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. 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 Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have uncovered how fertilized rice seeds begin to divide and establish their "body axis." Using a new imaging method, they discovered that while the first cell divides in an asymmetric way initially, this is followed by random growth and the apparently "collective" determination of a body axis. This is a significant break with known pathways, a rare glimpse into the birth and growth of plant embryos. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-rice-toe-early-growth.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 18:10:05 EST news689854251 The sun is the basis for photosynthesis, but not all plants thrive in strong sunlight. Strong sunlight constrains plant diversity and plant biomass in the world's grasslands, a new study shows. Temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric nitrogen deposition have less impact on plant diversity. These results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by a research team led by Marie Spohn from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-intense-sunlight-diversity-biomass-global.html Plants & Animals Mon, 09 Feb 2026 16:40:01 EST news689875255 Climate change and evolving growing conditions present new challenges for breeding. It is important to take local environmental conditions into account. An international team led by the IPK Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research has used AI and big data to develop a method of determining which winter wheat varieties are best suited to specific locations. The study's results have been published in the journal Genome Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tailor-wheat-ai-big.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:00:21 EST news689871601 Goats are increasingly being used in efforts to manage invasive common buckthorn in Midwestern woodlands. New research demonstrates when and how they are best used. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-goats-play-role-multi-pronged.html Ecology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:50:30 EST news689863801 When we think about birds, we often picture their colorful plumage: the iridescence of a peacock's tail or the electric blue flash of a kingfisher. Or we might consider how they use voices, from the song of the nightingale to the coo of a dove or the shriek of a jay. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-brilliant-bizarre-ways-birds-natural.html Plants & Animals Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:45:42 EST news689859902 Sydney communities may be missing out on crucial tree planting projects intended to combat urban heat, leaving western and eastern parts of Greater Sydney with less protection from extreme heat, a University of Sydney-led study has revealed. In a surprising finding, the researchers found that while Greater Sydney's total tree canopy increased by 4.2% from 1.514 billion square meters to 1.578 billion square meters between 2016 and 2022, this growth was not evenly distributed. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tree-combat-urban-neighborhoods-falling.html Environment Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:25:59 EST news689855101 Antibiotic resistance (AR) has steadily accelerated in recent years to become a global health crisis. As deadly bacteria evolve new ways to elude drug treatments for a variety of illnesses, a growing number of "superbugs" have emerged, ramping up estimates of more than 10 million worldwide deaths per year by 2050. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-crispr-tool-bacteria-disable-antibiotic.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:20:01 EST news689607947 Rising day and night temperatures are threatening rice, wheat, and maize production by disrupting plant growth, grain filling, and grain quality, putting global food security at risk. Precision breeding and genome editing offer ways to reprogram plant clocks, optimize flowering and panicle architecture, and protect grain quality under heat stress. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tolerant-high-yield-rice-planet.html Biotechnology Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:58:01 EST news689594222 California doesn't have a water scarcity problem. It has a distribution problem, according to Nícola Ulibarrí, whose new research is reshaping how policymakers think about one of the state's most pressing challenges. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-california-scarcity-narrative.html Environment Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:47:53 EST news689593621 It's not what they intended to do or expected to find. They're not even all that interested in birds. When Andre Naranjo and his colleagues began work on a new study published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, they wanted to know why a small mountain chain on the island of Hispaniola had more plant diversity than just about any other spot in the Caribbean. As far as they were concerned, the island's birds were merely an unnecessarily complicated form of seed dispersal. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ancient-bird-routes-diversity.html Evolution Thu, 05 Feb 2026 15:20:01 EST news689520221 Whatever challenges life throws, mothers often know best as they guide offspring through the risky stages of early development. This scenario, familiar when applied to humans, turns out to be true for plants too, according to intriguing research from the John Innes Center and Earlham Institute. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-seeds-mom-mother-aba-hormone.html Plants & Animals Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:50:01 EST news689519389 A new Curtin University study warns that large parts of Australia, including major cities and farming regions, could be highly vulnerable to a fast-spreading invasive beetle, already causing severe damage across the Perth metropolitan area. The study looked at the full life cycle of the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB), a tiny insect which releases a fungus that can starve trees of nutrients, killing them in the process. The study resulted in a model to analyze where new outbreaks are most likely to occur in Australia. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-huge-areas-australia-vulnerable-tree.html Plants & Animals Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:26:28 EST news689516761 California wildlife officials have approved a plan to eradicate Catalina Island's entire deer population as part of a broader effort to restore the island ecosystem, sparking fierce opposition from an unusual coalition of hunters and animal welfare advocates. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-catalina-island-deer-culled-ecosystem.html Plants & Animals Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:10:08 EST news689411268 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 Plants are a rich and renewable source of compounds used in medicines, food ingredients, and cosmetics. Since growing an entire plant just to extract a few specific compounds is rather inefficient, scientists are turning to plant cell cultures as a more sustainable alternative. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-friendly-bacteria-hidden-metabolic-pathways.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:00:02 EST news689425721 In the plant world, when two different species mate, their offspring often don't survive. The reason lies in their DNA: incompatible genes often mix in their offspring, triggering a fatal breakdown known as hybrid lethality that acts as a reproductive barrier to keep species separate. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-stacking-genetic-deck-hybrids-odds.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 04 Feb 2026 09:23:45 EST news689419382 More than 2,500 plant species have the potential to invade the Arctic at the expense of the species that belong there. Norway is one of the areas that is particularly at risk. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-thousands-alien-species-invade-arctic.html Plants & Animals Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:50:01 EST news689336150 A research team led by Prof. Zhu Yongguan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) at the CAS Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, has identified the mechanisms by which sponge city construction significantly enhances urban plant diversity, according to a study published in Cell Reports Sustainability on January 27. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-sponge-city-fuels-major-gains.html Ecology Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:30:03 EST news689336482 Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have identified a bacterial genus that promotes root growth and nitrogen uptake in plants. The findings open new possibilities for developing customized "plant probiotics" that could contribute to more resource-efficient agriculture by reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-probiotics-microorganisms-boost-growth-nitrogen.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:15:31 EST news689332501 Before plants evolved, vegetative life consisted of primitive green algae living in the sea. Like plants, these algae survived by performing photosynthesis, turning sunlight into energy. However, little light reaches the ocean where algae live; therefore, they evolved specialized organs to grab what little is available. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-sea-soil-molecular-algae-evolved.html Evolution Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:14:25 EST news689321641 In efforts to better understand how soybean plants capture and use light, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign investigated how leaf size and shape affect light distribution within the crop canopy. Using controlled genetic approaches, the team altered soybean leaf shape and found that narrower leaves can improve how efficiently plants use available light. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-bigger-smaller-optimize-soybeans.html Plants & Animals Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:28:39 EST news689268481 A University of Missouri researcher is pioneering an innovative solution to remove tiny bits of plastic pollution from our water. Mizzou's Susie Dai recently applied a revolutionary strain of algae toward capturing and removing harmful microplastics from polluted water. Driven by a mission to improve the world for both wildlife and humans, Dai also aims to repurpose the collected microplastics into safe, bioplastic products such as composite plastic films. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-lab-grown-algae-microplastics.html Biotechnology Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:30:11 EST news689264522 Water powers our lives. It feeds our crops, keeps factories running, generates electricity, and fills our taps. But until now, no one had a clear, national picture of how much water we're using—and for what. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-database-reveals-americans.html Environment Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:11:09 EST news689263809 A new discovery by researchers from Adelaide University, in collaboration with Denmark's Carlsberg Research Laboratory, will allow barley growers to optimize seed dormancy for their crops and improve growing efficiency. The researchers employed a multidisciplinary approach to construct the barley mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) enzyme-substrate complex, which plays a crucial role in seed dormancy. The work is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-seed-dormancy-discovery-optimize-barley.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:59:08 EST news689252281 Ditches and canals are the underdog of the freshwater world. These human-made waterways are often forgotten, devalued, and perceived negatively—think "dull as ditchwater." But these unsung heroes have a hidden potential for climate change mitigation, if they're managed correctly. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-emissions-ditches-canals.html Earth Sciences Sun, 01 Feb 2026 10:50:07 EST news688989009 Once a seed germinates, it is committed to one location. Plants are sessile—stuck where they started out—forced to cope with whatever conditions arrive next. The only way out of trouble is to rebuild themselves in place. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-environments-reproductive-success.html Ecology Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:40:01 EST news688919540 Wetlands make up only about 6% of the land area but contain about 30% of the terrestrial organic carbon pool. Therefore, CO2 emissions from wetlands are central to the global climate balance. In Denmark, the plan is to flood 140,000 hectares of low-lying land such as bogs and meadows as part of the Green Tripartite Agreement. Flooding such areas will slow down the decomposition of organic material in the soil and keep the CO2 in the soil rather than allowing it to be released to the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect. At least, that has been the rationale until now. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-wetlands-greatest-climate-benefit.html Earth Sciences Thu, 29 Jan 2026 10:34:45 EST news688905241 Parts of India, including the capital Delhi, were once again covered in thick smog recently as toxic pollution from industry and crop-burning engulfed the region. Even though India's National Clean Air Program has advanced clean air action, air pollution remains a reoccurring problem. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-air-pollution-borders-policies-aimed.html Environment Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:10:04 EST news688817089 Small RNAs are short RNA molecules that help determine which genes in a cell are switched on or off. Until now, it was assumed that the small RNAs necessary for pollen development originate in the pollen itself and in the directly surrounding maternal tissue. However, a new study conducted by the MPI-MP reveals a surprisingly different picture: The crucial signals do not originate in the pollen, but in maternal tissue and can be transported over long distances, for example from the roots. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-mothers-molecular-text-messages-pollen.html Plants & Animals Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:00:06 EST news688838180