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. New forms of fentanyl are created every day. For law enforcement, that poses a challenge: How do you identify a chemical you've never seen before? Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) aim to answer that question with a machine learning model that can distinguish opioids from other chemicals with an accuracy over 95% in a laboratory setting. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-fentanyl-phony-machine-algorithm-opioid.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:30:02 EST news689872862 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based method to dramatically tame the flood of data generated by particle detectors at modern accelerators. The new custom-built algorithm uses a neural network to intelligently compress collision data, adapting automatically to the density or "sparsity" of the signals it receives. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ai-deluge-particle-collisions.html General Physics Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:40:02 EST news689264530 New cutting-edge research, led by Academy Professor Otso Ovaskainen of the University of Jyväskylä and David Dunson at Duke University, combines citizen bird observations with artificial intelligence and the computing power of supercomputers at CSC—IT Center for Science. The international and multidisciplinary research team has developed the world's most accurate prediction model, capable of anticipating even small shifts in bird occurrence almost in real time. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-finnish-birdwatchers-app-fuel-world.html Ecology Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:10:01 EST news688752146 Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a suite of algorithms to automate the counting of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in chromosomes under the microscope. Conventional analysis requires trained personnel and time, with variability between different people. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-eye-automated-chromosome-issues-microscope.html Biotechnology Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:35:18 EST news687440101 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and KTH have developed a computational method that can reveal how cells change and specialize in the body. The study, which has been published in the journal PNAS, can provide important knowledge about why this process sometimes goes wrong and leads to disease. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-algorithm-reconstructs-cells-specialize-snapshots.html Cell & Microbiology Sun, 14 Dec 2025 14:00:04 EST news684755570 There are already tens of thousands of pieces of large debris in orbit, some of which pose a threat to functional satellites. Various agencies and organizations have been developing novel solutions to this problem, before it turns into full-blown Kessler Syndrome. But many of them are reliant on understanding what is going on with the debris before attempting to deal with it. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-fingerprints-dead-satellites.html Space Exploration Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:07:13 EST news684691621 Surprisingly, some of the universe's brightest objects are black holes. As scorching gas and dust flow around and into a black hole, they glow with fierce intensity across the light spectrum. Now, a team of computational astrophysicists has developed the most comprehensive simulations ever made of how black holes create these dazzling light shows. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-simulations-reveal-black-holes-generate.html Astronomy Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:59:42 EST news683985541 The same personalized algorithms that deliver online content based on your previous choices on social media sites like YouTube also impair learning, a new study suggests. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-personalized-algorithms-distorted-view-reality.html Social Sciences Tue, 25 Nov 2025 09:16:03 EST news683284561 A vast region of our solar system, called the Kuiper belt, stretches from the orbit of Neptune out to 50 or so astronomical units (AU), where an AU is the distance between Earth and the sun. This region consists mostly of icy objects and small rocky bodies, like Pluto. Scientists believe Kuiper belt objects (KPOs) are remnants left over from the formation of the solar system. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-potentially-distinct-kuiper-belt-clustering.html Astronomy Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:00:05 EST news682951980 Satellite mega-constellations are quickly becoming the backbone of a number of industries. Cellular communication, GPS, weather monitoring and more are now, at least in part, reliant on the networks of thousands of satellites cruising by in low Earth orbit. But, as these constellations grow into the tens of thousands of individual members, the strain they are putting on the communications and controls systems of their ground stations is becoming untenable. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-mega-constellations.html Space Exploration Fri, 21 Nov 2025 12:59:07 EST news682952343 Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have achieved a breakthrough in quantum noise characterization in quantum systems—a key step toward reliably managing errors in quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-symmetry-quantum-noise-analysis-paving.html Condensed Matter Fri, 21 Nov 2025 12:30:04 EST news682950601 On Nov. 7, 2017, the American social-media platform Reddit shut down r/Incels, an online forum with more than 40,000 members. This was in line with a new policy the company brought in, banning content that incites violence. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-incel-misogyny-reddit.html Social Sciences Wed, 12 Nov 2025 09:41:04 EST news682162861 A research team at the Jülich Supercomputing Center, together with experts from NVIDIA, has set a new record in quantum simulation: for the first time, a universal quantum computer with 50 qubits has been fully simulated—a feat achieved on Europe's first exascale supercomputer, JUPITER, inaugurated at Forschungszentrum Jülich in September. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-full-simulation-qubit-universal-quantum.html Quantum Physics Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:33:04 EST news682093982 Some of the models used to forecast everything from financial trends to animal populations in an ecosystem are incorrect, according to an Idaho State University statistician. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-behavior-popular-software-tools-faulty.html Mathematics Thu, 06 Nov 2025 14:20:56 EST news681661253 A recent study from Oregon State University estimated that more than 3,500 animal species are at risk of extinction because of factors including habitat alterations, natural resources being overexploited, and climate change. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ai-vulnerable-ecosystems.html Ecology Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:55:49 EST news681468940 Algorithms that threaten worker dignity, autonomy and discretion are quietly reshaping how people are managed at work, warns new research from the University of Surrey. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ai-empowers-oppresses-workers-human.html Economics & Business Wed, 29 Oct 2025 09:21:03 EDT news680948462 Researchers from the University of South Florida have used artificial intelligence and citizen science to identify what may be the first specimen of Anopheles stephensi—an invasive and deadly malaria-carrying mosquito—ever detected in Madagascar. The study, led by USF scientists Ryan Carney and Sriram Chellappan, demonstrates how AI-powered image recognition and public participation can transform global disease surveillance. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ai-citizen-science-reveal-potential.html Ecology Tue, 28 Oct 2025 09:00:06 EDT news680772961 When it rains, streams rise. When it stops, they fall. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-tool-hydrology.html Education Thu, 23 Oct 2025 13:16:37 EDT news680444190 Above Missouri's wetlands, a drone quietly hums above flocks of migratory water birds, its camera capturing the ripples of movement below. With this technology, University of Missouri researchers are redefining how wildlife is studied and protected. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-drones-ai-ducks-future-wildlife.html Ecology Wed, 22 Oct 2025 16:07:03 EDT news680368021 Algorithms that identify influential people in social networks can help maximize the reach of messages, but a modeling study published in PNAS Nexus shows that those same algorithms can disseminate information inequitably, potentially exacerbating existing social inequalities. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-algorithmic-outreach-inequality.html Mathematics Tue, 21 Oct 2025 09:40:48 EDT news680258442 The simulation of strongly interacting many-body systems is a key objective of quantum physics research, as it can help to test the predictions of physics theories and yield new valuable insight. Researchers at Quantinuum, a quantum computing company, recently simulated a simplified version of a well-known theoretical model, the so-called Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model, using a trapped-ion quantum computer and a previously introduced randomized quantum algorithm. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-sachdev-ye-kitaev-simulated-ion.html Quantum Physics Sun, 19 Oct 2025 09:20:01 EDT news679922134 Networks are systems comprised of two or more connected devices, biological organisms or other components, which typically share information with each other. Understanding how information moves between these connected components, also known as nodes, could help to advance research focusing on numerous topics, ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) to neuroscience. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-algorithm-precisely-quantifies-complex-networks.html General Physics Fri, 17 Oct 2025 10:40:03 EDT news679916227 Plant functional diversity is highly dynamic over time and fluctuates considerably. It is influenced by seasonal cycles and wet-dry periods, and varies depending on the region. These are the findings of researchers from Leipzig University, the University of Freiburg, and Aarhus University in Denmark. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-functional-diversity-varies-greatly-seasonal.html Environment Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:10:06 EDT news679230601 What if our understanding of Uranus and Neptune's compositions have been wrong, specifically regarding their classifications as "ice giants?" This is what a recent study accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics hopes to address as a team of researchers from the University of Zurich investigated the interior structures of Uranus and Neptune. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-longstanding-ice-giant-classification-uranus.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:57:03 EDT news679229821 Over the past decade, experts in the field of nanotechnology and materials science have been trying to devise architectures composed of small structures that spontaneously arrange themselves following specific patterns. Some of these architectures are based on so-called icosahedral shells, structures with 20 different triangular faces that are symmetrically organized. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-algorithm-reveals-magic-sizes-programmable.html Nanophysics Wed, 08 Oct 2025 06:30:02 EDT news679054911 By making the world's microbial DNA easier to explore, a new sequence alignment tool, LexicMap, lets scientists search for a DNA sequence against millions of bacterial and archaeal genomes in minutes, helping researchers track outbreaks, study antibiotic resistance, and understand microbial diversity. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-sequence-alignment-algorithm-enables-rapid.html Biotechnology Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:59:03 EDT news678452341 A recent report from the University of Chicago's Air Quality Life Index found that wildfires are worsening air quality in Canada. The report found that in 2023, wildfires caused concentrations of particulate matter to rise to levels not seen since the index started taking records in 1998. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-ai-indoor-ventilation-wildfire-season.html Environment Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:56:05 EDT news678452162 A study in the International Journal of Critical Infrastructures discusses a financial early warning system based on an artificial jellyfish algorithm that combines machine learning with principles of the circular economy. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-economic-early-artificial-jellyfish-algorithm.html Economics & Business Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:03:03 EDT news677772181 A research team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a new method to uncover the atomic origins of unusual material behavior. This approach uses Bayesian deep learning, a form of artificial intelligence that combines probability theory and neural networks to analyze complex datasets with exceptional efficiency. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-advanced-ai-links-atomic-quantum.html Condensed Matter Thu, 18 Sep 2025 10:31:00 EDT news677410256 Since the 1990s, evidence has been growing that quantum computers should be able to solve a range of particularly complex computational problems, with applications in everything from supply chain management to medicine and beyond. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-quantum-limit-entanglement.html Quantum Physics Mon, 08 Sep 2025 07:21:04 EDT news676534861