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 routinely sends astronauts to and from its space station Tiangong. A crew capsule is about to undock from the station and return to Earth, but there's nothing routine about its journey home. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-space-debris-catastrophe-nations-issue.html Space Exploration Thu, 04 Dec 2025 18:20:02 EST news684077659 Entire areas of Sri Lanka's capital were flooded on Sunday after a powerful cyclone triggered heavy rains and mudslides across the island, with authorities reporting nearly 200 dead and dozens more missing. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-sri-lanka-capital-cyclone-deaths.html Environment Sun, 30 Nov 2025 07:07:13 EST news683708809 The death toll from flash floods and landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra island rose to 164 on Friday with 79 people missing, authorities said, as rescue workers found their efforts hampered by damaged bridges and roads and a lack of heavy equipment. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-death-toll-landslides-indonesia-sumatra.html Environment Fri, 28 Nov 2025 11:30:01 EST news683549369 Typhoon Kalmaegi churned across Vietnam Friday, claiming five more lives after its devastating passage through the Philippines where the death toll rose to 188. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-deadly-typhoon-kalmaegi-ravages-vietnam.html Environment Fri, 07 Nov 2025 07:16:00 EST news681722154 One hiker died and hundreds of others were rescued after sudden heavy snowfall on the Tibetan Plateau and near Mount Everest on the Chinese side, state media and hikers reported on Monday. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-hiker-dead-hundreds-heavy-snowfall.html Environment Mon, 06 Oct 2025 10:00:02 EDT news678963457 Over the last decade, European governments have invested heavily to militarize their sea borders and outsource control responsibilities to partners in Africa and the Middle East. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-mediterranean-graveyard-bottomless-money-pit.html Economics & Business Mon, 22 Sep 2025 14:30:04 EDT news677767960 When the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's urban search and rescue team resigned after the deadly July 4, 2025, Texas floods, he told colleagues he was frustrated with bureaucratic hurdles that had delayed the team's response to the disaster, according to media reports. The move highlighted an ongoing challenge at FEMA. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-history-fema-essential-disasters-independent.html Political science Wed, 06 Aug 2025 16:48:03 EDT news673717673 A landslide triggered by torrential monsoon rains swept away cars in mountainous northern Pakistan, killing at least five people, with more vehicles buried under the debris, officials said Tuesday. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-pakistan-landslide-heavy.html Environment Tue, 22 Jul 2025 13:31:41 EDT news672409897 Floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life in the Philippine capital to a halt on Tuesday with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-philippines-displaces-thousands.html Environment Tue, 22 Jul 2025 04:02:15 EDT news672375725 A rock art panel near Aswan, Egypt, may depict a rare example of an elite individual from the First Dynasty, shedding light on the formation of the ancient Egyptian state. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-art-hints-egyptian-kings.html Archaeology Wed, 09 Jul 2025 19:00:02 EDT news671111797 Wildlife rescue teams scoured Australia's east coast on Monday to find and free a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-tangled-humpback-whale-mission-australia.html Ecology Mon, 09 Jun 2025 04:40:38 EDT news668662834 Barely feeling the tranquilizer shot, the panic-stricken female rhinoceros ran to take shelter in a wooded area, eluding the low-flying helicopter trying to prevent her escape. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-rhino.html Plants & Animals Sun, 08 Jun 2025 08:00:01 EDT news668586309 Soft-bodied robots are unlocking a new era of adaptive machines that can safely interact with the human body, squeeze through tight spaces, and propel themselves autonomously. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-pneumatic-soft-robot-mimics-rotating.html Biotechnology Thu, 22 May 2025 09:51:05 EDT news667126258 Record floods stranded more than 50,000 people in eastern Australia on Thursday, killing three as a muddy tide swept through towns and swollen rivers cut off roads. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-massive-strand-eastern-australia.html Environment Thu, 22 May 2025 09:48:17 EDT news667126092 Severe storms that tore through the US states of Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia left more than 25 people dead, leveling homes and businesses while knocking out power for tens of thousands, authorities say. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-severe-storms-tornadoes-south-central.html Environment Sun, 18 May 2025 06:04:22 EDT news666767055 Butterflies' flight trajectories often appear random or chaotic, and compared with other hovering insects, their bodies follow seemingly mysterious, jagged, jerking motions. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-butterflies-differently-flying-body-pitch.html General Physics Tue, 13 May 2025 11:00:01 EDT news666272456 One by one, the four California sea lions slid out of their crates and into the ocean. As the SeaWorld San Diego rescue boat bobbed nearby, one of the pinnipeds dove deep and then popped his head out of the water, his mouth full of what may have been a squid. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-toxic-algae-bloom-toll-southern.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 May 2025 08:20:03 EDT news665650681 New research from a team of leading U.K. universities has revealed that over £3.77 billion in government contracts has been awarded to private companies since 2015 for managing border security and small boat crossings in the English Channel. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-reveals-billions-companies-involved-uk.html Economics & Business Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:42:04 EDT news665235721 On March 15 at 8:15 p.m. Beijing time (March 14 at 8:42 p.m. EDT; 5:42 p.m. PDT), China launched two satellites atop a Yuanzheng-1S mounted on a Long March-2C rocket. While the first and second stages were successful, a technical launch with the upper stage prevented the satellites from reaching their intended orbit. Several months of rescue attempts followed as Chinese engineers tried to find a solution, which included deorbiting the satellites so they would burn up in the atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-chinese-gravitational-slingshots-pair-satellites.html Space Exploration Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:12:04 EDT news664625522 A team of bioengineers at Harvard University's Rowland Institute has found two new ways to control a tiny creature, essentially turning it into a micro-robot. In their study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group used a fruit fly's natural response to moving stimuli and odorants to effectively direct its movements. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-fruit-flies-micro-robots-pinwheels.html Plants & Animals Thu, 10 Apr 2025 13:39:19 EDT news663511150 Nepali mountaineers on Tuesday searched for two people swept away by a powerful avalanche on the world's 10th highest mountain Annapurna, officials said. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-nepalis-swept-annapurna-avalanche.html Environment Tue, 08 Apr 2025 04:32:29 EDT news663305546 Truck driver Lee Seung-joo was driving through South Korea's Andong mountains when the wildfires hit, engulfing the area in flames and turning it into "a literal hell." https://phys.org/news/2025-03-apocalypse-korea-wildfires-mountains.html Environment Wed, 26 Mar 2025 05:37:19 EDT news662186234 Now back on Earth thanks to Space X's Dragon capsule, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will be breathing fresh air again after a grueling nine months onboard the International Space Station. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-astronauts-space-law-orbit-responsible.html Space Exploration Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:30:04 EDT news661600364 A pair of astronauts stuck aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months may have to wait a little longer to return home after the launch of their replacements was postponed. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-stranded-astronauts-crew-delayed.html Space Exploration Thu, 13 Mar 2025 05:36:24 EDT news661062979 A routine crew rotation at the International Space Station has taken on unusual significance: It paves the way for a pair of astronauts stranded for more than nine months to finally come home. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-stranded-astronauts-closer-home-iss.html Space Exploration Wed, 12 Mar 2025 05:40:01 EDT news660976250 Pangolins are unique as they are the only mammal to be covered in scales. Even though they are scaly, photos of them are typically met with "awwws" from the viewers, who find them adorable. Importantly, though, pangolins play an essential role in maintaining their ecosystem. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-celebrating-world-pangolin-day-genomes.html Plants & Animals Fri, 14 Feb 2025 09:01:00 EST news658746048 The state of Maine was hit by a rare 3.8 magnitude earthquake Monday morning, a tremor that could be felt across the New England region. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-maine-magnitude-earthquake-conversation-starter.html Earth Sciences Tue, 28 Jan 2025 09:50:42 EST news657280238 Wildlife officials and several climbers rescued a bull elk by lowering it down a cliff after the animal became entangled in a rope at a popular ice climbing area in southwestern Colorado. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-elk-shelf-colorado-wildlife-tangled.html Ecology Wed, 08 Jan 2025 03:43:08 EST news655530184 A strong earthquake killed at least 95 people in Tibet on Tuesday and left many others trapped as dozens of aftershocks shook the high-altitude region of western China and across the border in Nepal. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-strong-earthquake-people-western-china.html Environment Tue, 07 Jan 2025 05:25:56 EST news655449952 The death toll from Vanuatu's earthquake disaster continues to rise, with international search and rescue operations underway to help people hit by the initial quake and its aftershocks. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-vanuatu-brace-aftershocks-week-deadly.html Earth Sciences Wed, 18 Dec 2024 12:10:06 EST news653745949