky near the Little Dipper. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-desi-3d-universe-exploring.html Astronomy Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:00:02 EDT news695563761 Engineers love a good practical challenge, especially when it comes to spaceflight. But there's one particular challenge facing the crewed missions of the near future that scares mission planners above almost all others—fire. For decades, we've relied on a NASA test known as NASA-STD-6001B to screen material flammability for flight. But space is much more complicated than an Earth-bound test provides for. A new paper from researchers at NASA's Glenn Research Center and Johnson Space Center and Case Western Reserve University details a planned mission to test the flammability of materials on the moon's surface—where they expect flame to act much differently than it does here on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-moon-prone.html Space Exploration Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:30:01 EDT news695565411 This week in science news: Researchers are calling to exploit sewage waste and manure to break U.S. synthetic fertilizer dependence. Wasps have begun disrupting the 10-million-year mutualism of ants and plants. And scientists have taken a step toward using CRISPR to silence the extra chromosome in Down syndrome. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-saturday-citations-neuroinflammaging-treatment-stuns.html Other Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:10:01 EDT news695642585 Thawing permafrost buried underneath rivers may be accelerating permafrost degradation faster than previously estimated in these inundated regions, according to new research shared at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-rivers-hidden-permafrost-meltdown-faster.html Environment Sat, 18 Apr 2026 06:39:02 EDT news695713087 Placed within a borehole drilled deep through the layers of a landslide, a fiber optic cable captured tiny, periodic stick-slip events that offer a unique glimpse at the complex movements within the landslide's shear zone. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-taiwan-landslide-hidden-motion-focus.html Earth Sciences Sat, 18 Apr 2026 06:25:17 EDT news695712252 Urban parks are often seen as natural refuges from summer heat, but new Concordia research shows that, depending on the time of day, the way trees are arranged within parks can influence whether those spaces cool people down or trap heat. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-affects-cooling-differently-day-night.html Environment Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:40:02 EDT news695625355 Bacterial sensors usually rely on emitting light to transfer information about what they're sensing, but that method isn't practical in many settings. That's why most information transmission is done via electricity. And while electricity-emitting bacteria exist, manipulating them into useful sensors has been quite challenging. Rice University professor Caroline Ajo-Franklin's group, working in collaboration with researchers from Tufts University and Baylor College of Medicine, recently developed a flexible bioelectrical sensor system called electroactive co-culture sensing system (e-COSENS). The study is published in Nature Biotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bacteria-chemical-electricity-options.html Biotechnology Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:40:01 EDT news695650681 If there is a magnitude 8 or 9 megathrust earthquake off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, data from ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) could improve earthquake detection times calculated by the ShakeAlert system. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ocean-bottom-seismometers-earthquake-pacific.html Earth Sciences Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:00:01 EDT news695645161 Scientists have directly observed muonic molecules in resonance states for the first time, using a high-resolution X-ray detector, a new Science Advances study reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-muonic-molecules-critical-muon-catalyzed.html Plasma Physics Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:40:02 EDT news695643962 Originally deployed to record re-entry signals of the OSIRIS-REx return capsule, a T-shaped fiber optic cable draped across the ground at a Nevada airfield also captured unique aspects of a Cessna 172's speed and maneuvering. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-surface-draped-fiber-captured-plane.html Earth Sciences Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:20:02 EDT news695619661 Researchers from the University of Seville (US) and the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) have demonstrated that it is possible to grow tomatoes and generate solar energy simultaneously, a key strategy for tackling global water scarcity. The study, carried out in Madrid and Seville during the spring of 2024, evaluated the use of agrovoltaic systems and regulated deficit irrigation to optimize water resources in tomato cultivation. The results show that, although using less water reduces the volume of the harvest, the overall outcome is a more efficient and sustainable process. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-agrovoltaic-generating-energy-tomato-cultivation.html Biotechnology Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:20:02 EDT news695577422 Also known as magnetoelectronics, spintronics rely on electron spin rather than electron charge, as found in traditional electronics. Although spintronics is still an emerging field, spintronic technologies are already found in hard disk drives and giant magnetoresistance sensors used in industrial and automotive applications. Once the right foundational materials are discovered and verified, including economical materials for altermagnets, spintronics could advance technologies from wireless communication to quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-altermagnetism-abundant-mineral.html Condensed Matter Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:50:01 EDT news695574901 Magnetic rocks with iron oxide concentrations act as natural chroniclers of Earth's past continental movements. Using small samples of rocks, scientists can isolate magnetic grains that were frozen in orientation as the rock solidified. The magnetization of these grains acts as a miniature compass needle, pointing toward ancient magnetic poles. This same principle applies to extraterrestrial samples, such as meteorites and lunar rocks, which preserve evidence of the early solar nebula's evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-stone-compass-needles.html Earth Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:20:03 EDT news695562781 Plants are often seen as passive organisms, rooted in one place and largely unable to react to the world around them. But a new field of research is challenging these assumptions and showing that plants are as sophisticated as animals in detecting and adjusting to environmental signals. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-secret-sensory-life.html Plants & Animals Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:00:01 EDT news695558103 A new study reveals that some of the ocean's most powerful predators are running hotter, and that they are likely paying an increasingly steep price for it. The significance of this headline finding is the "double jeopardy" in which it places these iconic animals, which have high fuel demands due to their lifestyle and physiology, as they now face a future of warming oceans and declining food resources. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bodied-sharks-tunas-jeopardy-seas.html Plants & Animals Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:04 EDT news695547961 From the ability to detect the smell of wet soil to the scent of ripe fruit, the human olfactory system has evolved over thousands of years in response to how people live and what they eat, according to a new genetic study of Indigenous populations in Malaysia. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-human-evolved-diets-lifestyle-genetic.html Evolution Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:00:09 EDT news695473502 A new study by University of Hawai'i at Mānoa researchers revealed that Waikīkī is facing a fundamental shift in flood hazards as sea levels rise—transitioning from a flooding that is driven primarily by rainfall to events increasingly dominated by tidal processes. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-waikk-escalating-threat-sewage-contaminated.html Earth Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:40:01 EDT news695549821 Using self-developed drones and advanced sensors, researchers can now see both under the snow and into the ground. The scientists' goal is to reduce societal risk and environmental encroachment. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-drone-reveals-beneath-soil.html Earth Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:20:02 EDT news695478417 Researchers have developed a rapid color-changing test that can distinguish between different strains of golden staph, including those likely to be virulent and antibiotic resistant. Golden staph is a major human pathogen and is a leading cause of infection-related deaths globally, with more than a million fatalities each year. The research paper is published in the journal Small. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dangerous-staph-strains-fast.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:20:09 EDT news695481241 For the last five years, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has been systematically scanning the night sky. Today marks the completion of its first map, which is the largest high-resolution 3D map of the universe ever made. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-3d-million-galaxies-redefining-view.html Astronomy Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:40:01 EDT news695476628 A special class of sensors leverages quantum properties to measure tiny signals at levels that would be impossible using classical sensors alone. Such quantum sensors are currently being used to study the inner workings of cells and the outer depths of our universe. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-multitasking-quantum-sensors-properties.html Quantum Physics Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:40:01 EDT news695461141 An international team led by researchers at QUT has used artificial intelligence to create tiny "smart" proteins that switch on only when they detect a chosen target. Published in Nature Biotechnology, the research opens the way to a new generation of low-cost biosensors for medicine, environmental monitoring and biotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-ai-generated-proteins-smart.html Biotechnology Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:00:02 EDT news695395801 Research on graphene has made great strides in recent years. However, to fully harness its potential in applications such as desalination membranes, sensors, and energy storage and conversion, a deeper understanding of the interaction between graphene and water is required. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-graphene-mirror-droplets-dont.html Nanomaterials Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news695396701 How can magma buried 5, 10, or even 15 km underground be detected without any surface indicators? The answer lies in ambient noise tomography, a technique that analyzes natural ground vibrations with high precision. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (CNR-IGG), and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) has identified a vast reservoir containing approximately 6,000 km3 of magma beneath Tuscany. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-super-magma-reservoirs-beneath-tuscany.html Earth Sciences Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:40:03 EDT news695377589 What do bats do at night when they're not hunting? Using tiny GPS trackers, Leiden researchers discovered that pond bats spend a substantial portion of the night resting—often outdoors. This surprising insight could change the way we protect them. "To rest or to roam: Functional habitat use of an insectivorous bat species during active and resting behavior" is published in Biological Conservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tracking-secret-life-pond.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:20:04 EDT news695374561 An unusually mild winter followed by a wet spring made last year one of the worst in a decade for Pennsylvania soybean growers. It wasn't the soybeans that were the problem; it was the slugs. The pests survived the warm winter to lay a second round of eggs, and twice as many slugs hatched in the spring of 2024 as the year before. The slugs ate so many seedlings that some growers had to replant three times. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-unpredictable-resilient-crops-world.html Agriculture Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:40:03 EDT news695293131 Scientists at the VIB–VUB Center for Structural Biology have uncovered a counterintuitive principle that could reshape how membrane proteins are designed from scratch: Sometimes, making a protein less stable helps it fold correctly. In their study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers demonstrate that introducing carefully placed "imperfections," a strategy known as negative design, enables synthetic membrane proteins to fold and assemble efficiently in artificial membranes. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-membrane-proteins-embracing-imperfection.html Biotechnology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news695312581 An electrochemical sensor developed at Oregon State University holds promise for making food quality testing faster, more accurate, more environmentally friendly, and less expensive. The novel sensor, which also has potential applications in health care and environmental monitoring, is based on the design principle of engineered interfacial chemistry. The sensor requires tiny sample amounts, can be built into portable testing devices, and is fast and highly sensitive. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-oxide-based-sensor-door-greener.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news695317741