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. As soon as you drive over the top of the Peak District and down into Sheffield you can see the light pollution—and it's horrible, said a participant in a research project into darkness and light pollution. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-national-dark-prompts-people-home.html Environment Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:47:48 EST news689860021 In order to build the computers and devices of tomorrow, we have to understand how they use energy today. That's harder than it sounds. Memory storage, information processing, and energy use in these technologies involve constant energy flow—systems never settle into thermodynamic balance. To complicate things further, one of the most precise ways to study these processes starts at the smallest scale: the quantum domain. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-quantum-dots-reveal-entropy-production.html General Physics Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:40:01 EST news689854258 Many organisms leverage showy colors for attracting mates. Because color is a property of light (determined by its wavelength), it is easy for humans to see how these colors are used in animal courting rituals. Less obvious to humans is the polarization of light—a property of light related to the direction the wave is oriented in. Humans can't perceive polarization, which may be why we weren't aware of the interesting way cuttlefish use it to attract mates. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-cuttlefish-polarized-display-invisible-humans.html Plants & Animals Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:00:02 EST news688741069 When a grizzly bear attacked a group of fourth- and fifth-graders in western Canada in late November 2025, it sparked more than a rescue effort for the 11 people injured—four with severe injuries. Local authorities began trying to find the specific bear that was involved in order to relocate or euthanize it, depending on the results of their assessment. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-facial-recognition-ecologists-wildlife.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Jan 2026 12:30:24 EST news687011401 Neuroscientists have been trying to understand how the brain processes visual information for over a century. The development of computational models inspired by the brain's layered organization, also known as deep neural networks (DNNs), have recently opened new exciting possibilities for research in this area. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-language-visual-human-brains-ai.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:30:05 EST news686920641 Stars and planets are inextricably linked. They form together and stars shape the fate of planets. Stars create the dusty protoplanetary disks that give birth to planets of all kinds. And when a star dies, planets are either blown apart, swallowed, or doomed to spend an eternity in cold and darkness. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-stars-planets-linked-key.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 06 Jan 2026 09:24:10 EST news686913662 Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk sits in her office, eyes fixed on the computer monitor in front of her. "You see it move its eye," says the UC Irvine associate professor of physiology and biophysics, pointing to an image of a Greenland shark slowly drifting through the murky Arctic Ocean. "The shark is tracking the light—it's fascinating." https://phys.org/news/2026-01-eye-greenland-sharks-vision-centuries.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Jan 2026 14:21:20 EST news686845261 The shift from warm summer to cool fall conditions can be stressful for many animals. Surviving each season requires a multitude of different physiological and behavioral traits that scientists are still working to understand. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-visual-butterflies-seasons-reveals.html Plants & Animals Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:47:16 EST news684146821 Galaxies like our Milky Way grew through cascading mergers of smaller galaxies that began billions of years ago. The ancient progenitors of galaxies like ours were small galaxies similar to modern-day dwarf galaxies like the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Research shows that both dwarf galaxies and ancient galaxies are less massive, have lower metallicity, and have lots of star-forming gas but relatively few stars. Astronomers try to understand ancient galaxies and how they grew to become so massive by studying dwarf galaxies that are interacting with each other and beginning to merge. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-galaxies-stars.html Astronomy Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:50:43 EST news683988602 The male Lady Amherst's pheasant knows how to put on a show when it comes to attracting mates. As well as elaborate courtship displays, they will unfurl their golden feathers to form a cape around their neck, which can prove irresistible to some females of the species. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-flashy-feathers-male-pheasant-species.html Evolution Wed, 26 Nov 2025 09:56:09 EST news683373342 At a time when millions of Americans have turkey on their minds, a team of researchers led by an animal scientist at Penn State has successfully tested a new way for poultry producers to keep their turkeys in sight. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-bird-drone-ai-tech-turkey.html Biotechnology Mon, 24 Nov 2025 21:20:01 EST news683212851 In an era driven by complex data, scientists are increasingly encountering information that doesn't lie neatly on flat, Euclidean surfaces. From 3D medical scans to robot orientations and AI transformations, much of today's data lives on curved geometric spaces, called Riemannian manifolds. Analyzing such data accurately has remained a challenge, especially when noise or outliers distort results. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-robust-huber-geometric-noise-outliers.html Mathematics Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:22:03 EST news682248121 A recent study from Oregon State University estimated that more than 3,500 animal species are at risk of extinction because of factors including habitat alterations, natural resources being overexploited, and climate change. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ai-vulnerable-ecosystems.html Ecology Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:55:49 EST news681468940 Almost 2 million years ago, a young ancient human died beside a spring near a lake in what is now Tanzania, in eastern Africa. After archaeologists uncovered his fossilized bones in 1960, they used them to define Homo habilis—the earliest known member of our own genus. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ai-reveals-predators-ancient-humans.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:49:27 EDT news680881758 Smart glasses that display information directly in the field of vision are considered a key technology of the future—but until now, their use has often failed due to cumbersome technology. However, efficient light-emitting pixels are ruled out by classical optics if their size is reduced to the wavelength of the emitted light. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-physicists-smallest-pixel-world.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 24 Oct 2025 08:57:03 EDT news680515021 Prof. Dr. Elif Nur Fırat Karalar from Koç University's Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and her team have uncovered the molecular mechanisms responsible for regulating a structure that plays a critical role in how cells communicate with their environment. Their new study has been published in Communications Biology. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-cell-antenna-malfunctions.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 16 Oct 2025 13:06:03 EDT news679838761 When Anil Menon launches into space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket next June, he'll bring two decades of experience as a physician, engineer, military pilot, and NASA flight surgeon—and a highly personal understanding of risk. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-astronaut.html Space Exploration Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:22:04 EDT news677416921 A new study has successfully demonstrated the confinement of terahertz (THz) light to nanoscale dimensions using a new type of layered material. This could lead to improvements in optoelectronic devices such as infrared emitters used in remote controls and night vision and terahertz optics desired for physical security and environmental sensing. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-layered-material-successfully-confines-terahertz.html Condensed Matter Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:19:04 EDT news677175541 "Fortress stores" with security-tagged chicken and steaks in wire security cages. GPS-tracked jars of instant coffee. Everything from toothpaste and deodorant to face creams, locked inside display cases, with buttons to call for staff. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-fortress-theft.html Economics & Business Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:46:04 EDT news676719961 For millennia humans have tried to scare wolves away from their livestock. Most of them didn't have drones. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-drones-blasting-acdc-scarlett-johansson.html Ecology Sun, 31 Aug 2025 10:53:11 EDT news675856376 Over the past decades, computer scientists have developed increasingly sophisticated sensors and machine learning algorithms that allow computer systems to process and interpret images and videos. This tech-powered capability, also referred to as machine vision, is proving to be highly advantageous for the manufacturing and production of food products, drinks, electronics, and various other goods. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-retina-photodiodes-advance-machine-vision.html Nanophysics Wed, 27 Aug 2025 07:00:02 EDT news675345373 When NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches in October 2026, it won't just be peering into the distant universe to study dark energy and exoplanets. This powerful observatory will also serve as Earth's newest guardian, helping scientists track and understand potentially dangerous asteroids and comets that could threaten our planet. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-roman-space-telescope-earth-asteroid.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 26 Aug 2025 09:40:05 EDT news675420002 In an advance at the intersection of neuromorphic engineering and photonics, researchers have developed an ionic-electronic photodetector that not only detects light but also performs in-sensor image processing, offering the potential to surpass some limitations of human vision—including color vision deficiencies. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ionic-electronic-photodetector-sensor-vision.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 04 Aug 2025 11:16:04 EDT news673524961 When astronauts began spending six months and more aboard the International Space Station, they started to notice changes in their vision. For example, many found that, as their mission progressed, they needed stronger reading glasses. Researchers studying this phenomenon identified swelling in the optic disk, which is where the optic nerve enters the retina, and flattening of the eye shape. These symptoms became known as Space-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS). https://phys.org/news/2025-07-vision-problems-emerge-astronauts-months.html Space Exploration Fri, 18 Jul 2025 11:20:05 EDT news672056400 A study published in npj Computational Materials presents a new AI system that uses computer vision and language processing to interpret complex polymer–solvent interactions such as swelling, gelation and dispersion from images and videos. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-ai-decode-polymersolvent-interactions-materials.html Polymers Thu, 10 Jul 2025 04:50:04 EDT news671341793 In blinding bright light or pitch-black dark, our eyes can adjust to extreme lighting conditions within a few minutes. The human vision system, including the eyes, neurons, and brain, can also learn and memorize settings to adapt faster the next time we encounter similar lighting challenges. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-robotic-eyes-mimic-human-vision.html Nanophysics Tue, 01 Jul 2025 11:00:01 EDT news670491110 As the dairy industry increasingly adopts automation with the use of sensors and robotics, researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife are helping producers harness this evolving technology to help optimize production and improve the health and well-being of dairy cattle. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-advances-precision-dairy-ai-powered.html Biotechnology Wed, 25 Jun 2025 16:56:05 EDT news670089362 The discovery of an unknown organelle inside our cells could open the door to new treatments for devastating inherited diseases. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-scientists-unknown-organelle-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 25 Jun 2025 10:19:10 EDT news670065546 Electric e-bikes make cycling easier, faster and more accessible. They are already playing an important role in reducing the environmental impact of transport, particularly when they replace a trip in a private car. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-bikes-environmental.html Environment Thu, 12 Jun 2025 10:52:05 EDT news668944322 New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) could potentially save your daily cup of coffee. The research has identified a new and quicker method to detect infections in coffee berries, which has the potential to save coffee crops around the world. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-faster-method-coffee-berry-infections.html Agriculture Wed, 11 Jun 2025 10:42:03 EDT news668857321