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. Different regions of the United States are experiencing different patterns of warming climate, requiring region-specific adaptation, according to a study published in PLOS Climate by María Dolores Gadea Rivas of the University of Zaragoza, Spain and Jesús Gonzalo of University Carlos III, Spain. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-states-warmer-slightly-ways.html Earth Sciences Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:00:01 EST news689322181 China's sweeping efforts to clean up its air have delivered one of the biggest public health success stories of recent decades. Since the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan was launched in 2013, coal-fired power plants have been fitted with scrubbers, heavy industry has been modernized and pollution standards tightened, leading to an over 50% reduction in atmospheric particulate matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-china-emissions-policies-climate-problem.html Earth Sciences Tue, 10 Feb 2026 07:50:01 EST news689850775 In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical region. By analyzing tens of thousands of metagenomes, the team found that while most microbes adapt to a specific ecosystem, a rarer subset known as "generalists" can thrive across very different habitats. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-microbiomes-interconnect-planetary-scale.html Ecology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:51:49 EST news689871061 Academics from the University of Sheffield are warning that current gambling advertising rules may be insufficient after new research revealed that television gambling ads significantly influenced betting activity during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The study examined betting behavior among men aged 18–45 in England during the tournament in Qatar, to see how exposure to gambling advertising on television influenced the likelihood of placing bets. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-gambling-advertising-world-cup.html Social Sciences Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:23:47 EST news689865782 A recent paper examines how emotional intelligence functions as a critical skill in education settings and as a leadership capability in modern organizations, particularly amid rising workplace strain, complexity, and change. The research is authored by Chanell Russell, a research fellow with the Center for Organizational Wellness, Engagement and Belonging (CO-WEB) at University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-emotionally-intelligent-leadership-organizational-wellness.html Economics & Business Sat, 07 Feb 2026 17:00:04 EST news689527231 Teachers supervising students in school-sponsored work sites tend to prioritize emotional and social well-being in the workplace, according to research from Rutgers Health. The study, published in Occupational Health, examined how educators approach student wellness and the factors they prioritize when preparing students to enter the workforce. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-rethinking-wellness-students-teachers.html Social Sciences Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:20:06 EST news689607474 A three-year study has found that legal services work best when they are designed with communities, delivered face-to-face and closely linked to health and well-being, offering important lessons for improving access to justice in the U.K. The research, led by Nottingham Law School, part of Nottingham Trent University, evaluated Bagaraybang bagaraybang mayinygalang (BBM), an Australian project aimed at offering legal support to the local Aboriginal community through a partnership between the Hume Riverina Community Legal Service (HRCLS) & Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service (AWAHS). https://phys.org/news/2026-02-justice-gap-health-linked-legal.html Social Sciences Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:00:02 EST news689512407 Fences intended to protect cattle from catching diseases from wildlife and other livestock in southern Africa are in disrepair, restrict wild animal migrations and likely intensify human-elephant conflict—but a plan to remove key sections could make both livestock and wildlife safer, a new Cornell University study suggests. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-southern-african-wildlife-boost-economy.html Ecology Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:26:23 EST news689531161 Chronic exposure to pollution from wildfires has been linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually in the United States, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-particle-pollution-wildfire-deaths-year.html Environment Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:57:42 EST news689442989 Red-fleshed kiwifruit, valued for its high anthocyanin content and associated health benefits, is increasingly threatened by rising temperatures. Global warming severely inhibits anthocyanin accumulation, leading to flesh discoloration and nutrient loss, directly compromising fruit quality and the sustainable development of the industry. To address this challenge, researchers from the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences used "Hongyang" kiwifruit to simulate high-temperature stress (30°C, 35°C, 40°C, compared with a 25°C control). https://phys.org/news/2026-02-high-temperatures-disrupt-anthocyanin-metabolism.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:45:26 EST news689438701 New research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) shows how many tropical cities are predicted to warm faster than expected under 2°C of global warming. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-temperature-cities-faster-2c.html Environment Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:40:02 EST news689421866 In the modern world of work, the "ideal worker" is a dominant yet dangerous concept that can dictate workplace norms and expectations. This archetype describes an employee who is boundlessly productive, constantly available and emotionally stable at all times. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-idea-ideal-worker-people-mental.html Economics & Business Tue, 03 Feb 2026 21:50:01 EST news689356152 Divisions within the US population on social and political issues have increased by 64% since 1988, with almost all this coming after 2008, according to a study tracking polarization from the end of the Reagan era to the dawn of Trump's second term. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-political-division-surged-onward.html Social Sciences Tue, 03 Feb 2026 19:10:01 EST news689318941 As commercial spaceflight draws ever closer and time spent in space continues to extend, the question of reproductive health beyond the bounds of planet Earth is no longer theoretical but now "urgently practical," according to a new study published in the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-reproduction-space-environment-hostile-human.html Space Exploration Tue, 03 Feb 2026 19:00:01 EST news689324729 Researchers led by Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1357 Microplastics at the University of Bayreuth have overturned a common scientific assumption in a new study: Microplastic particles do not all exhibit similar transport behavior regardless of their shape. Instead, microplastics behave differently in aquatic environments depending on whether they occur as fragments or fibers. This insight reshapes our understanding of how strongly organisms are exposed to microplastics—an assessment that is crucial for evaluating the environmental risks posed by microplastic pollution. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-microplastics-differently-aquatic-environments-fragments.html Environment Tue, 03 Feb 2026 08:46:44 EST news689330761 Britain unveiled Tuesday its first-ever plan to tackle "forever chemicals" and reduce the risks they pose to health and the environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-uk-unveils-tackle-chemicals.html Environment Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:20:57 EST news689325599 Improvements in public health have allowed humankind to survive to older ages than ever before, but, for many people, these added golden years are not spent in good health. Aging is a natural part of life, but it is associated with a greatly increased incidence of most chronic diseases, including various cancers, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cells-aging-remodeling-endoplasmic-reticulum.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:35:30 EST news689272501 Current school-based mental health support for children from multilingual backgrounds can be "lost in translation" because it is reliant on good proficiency in English, a new study warns. The work says greater linguistic flexibility, including more choice over the languages used, are needed to improve mental health care for children with EAL. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-psychological-therapies-children-language-isnt.html Education Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:37:16 EST news689265422 Less than a year ago, United States company Colossal Biosciences announced it had "resurrected" the dire wolf, a megafauna-hunting wolf species that had been extinct for 10,000 years. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-companies-resurrect-species-people-comfortable.html Ecology Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:40:37 EST news689254802 Some brands of bottled water contain significantly higher levels of microplastics than tap water, according to new research by scientists who have developed a novel method for detecting these tiny particles. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-bottled-worse-microplastics.html Environment Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:36:12 EST news689250901 Public health can be a money maker if investors use the right techniques to make their cash injections a safe bet, according to a report by Northeastern University academics. The report, "Investor Action on Health: a review," offers major investors advice on how best to approach making a public health matter ripe for investment. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-investors-health-safe.html Economics & Business Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:34:18 EST news689250842 Signs of Sir Terry Pratchett's dementia may have been present in his writing a decade before his official diagnosis, new research has found. Researchers have examined the lexical diversity—a measure of how varied an author's word choices are—of 33 books from Pratchett's Discworld series, focusing specifically on his use of nouns and adjectives. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-sir-terry-pratchett-dementia-hidden.html Other Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:40:01 EST news688962792 With insect farming projected to produce millions of tons of insects in the coming years, Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers offer evidence that the insect farming byproduct called "frass" can improve soil health and reduce insect damage in soybean crops. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-insect-farming-byproduct-boosts-soil.html Ecology Fri, 30 Jan 2026 04:45:40 EST news688970701 With another wave of dangerous cold heading for the U.S. South on Friday, experts say the risk of hypothermia heightens for people in parts of Mississippi and Tennessee who are entering their sixth day trapped at home without power in subfreezing temperatures. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-hypothermia-mississippi-tennessee-frigid-temperatures.html Environment Fri, 30 Jan 2026 02:47:45 EST news688963639 A new study led by climatologists at the University at Albany has found that extreme heat waves across the Caribbean are becoming significantly more frequent, longer and severe. This study examined extreme summer heat waves in the Caribbean over the last five decades, focusing on their causes and how they have changed over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-caribbean-decades.html Earth Sciences Thu, 29 Jan 2026 13:39:11 EST news688916313 When I worked for the Environmental Protection Agency in the 2010s as an Obama administration appointee, I helped write and review dozens of regulations under the Clean Air Act. They included some groundbreaking rules, such as setting national air quality standards for ozone and fine particulate matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-epa-pollution-deregulators-health.html Environment Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:27:38 EST news688912021 The working hours and happiness of the self-employed are starting to recover—five years on from the downturn induced by the pandemic, research from the University of Liverpool Management School and LSE reveals. But the authors of the report "Road to recovery: Self-employed on the mend?" published today by the LSE's Center for Economic Performance, add that there is still a significant proportion of people who would rather be in employed work, and that there are mixed experiences across different types of self-employed workers. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-employed-hours-pre-covid-year.html Economics & Business Thu, 29 Jan 2026 10:46:25 EST news688905962 The continued use of "forever chemicals" could cost Europe up to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) by 2050 because of their impact on people's health and the environment, an EU-commissioned report said Thursday. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-chemicals-europe-tn-euros.html Environment Thu, 29 Jan 2026 09:53:48 EST news688902782 A new study tracking the movements of 1 billion mobile phone devices has exposed how wealth and age create a hidden divide in people's ability to withstand heat waves. Scientists analyzing data from record-breaking temperatures in 2023 found that common measures to protect people living in cities—such as issuing alerts or planting trees to increase shade—often fail to help the most vulnerable. It follows a World Meteorological Organization warning that the last three years are now officially the warmest on record. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-reveals-hidden-coping.html Environment Thu, 29 Jan 2026 09:52:42 EST news688902721 A new multifunctional composite made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) and piezoelectric materials can use vibrations to self-detect tiny cracks. This material could be used in the aerospace, automotive, and construction industries to monitor structural health without the need for an external power source. The technology was shared in a paper published in the International Journal of Smart and Nano Materials on January 9, 2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-powered-composite-material.html Materials Science Thu, 29 Jan 2026 09:17:22 EST news688900580