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 nanoscale particle research, precise control and separation have long been a bottleneck in biotechnology. Researchers at the University of Oulu have now developed a new method that improves particle separation and purification. The promising technique could be applied, for example, in cancer research. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-microfluidic-method-boosts-tiny-particles.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:00:01 EST news689875262 If humans want to live in space, whether on spacecraft or the surface of Mars, one of the first problems to solve is that of water for drinking, hygiene, and life-sustaining plants. Even bringing water to the International Space Station (ISS) in low Earth orbit costs on the order of tens of thousands of dollars. Thus, finding efficient, durable, and trustworthy ways to source and reuse water in space is a clear necessity for long-term habitation there. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-road-sustainable-space.html Space Exploration Mon, 09 Feb 2026 16:40:06 EST news689867986 In nature, molecules often show a strong preference for partnering with other molecules that share the same chirality or handedness. A behavior that is quite evident in the phenomenon known as homochirality-driven entanglement, where molecules that are all left-handed or all right-handed preferentially recognize and wrap around one another, forming complex and interlocked structures. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scientists-harness-nature-chirality-bias.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:20:05 EST news689857447 How exactly unconventional superconductivity arises is one of the central questions of modern solid-state physics. A new study published in the journal Nature provides crucial insights into this question. For the first time, an international research team was able to demonstrate a direct microscopic connection between a strongly correlated normal state and superconductivity in so-called moiré materials. In the long term, these findings could contribute to the development of new quantum materials and superconductors for future quantum technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-superconductivity-insights-moir-materials.html Condensed Matter Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:44:53 EST news689510642 A new U of T Scarborough study finds that being mentally sharp can translate into a productivity boost equivalent to about 40 extra minutes of work each day. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-links-daily-mental-sharpness-extra.html Social Sciences Thu, 05 Feb 2026 06:10:01 EST news689493461 Terpenes are volatile organic compounds that are responsible for, among other things, the typical scents of plants, resins or citrus fruits. These compounds occur naturally in the environment and influence chemical processes in the atmosphere. At high concentrations, they can irritate the respiratory tract and contribute to the formation of harmful derivatives. Many terpenes exist in two mirror-image forms, known as enantiomers, which can differ significantly in terms of their effects and how they are perceived—but which are difficult to distinguish between using technical means. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-platinum-nanostructure-sensor-differentiate-mirror.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:21:19 EST news689444461 Ages ago, when societies were organized around small villages, a person's security and sense of belonging depended partly on how close they were to the village chiefs and elders. If the village was attacked, those closest to the powerful had a better chance of survival. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-volunteers-link-social-exclusion-higher.html Social Sciences Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:20:01 EST news689425586 A study by researchers from the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute gauges how an initiative in New York's Hudson Valley is helping farmers and community organizations build more equitable regional food systems and advance food sovereignty, a movement focused on local control over food systems and fair conditions for both producers and consumers. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hudson-valley-food-sovereignty.html Agriculture Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:01:35 EST news689432461 Recently, the German term "lüften" has been circulating on social media and trending on Google. The term refers to the practice of opening windows and doors to replace stale indoor air with outdoor air, a longtime practice in many European homes. Americans have dubbed it "house burping" in many videos on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-lften-simple-house-burping-complicated.html Environment Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:54:39 EST news689428442 Dyscalculia, characterized by deficits in number sense and calculation skills, affects approximately 5%–7% of the population and often persists into adulthood. A team from the University of Barcelona and the University of Vic—Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) has developed and validated a digital game to address mathematical difficulties in children with this disorder in the early and middle stages of primary education. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-digital-game-mathematical-children-dyscalculia.html Mathematics Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:44:18 EST news689427842 Journalism in the United States is in crisis: Local newspapers are shuttering at an alarming rate, large cities that were once served by multiple daily local newspapers now barely sustain one or two major outlets, and the government has made concentrated attacks against public media. A new report from the Roosevelt Institute, co-authored by Victor Pickard, C. Edwin Baker Professor of Media Policy and Political Economy at the Annenberg School for Communication, traces the roots of these crises and offers an evidence-based roadmap to rebuild public media. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-crises-american-journalism-solutions.html Social Sciences Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:41:19 EST news689427662 The invention of tiny devices capable of precisely controlling the direction and behavior of light is essential to the development of advanced technologies. Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have taken a significant step forward with the development of a metasurface that can turn invisible infrared light into visible light and aim it in different directions—without any moving parts. The details of their work are explained in a paper published in the journal eLight. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ultra-thin-metasurface-chip-invisible.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:06:49 EST news689321161 In Bangladesh, programs targeting ultra-poor, rural households can help families escape extreme poverty. However, the programs may have the unintended consequence of reinforcing gender gaps, a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign finds. The paper, "How does a rural poverty alleviation program affect parents' aspirations about their children? Evidence from BRAC-TUP in Bangladesh," is published in the Journal of Development Studies. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-poverty-intervention-bangladesh-gender-gaps.html Social Sciences Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:04:15 EST news689274241 Scientists at the Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) have successfully realized the highly selective asymmetric 1,6 addition of aliphatic Grignard reagents to α,β,γ,δ-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. This new methodology employs an iron catalyst in combination with a chiral N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, which suppresses undesired side reactions and drives highly regio-, stereo-, and enantioselective alkyl migration. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-iron-catalyst-asymmetric-addition-aliphatic.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:08:22 EST news689270882 Gas vesicles are among the largest known protein nanostructures produced and assembled inside microbial cells. These hollow, air-filled cylindrical nanostructures found in certain aquatic microbes have drawn increasing interest from scientists due to their potential for practical applications, including as part of novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools. However, producing gas vesicles is a difficult task for cells in the lab, hindering the development of applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-approach-sustainable-protein-nanostructures-advanced.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:04:23 EST news689270642 Reports that Victoria Police are issuing anti-association orders to "youth gang members" has sparked fresh debate about how to best deal with youth gang violence in Australia. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-young-people-gangs-evidence-based.html Social Sciences Sat, 31 Jan 2026 12:40:02 EST news688912635 Researchers led by Yasunori Ichihashi at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan recently examined how different kinds of pesticides and fertilizers affect mandarin oranges across Japan. Their study, published in Plant Biotechnology, involving advanced statistical analysis, showed that while reducing pesticides enhanced the diversity of microbes in the soil, it also led to an increase in fruit disease caused by leaf pathogens. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-pros-cons-pesticides-fertilizers-real.html Biotechnology Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:40:24 EST news689002787 The patchwork efforts to identify and safely remove contamination left by the 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires have been akin to the Wild West. Experts have given conflicting guidance on best practices. Shortly after the fires, the federal government suddenly refused to adhere to California's decades-old post-fire soil-testing policy; California later considered following suit. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-fractured-approach-contamination.html Environment Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:30:01 EST news688900972 Researchers from Drexel University who discovered a versatile type of two-dimensional conductive nanomaterial called MXene nearly a decade and a half ago, have now reported on a process for producing its one-dimensional cousin: the MXene nanoscroll. The group posits that these materials, which are 100 times thinner than human hair yet more conductive than their two-dimensional counterparts, could be used to improve the performance of energy storage devices, biosensors and wearable technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-mxene-nanoscrolls-energy-storage-biosensors.html Nanomaterials Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:36:33 EST news688926961 Artificial intelligence allows tracing the evolution of genetic control elements in the developing mammalian cerebellum. An international research team led by biologists from Heidelberg University as well as the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie and KU Leuven (Belgium) has now developed advanced AI models that can predict the activity of these elements based solely on their DNA sequence. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ai-retrace-evolution-genetic-elements.html Evolution Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:00:02 EST news688813682 For quantum computers to function, they must be kept at extremely low temperatures. However, today's cooling systems also generate noise that interferes with the fragile quantum information they are meant to protect. Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed an entirely new type of quantum refrigerator, which is partly driven by the noise itself. This refrigerator enables very precise control over heat and energy flows and could play an important role in scaling up quantum technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-quantum-refrigerator-benefits-problematic-noise.html Superconductivity Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:50:03 EST news688912696 The field of nanomaterials is witnessing a transformative shift at the intersection of organic chemistry and molecular engineering. Among the most promising molecular structures are carbon nanohoops, of which [n]cycloparaphenylenes ([n]CPPs) are a representative example. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-route-multiple-functionalized-carbon-nanohoops.html Nanomaterials Tue, 27 Jan 2026 15:32:28 EST news688750321 Every second, millions of cells in your body divide in two. In the space of an hour, they duplicate their DNA and grow a web of protein fibers around it called a spindle. The spindle extends its many fibers from the chromosomes in the center to the edges of the cell. Then, with extraordinary force, it pulls the chromosomes apart. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-mighty-microscopic-fibers-key-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:43:28 EST news688668182 Researchers at the Regional Service for Agri-Food Research and Development (SERIDA) have developed a new large-scale remote sensing model that will enable comprehensive, high-resolution monitoring of fossorial water vole populations in areas where they cause agricultural damage. The system combines data collected in the field with satellite-derived information, facilitating detailed and continuous control of the appearance and spread of these rodents across extensive agricultural areas. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-remote-enables-early-vole-outbreaks.html Biotechnology Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:25:19 EST news688667101 Incidents that make us consider the relationship between humans and wild animals are happening all over Japan, from bear attacks to crop damage by wild animals. How should we interpret the current situation, and how should we respond? Kiyono Mieko, associate professor at the Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, primarily performs research on the ecology of the Japanese macaque, a species of monkey, via surveys and practical activity in agricultural regions. She spoke about coexistence between humans and wild animals with https://phys.org/news/2026-01-qa-coexistence-humans-wild-animals.html Plants & Animals Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:24:34 EST news688649041 Researchers investigating the effectiveness of outdoor ads promoting climate change awareness and action found that a general message of climate emergency awareness received more QR code scans compared to a more-specific campaign focusing on sustainable fashion, according to a study published in PLOS Climate by Maxwell Boykoff from the University of Colorado Boulder, U.S., and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-general-ad-campaign-climate-action.html Environment Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:00:01 EST news688229837 A unique study exploring popular ways to "self‑gift" has found that ordering a takeout meal is a preferred treat regardless of whether people have had a good or a bad day at work. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-takeout-meals-reward-comfort.html Social Sciences Sat, 24 Jan 2026 11:00:03 EST news688229962 Drug-resistant bacteria are one of the most urgent health challenges of our time, affecting people, animals, and the environments they share. The University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) is addressing this evolving challenge with comprehensive infection prevention and control measures, as well as biosecurity strategies, to protect the animals, people, and communities served by its hospitals and facilities. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-safeguarding-health-animals-people-veterinary.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:57:41 EST news688391821 A research team at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson is developing a drug that works in combination with copper to kill bacteria, including those that cause MRSA, a type of staph infection that is resistant to usual treatments. The team's research is published in the journal mSphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-copper-compound-mrsa-bacteria-mimicking.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:48:19 EST news688319187 Loneliness is a common problem among students. However, encouraging students to socialize at an early stage can improve the well-being of this group. This is evident from an experiment with a new preventive intervention developed by researchers at Radboud University. Their findings are published today in the journal ESB. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-students-socialize-early-stage-loneliness.html Social Sciences Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:11:18 EST news688317061