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. A new study suggests that babies are able to distinguish between the different objects they see around them at 2 months old, which is earlier than scientists previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-month-olds-world-complex-scientists.html Other Sat, 21 Feb 2026 12:50:02 EST news689258624 The Ngogo chimpanzees of Uganda's Kibale National Park have long been known for violent clashes with neighboring groups, often resulting in deaths—a phenomenon sometimes described as "chimpanzee warfare." https://phys.org/news/2025-11-lethal-aggression-chimpanzees-larger-territories.html Plants & Animals Mon, 17 Nov 2025 15:00:16 EST news682602619 Metagenomics is the study of all organisms present in a particular environment, such as soil, water, or the human body. A key part of metagenomic analysis is understanding what species are present (classification), how much of each there is (abundance), and the function of the microorganisms present. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-software-tool-fast-tracks-identification.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:40:29 EDT news680794822 Nearly 80% of the world's poorest, or about 900 million people, are directly exposed to climate hazards exacerbated by global warming, bearing a "double and deeply unequal burden," the United Nations warned Friday. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-mn-poor-people-exposed-climate.html Environment Fri, 17 Oct 2025 04:50:20 EDT news679895414 Scientists at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) have found that administering a rotavirus vaccine to newborn mice via a shot, rather than an oral dose, increases its efficacy, particularly for at-risk newborns. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-maternal-antibodies-edged-sword-vaccinated.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 14 Oct 2025 13:30:05 EDT news679666825 When asked how she was doing during her second pregnancy, Neethu, 24, told us she felt worried and cautious. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-malnutrition-india-indigenous-families.html Social Sciences Tue, 07 Oct 2025 14:52:05 EDT news679067521 A new study co-authored by a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor finds that life expectancy gains made by high-income countries in the first half of the 20th century have slowed significantly, and that none of the generations born after 1939 will reach 100 years of age on average. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-longevity-gains-life.html Social Sciences Sat, 30 Aug 2025 10:40:02 EDT news675682276 Forecasters say it will bypass a direct hit on the continental U.S., but the first hurricane of 2025—Erin—is a strong reminder to have an emergency plan and know what to do if severe weather strikes. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-hurricane-season.html Environment Tue, 19 Aug 2025 06:40:01 EDT news674804348 We know surprisingly little about the lives of children in ancient Egypt. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-wages-apprenticeships-sifting-clues-girls.html Archaeology Tue, 24 Jun 2025 13:09:03 EDT news669989335 In 1998, excavations were conducted in advance of the construction of the Oude Vismarkt square in Aalst, Belgium. During excavations, archaeologists uncovered a 14th-century brothel. Unusual for the time, they also discovered the burial of a 3-month-old child within the floor. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-insights-medieval-sex-workers-childcare.html Archaeology Thu, 22 May 2025 07:00:01 EDT news667043625 A research team from the School of Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has developed a new computational model to study the movement of granular materials such as soils, sands and powders. By integrating the dynamic interactions among particles, air and water phases, this state-of-the-art system can accurately predict landslides, improve irrigation and oil extraction systems, and enhance food and drug production processes. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-landslides-pharmaceuticals-high-precision-simulates.html General Physics Fri, 16 May 2025 11:39:11 EDT news666614347 A new study of wild Sumatran orangutans by researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) has found that mothers consistently differ in their maternal behaviors toward their infants, even after controlling for biological, social, and environmental factors. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-orangutan-mothers-infants.html Plants & Animals Wed, 14 May 2025 09:36:03 EDT news666434162 Imagine if antibodies, proteins such as insulin, or even COVID-19 and flu vaccines could be consumed orally instead of via injection. This vision is closer than ever, according to a new study by Technion researchers published in the Journal of Controlled Release. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-shot-breast-nanoparticle-permeability-phenomena.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 24 Feb 2025 16:32:07 EST news659637122 Every year, 7.6 million tons of food is lost or wasted in Australia. When we think about this, we might picture moldy fruit, stale bread and overly full fridges. But in fact, almost half of this waste happens before food ever gets to us. Waste is common in food production, processing and transportation. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-huge-volumes-whey-nutrient-rich.html Economics & Business Tue, 22 Oct 2024 10:48:30 EDT news648812904 About 23 million U.S. households depend on private wells as their primary drinking water source. These homeowners are entirely responsible for ensuring that the water from their wells is safe for human consumption. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-millions-people-safe.html Environment Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:00:02 EDT news647863182 A UAB study in collaboration with the UVic-UCC and the ALBA synchrotron concludes that the Iberian culture newborns buried within domestic spaces died of natural causes, such as complications during labor or premature births, and not due to ritual practices. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-microscopic-teeth-reveals-mystery-iberian.html Archaeology Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:37:04 EDT news647703421 Last month, the Taliban passed a new "vice and virtue" law, making it illegal for women to speak in public. Under the law, women can also be punished if they are heard singing or reading aloud from within their homes. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-afghan-women-health-voices-wont.html Social Sciences Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:02:44 EDT news646052559 Bats are considered a natural pesticide, widely relied on by farmers as an alternative to chemical pesticides to protect their crops from insects. But since 2006, many bat populations have collapsed in counties in North America due to an invasive fungus found in the caves bats use during the day and throughout winter that causes what is known as White-Nose Syndrome. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-population-collapse-linked-pesticide-infant.html Ecology Thu, 05 Sep 2024 14:00:01 EDT news644751294 Despite complex regulations for infant formula, contamination in production and supply chain issues at Abbott Nutrition created a dangerous shortage in 2022. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-qa-business-expert-insights-panel.html Economics & Business Thu, 29 Aug 2024 14:48:04 EDT news644161681 A critical shortage of powdered infant formula revealed significant challenges in the supply, market competition and regulation of formula in the United States, according to a new report reviewed and co-authored by Cornell researchers. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-wrong-baby-formula-crisis.html Economics & Business Tue, 13 Aug 2024 13:54:03 EDT news642776041 The wildfire season of 2023 was the most destructive ever recorded in Canada and a new study suggests the impact was unprecedented. It found that four of the year's wildfires in mine-impacted areas around Yellowknife, Northwest Territories potentially contributed up to half of the arsenic that wildfires emit globally each year. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-yellowknife-unprecedented-arsenic-wildfires.html Earth Sciences Tue, 23 Jul 2024 14:37:04 EDT news640964222 Worldwide, a majority of babies—approximately 75%—drink infant formula in their first six months of life, either as a sole source of nutrition or as a supplement to breastfeeding. But while formula provides essential food for growing babies, it currently does not replicate the full nutritional profile of breast milk. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-human-sugars-healthier-baby-formula.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Jun 2024 15:04:04 EDT news637509842 The connection that infants form with their parents or caregivers is crucial for their cognitive, social, and emotional development. These attachments vary in quality, depending on how caregivers respond to the infant's needs. When caregivers are attentive, infants are likely to develop secure attachments. However, if caregivers neglect their needs, infants may develop insecurity, leading to challenges in emotional development and difficulty in forming healthy relationships later in life. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-exploring-interactions-baby-marmosets-caregivers.html Plants & Animals Tue, 16 Apr 2024 10:00:32 EDT news632480429 The 2022 baby formula crisis highlighted the precarious balance between regulation, competition and safety, according to a recent study published last month. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-agricultural-economists-food-thought-baby.html Economics & Business Thu, 22 Feb 2024 17:05:04 EST news627843901 Have you ever looked down at your breakfast, lunch or dinner and considered where the ingredients traveled from to reach your plate? https://phys.org/news/2024-02-ingredients-sandwich-global-nutrient-tracker.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 05 Feb 2024 10:39:07 EST news626351940 Frequent visits to oil palm plantations are leading to a sharp increase in mortality rates among infant southern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) in the wild, according to a new study published in Current Biology. In addition to increased risk from predators and human encounters, exposure to harmful agricultural chemicals in this environment may negatively affect infant development. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-plantations-primate-infants.html Plants & Animals Mon, 08 Jan 2024 17:07:04 EST news623956021 A new study from researchers at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UC San Francisco estimates 152,753 excess infant deaths were attributable to living in flood-prone areas in Bangladesh over the past 30 years. Additionally, across the study period, children born during rainy months faced a higher risk of death than those born in dry months. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-decades-bangladesh-elevated-infant-mortality.html Environment Tue, 05 Dec 2023 14:28:06 EST news621008882 Language researchers have studied how mothers speak to their infants, to their pets, and to other adults. Mothers speak slowly and clearly to their infants, hyperarticulating speech to teach language. What this research did not examine was the positive valence, or emotion of a mother's speech. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-incorporating-puppies-language-insight.html Social Sciences Thu, 12 Oct 2023 13:26:31 EDT news616335988 The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has developed a Certified Reference Material (CRM) for the accurate analysis of low levels of acrylamide in infant formula. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-certified-material-precise-acrylamide-infant.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 26 Sep 2023 13:51:52 EDT news614955098 A team of bioacoustics researchers at the University of Saint-Etienne in France, working with a colleague from University Lyon, has found that Nile crocodiles respond to an assortment of baby mammal cries, including humans. In their study, reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, the group tested crocodile reactions to recordings of babies crying at CrocoParc in Agadir, Morocco. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-nile-crocodiles-baby-cries-assortment.html Plants & Animals Wed, 09 Aug 2023 10:08:46 EDT news610794503