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. Tech firms are floating the idea of building data centers in space and tapping into the sun's energy to meet out-of-this-world power demands in a fierce artificial intelligence race. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-idea-centers-space.html Space Exploration Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:30:01 EST news689403402 A perspective in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface argues that advances in AI, sensing technologies and modeling are transforming the study of collective animal behavior, with implications reaching far beyond biology, from robotics to the dynamics of human crowds. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ai-tools-reshaping-animal-behavior.html Ecology Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:30:03 EST news689001963 Traditional processes used to discover new materials are complex, time-consuming, and costly, often requiring years of sustained effort. Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated powerful capabilities in information processing, offering new opportunities for intelligent and autonomous materials research. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-multi-agent-ai-robots-automate.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:00:01 EST news689003989 Invasive species, pathogens, and parasites can have serious ecological consequences for aquatic ecosystems and also put human health and economies at risk. Early detection of these biological threats is vital for mitigating their impact. A new low-cost autonomous robot expands access to MBARI's engineering innovation, providing resource managers, decision-makers, and communities a tool for monitoring aquatic environments and mitigating the ecological and economic impacts of biological threats. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-robotic-sampler-aims-aquatic-ecosystems.html Ecology Sat, 31 Jan 2026 17:50:01 EST news688988931 Scientists built a robot to help explain how a tropical bat spots insects perched on leaves using echolocation, a highly sophisticated behavior that requires precise, split-second decision making on the part of the hunting bat. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-prey-mirror-expert-foraging-skills.html Ecology Wed, 14 Jan 2026 09:40:02 EST news687604923 An automated cell culture system reduces hands-on time and improves seeding consistency in 96-well microplates. The research is published in the journal PNAS Nexus. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-source-robotic-manual-cell-culture.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:08:19 EST news687521281 Stanford researchers have developed a flexible material that can quickly change its surface texture and colors, offering potential applications in camouflage, art, robotics, and even nanoscale bioengineering. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-flexible-material-mimics-octopus-skin.html Nanophysics Wed, 07 Jan 2026 14:20:04 EST news687017423 A low-cost, simple robotic apple picker arm developed by Washington State University researchers may someday help with fruit picking and other farm chores. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-inflatable-fabric-robotic-arm-apples.html Biotechnology Wed, 07 Jan 2026 09:25:34 EST news687000301 In the agricultural sector, labor shortages are increasing the need for automated harvesting using robots. However, some fruits, like tomatoes, are tricky to harvest. Tomatoes typically bear fruit in clusters, requiring robots to pick the ripe ones while leaving the rest on the vine, demanding advanced decision-making and control capabilities. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-robocrop-robots-tomatoes.html Biotechnology Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:27:29 EST news684430021 Stanford researchers have become the first to demonstrate that machine-learning control can safely guide a robot aboard the ISS, laying the groundwork for more autonomous space missions. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ai-advances-robot-international-space.html Space Exploration Fri, 05 Dec 2025 05:52:23 EST news684136321 NASA and industry partners will fly and operate a commercial robotic arm in low Earth orbit through the Fly Foundational Robots mission set to launch in late 2027. This mission aims to revolutionize in-space operations, a critical capability for sustainably living and working on other planets. By enabling this technology demonstration, NASA is fostering the in-space robotics industry to unlock valuable tools for future scientific discovery and exploration missions. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-nasa-fly-foundational-robots-demo.html Space Exploration Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:04:36 EST news683978642 Vehicles and buildings designed to enable survival in extreme environments, such as spacecraft, submarines and sealed shelters, heavily rely on systems for the management of carbon dioxide (CO2). These are technologies that can remove and release CO2, ensuring that the air remains breathable for a long time. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-tiny-reconfigurable-robots-carbon-dioxide.html Nanomaterials Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:16:13 EST news683543749 The presence of robots in schools is no longer surprising. How do elementary school children treat humanoid robots? Are they polite to them, and willing to attribute human-like qualities to them? Researchers from SWPS University have shown that in most cases, children treat robots politely, and younger children and girls are more likely to perceive them as possessing human-like qualities. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-polite-robots-schools-prompt-children.html Education Wed, 26 Nov 2025 15:30:28 EST news683393401 Social robots can be a non-threatening way for children to improve their reading skills, researchers say. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-personalized-social-robots-boost-children.html Education Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:04:04 EST news683204641 NASA astronaut Jonny Kim took this photo on July 23, 2025, as the International Space Station orbited 259 miles above a cloudy Pacific Ocean southwest of Mexico. Visible in the image is the 57.7-foot-long Canadarm2 robotic arm, which extends from a data grapple fixture on the International Space Station's Harmony module. Attached to its latching end effector is Dextre, the station's fine-tuned robotic hand designed for delicate external maintenance tasks. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-image-robotic-iss.html Space Exploration Fri, 14 Nov 2025 08:38:02 EST news682331881 Touch the branches of Leptogorgia chilensis, a soft coral found along the Pacific coast from California to Chile, and its flexible arms stiffen. Penn Engineers have discovered the mechanism underlying this astonishing ability, one that could advance fields as varied as medicine, robotics and manufacturing. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-discovery-coral-stiffens-skeleton-demand.html Plants & Animals Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:00:07 EDT news680781833 Using simulations, robots, and live fish, scientists at EPFL and Duke University have replicated the neural circuitry that allows zebrafish to react to visual stimuli and maintain their position in flowing water. They provide a complete picture of how brain circuits, body mechanics, and the environment work together to control behavior. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-roboticists-reverse-zebrafish-sensorimotor.html Plants & Animals Wed, 22 Oct 2025 13:18:22 EDT news680357887 The China National Space Administration's (CNSA) Tianwen-2 probe is currently at a distance of about 43 million km (26.7 million mi) from Earth. This places it in a stable geosynchronous orbit (GSO) and almost halfway between its first destination, the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) 469219 Kamo'oalewa, which is still 45 million km (~28 million mi) away. As is customary for interplanetary missions, its controllers are using the flight phase to test the spacecraft's instruments and make sure they are in working order. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-tianwen-probe-selfie-earth-china.html Space Exploration Wed, 08 Oct 2025 10:03:03 EDT news679136582 Trawling restrictions not only benefit fish and shellfish; anemones and corals are also becoming more common, according to a new study from the University of Gothenburg. Twenty-six years of underwater videos from the depths of the Koster Sea also show long-term changes in the ecosystem as the water becomes warmer. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-unique-videos-trawling-restrictions-life.html Plants & Animals Fri, 03 Oct 2025 09:20:15 EDT news678701997 Researchers from the Skoltech Engineering Center's Hierarchically Structured Materials Laboratory, in collaboration with colleagues from MISIS University and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, have for the first time observed nanoscale transformations in ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene—a material possessing a shape memory effect—in real time. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-scientists-memory-smart-plastic.html Nanophysics Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:18:03 EDT news678529081 Machine-learning models can speed up the discovery of new materials by making predictions and suggesting experiments. But most models today only consider a few specific types of data or variables. Compare that with human scientists who work in a collaborative environment and consider experimental results, the broader scientific literature, imaging and structural analysis, personal experience or intuition, and input from colleagues and peer reviewers. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-ai-driven-blends-literature-robotics.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 25 Sep 2025 14:34:05 EDT news678029641 A team of researchers from the Soft Robotics for Human Cooperation and Rehabilitation Lab at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) in Genova has conceived and developed Frasky, a new robotic prototype able to navigate and perform operations autonomously within vineyards. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-robot-vineyard-applications.html Biotechnology Thu, 18 Sep 2025 10:16:05 EDT news677409361 Different parts of Mars have different advantages and disadvantages when it comes to their available resources, just like Earth. The polar caps are likely the most valuable in terms of their water content, which will be critical to any early stage crewed mission to the red planet. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-rover-martian-volcanoes.html Space Exploration Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:27:04 EDT news677237222 For many children, the transition from learning to read to reading to learn is a crucial and sometimes nervewracking milestone. Reading aloud in class is intended to foster fluency and confidence, but for many students, it may spark anxiety that can hinder literacy development well into adulthood. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-robots-kids-conquer-anxiety.html Education Wed, 10 Sep 2025 14:00:14 EDT news676653241 Many lonely people would rather deal with a robot than interact with an actual human, according to research co-led by Newcastle University. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-lonely-people-robot-human-interaction.html Social Sciences Wed, 10 Sep 2025 13:20:05 EDT news676727495 The latest version of an autonomous robot that can scout for grape diseases in vineyards in near-real time, with an accuracy that matches highly trained human scouts, will one day help track crop-killing pathogens with minimal labor. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-robot-humans-scouting-vineyard-diseases.html Plants & Animals Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:42:48 EDT news676564962 Carlotta Rigotti, postdoctoral researcher at eLaw—Center for Law and Digital Technologies, has published a new article, "Desire in Code: Legal Perspectives on Sex Robots and Consent," in Law, Culture and the Humanities. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-desire-code-legal-perspectives-sex.html Social Sciences Thu, 04 Sep 2025 15:42:23 EDT news676219342 Strawberries are delicate and hard to harvest—easily bruised and often hidden under a canopy of leaves. This creates headaches for scientists trying to design robotic harvesters. Now a Washington State University-led team has designed one that combines an artificial-intelligence vision system, soft silicone "fingers," and a fan that gently moves leaves out of the way to get at hidden fruit. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-robotic-harvester-ai-vision-soft.html Biotechnology Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:50:03 EDT news676198201 Farmers might be able to get help tending and harvesting crops using a new sensing technology from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute (RI). Researchers have invented a tool called SonicBoom that can find crops like apples based on the sound they make. The novel technology, still in the early stages of development, may someday be used by farm robots for tasks like pruning vines or locating ripe apples hidden among the leaves. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-agricultural-sensor-crops-vibrations-alternative.html Biotechnology Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:23:04 EDT news674407382 In the not-too-distant future, the search for signs of life on Mars and the moon could see the next generation of robots exploring a new frontier: subsurface lava tubes. These missions could also help us determine the best locations for establishing human bases. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-robots-team-explore-planetary-lava.html Space Exploration Thu, 14 Aug 2025 11:50:01 EDT news674387372