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Science & Environment

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Soil bacteria share amino acids, helping nearly half survive nutrient gaps

Bacteria, too, depend on good neighborly relations: A new study by the Osnabr

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 9:50 pm

Floating wetlands slash wastewater greenhouse gas emissions, according to study

A world-first trial of floating wetland pods in wastewater lagoons shows they cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than a quarter, highlighting their potential as a nature-based solution for decarbonizing the water sector.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 9:50 pm

Tiny root hairs, big impact: How bacteria help plants survive drought

What helps plants cope better with drought? With heat waves and periods of extreme drought becoming increasingly common worldwide, the need for drought-tolerant plants is increasingly urgent. With the help of bacteria, plants can unlock traits that help them cope with drought, securing biodiversity and food safety.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 9:30 pm

As California embraces universal transitional kindergarten, the state

Last spring, UC Berkeley researcher Anna Powell sat in on a Zoom call as a number of Bay Area child care center leaders discussed, with sympathy and frustration, the difficult position their businesses were in.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 9:30 pm

Antarctic bacteria share

Antarctica is one of the driest, coldest places on Earth. Very little life survives its extremes. In the soils scattered around the frozen ice sheets, however, communities of microbes do survive. And one of the keys to their success is a surprisingly communal strategy.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 9:10 pm

A forecast is not a decision: Design engineering for drought preparedness

More than 80 countries face chronic drought, yet only a third have systems in place to act before a drought arrives rather than after. The gap is costly. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, every $1 invested in anticipatory action can save up to $7 in averted losses, while also helping protect lives and livelihoods before crisis conditions take hold. Acting early works. So why don

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 9:10 pm

Making the case for independent science

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 8:50 pm

Hidden in plain sight: New evidence links Henry VIII

Dr. Christopher Moore, a research fellow and former Ph.D. researcher in hidden and lost heritage at Kent, combined archive records with architectural evidence to link the 1883

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 8:30 pm

Tiny ocean plankton hold clues to the future of Maine lobster

The future of Maine

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 8:30 pm

Borneo forest fires spike again: Why El Ni

Forest and land fires across Indonesia have spiked once again. News and social media in the country are flooded with images of thick plumes of smoke from Kalimantan (or Borneo)

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 8:10 pm

LST-1 and MAGIC telescopes shatter distance record for the very high-energy blazar OP 313

On Aug. 15, the CTAO LST Collaboration and the MAGIC Collaboration released findings from observations of OP 313, the most distant very-high-energy blazar ever recorded. The paper, published in Astronomy

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 8:10 pm

Reframing Homer

Though they are pivotal to Homer

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 7:50 pm

How chromosomes find their partners

For a long time, so-called satellite DNA was considered largely worthless. Now, ETH Zurich researchers have shown in fruit flies that these repetitive sections of genetic material act as a kind of barcode, enabling the correct chromosomes to recognize one another.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 7:50 pm

Scientists identify design rules for the best thermoelectric materials

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used a theoretical framework to derive design rules for creating new thermoelectric materials. The efficiency of converting thermal energy to electricity is often determined by parameters that strongly depend on each other, making it difficult to identify ideal recipes.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 7:30 pm

Long-term study reveals hidden threat of schistosomiasis in endangered chimpanzees

A 12-year study of rescued chimpanzees at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary (NICS) in Uganda has revealed persistent intestinal schistosomiasis infections, highlighting the need for long-term disease surveillance to protect endangered wildlife.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 7:10 pm

Dry landscapes and newly fallowed fields may raise California Valley fever risk

Researchers at UC San Diego and UC Berkeley have found that certain landscapes surrounding California communities are associated with differing rates of Valley fever, a fungal respiratory infection caused by inhaling spores carried in windblown dust.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 7:10 pm

Immigration can bring small overall gains but uneven wage effects

Immigration can produce a small economic gain for the native-born population overall while causing larger shifts in wages between different groups of workers, according to new research co-authored by King

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 6:50 pm

A 4-star system caught eclipsing itself in a way never seen before

Astronomers have found a four-star system doing something that has never been confirmed before. The system, TIC 433545934, has two close pairs of stars orbiting each other. While each pair eclipses its own two stars, as usual, only one pair eclipses the other. A paper outlining the properties of this unique system was submitted to the arXiv preprint server on Aug. 13. It has been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 6:40 pm

How to CT scan a 400-pound crocodile

At 61, Bill had begun showing changes in his health

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 6:30 pm

Why hundreds of scientists want more protection for Australia

Australia is one of the world

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 5:50 pm

Book Week is not just for big kids

Book Week is a great opportunity for parents and caregivers to inspire a love of reading in babies and toddlers.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 5:30 pm

Study finds food insecurity remains in historically redlined neighborhoods

Bad housing, high crime and poor schools are more important than transportation or income when it comes to accessing healthy food in neighborhoods historically subjected to

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 4:30 pm

Conservation vs development: Debate deepens over Kaziranga

As the Assam government plans to notify a site-specific eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), an ecologically fragile area, around Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve extending one to three kilometres from the existing boundary, public debate has intensified in both the mainstream and social media. Although the initiative complies with directives from the Supreme Court of India, [] The post Conservation vs development: Debate deepens over Kazirangas eco-sensitive zone appeared first on NorthEast Now .

NorthEast Now 24 Aug 2026 2:45 pm

Engineered yeasts help turn PET plastic and crop waste into protein-rich cookies

Plastic might be the last ingredient you would ever add to a cookie recipe. But a team of researchers is looking to change that. They

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 2:30 pm

Nanoparticle flu vaccine protects against three influenza strains in mice

A new nanoparticle vaccine could one day give patients immunity to the flu with fewer trips to the doctor and without requiring health officials to correctly guess which flu strains will become dominant each year.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 2:30 pm

Supreme Court bans construction within 100 metres of Jojari River in Rajasthan

This is the latest in a series of orders passed by the Supreme Court to protect the seasonal river, which has faced a barrage of contamination that has affected around two million lives in the water-starved State.

The Hindu 24 Aug 2026 11:15 am

Could teaching assistants be an overlooked teacher pipeline? New research says yes

As school districts continue searching for ways to recruit and retain teachers, new research from UNC-Chapel Hill suggests one promising pipeline may already be in classrooms: teaching assistants.

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 1:30 am

Collaborative drawing offers new insights into how strangers become friends

The closer two people grow, the more alike their brains work

Phys.org 24 Aug 2026 12:30 am

Oldest human brain cells grown in lab

Peppercorn-sized clumps of human brain cells grown in a lab for a record seven years aged similarly to those inside our heads, suggesting they

Phys.org 23 Aug 2026 10:30 pm

Hot temperatures can dull blue morpho butterflies

Blue morpho butterflies have captivated the human eye for centuries. We even have one as an emoji on our phones. In a recent experiment, researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) documented for the first time that hot temperatures during development can reduce the brightness of their iridescence. At hot temperatures, such as those projected in future warming scenarios, the structures responsible for their iridescent color could change enough that common bird predators and other butterflies of the same species would likely see a color change.

Phys.org 23 Aug 2026 8:30 pm

The superconducting gap of an ultrathin nickelate defies expectations

Superconductors are materials that carry electrical current with zero resistance below a specific critical temperature. In conventional superconductors, the transition to superconductivity generally occurs at very low temperatures.

Phys.org 23 Aug 2026 7:40 pm

Quantum computer microscope is set to significantly improve electron microscopy

Electron microscopes are used wherever particularly small details need to be imaged. But from a strictly physical point of view, every electron in a conventional electron microscope represents a missed opportunity: If all you do is count electrons, any additional quantum information they carry remains unused.

Phys.org 23 Aug 2026 6:30 pm

Transistors Changed Everything. Here

How a tiny little electronic switch sparked the computer revolution.

Wired 23 Aug 2026 4:30 pm

Is Expensive Bottled Water Actually Better for You?

Luxury water can contain different minerals and taste noticeably different. But a remote source, alkaline pH, and high price do not necessarily mean better hydration.

Wired 23 Aug 2026 2:30 pm

Supreme Court panel pulls up Assam Government for inaction on mining near Kaziranga

The rhino habitat has been in focus after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a plan to reduce its Eco-Sensitive Zone from the default 10 km

The Hindu 23 Aug 2026 2:11 pm

How we found Haida Gwaii

Scrambling through dense salal in the dark, weaving between the majestic western red cedars of northern Haida Gwaii, I could barely imagine where we were just days before

Phys.org 23 Aug 2026 4:30 am

Computer models pinpoint catalysts for replacing fossil-fueled ammonia production

Ammonia is one of the most important chemicals produced in the world, ranking second only to sulfuric acid in the total volume produced each year. It is used mostly to make fertilizer, which is essential to feeding the world

Phys.org 23 Aug 2026 2:30 am

The dynamic duo:

Biomolecular nanomachines, such as enzymes and molecular motors, are the workhorses behind the synthesis and organization of complex materials in life. Powered by chemical energy, they build, transport and organize biomolecules, allowing living systems to create and maintain highly ordered structures far from thermodynamic equilibrium.

Phys.org 23 Aug 2026 12:30 am

AI mapping reveals hidden stage of Arctic freeze with climate implications

As autumn gives way to winter across the Arctic, the ground doesn

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 10:30 pm

Heat wave-hit Europe logs over 30,000 excess summer deaths: First figures

Europe saw at least 30,000 excess deaths across a blistering summer of back-to-back heat waves and drought that scientists have blamed on man-made climate change, according to provisional figures.

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 9:50 pm

AI decodes DNA initiator sequence found in about 60% of human genes

Precise activation of tens of thousands of genes is critical for healthy development and growth. Specialized segments of our DNA are responsible for carefully orchestrating genetic sequences that result in the production of enzymes, hormones, proteins and other crucial components underlying cell structure and function. But if these genes are not correctly activated, cells can stop functioning or result in various disorders, including cancer.

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 9:10 pm

Thawing Arctic riverbeds may erode up to 10 times faster than unfrozen ground

Sometimes science throws up the unexpected. When a team of researchers set out to model river erosion in Canada

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 8:50 pm

A museum-shelf mystery reveals 6,500-year-old human tooth pendant in Serbia

More than 6,500 years ago, someone carefully drilled a hole in a human tooth, strung it on a cord and likely used it as a necklace. Found during field surveys at the Vin

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 8:30 pm

Animal genomes follow irreversible

A human, an octopus, and a coral could hardly look more different

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 6:30 pm

Four years after Supreme Court-formed panels nudge, Assam mum on construction in Kaziranga animal corridors

In March 2022, the Central Empowered Committee sought a response without delay from the Assam Chief Secretary on the list of activities undertaken in each of the nine corridors in violation of the Supreme Courts order on April 12, 2019

The Hindu 22 Aug 2026 3:08 pm

NASA Cancels Its Rescue Mission for the Aging Swift Telescope

The LINK probe was supposed to use robotic arms to capture Swift and lift it into a safe orbit. Problems with its control system forced NASA to call off the attempt.

Wired 22 Aug 2026 2:30 pm

U.K. forecasts biggest El Nino will smash records, spark hottest year

An El Nino weather event happens when warming sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific trigger worldwide changes in winds, atmospheric pressure and rainfall, as well as higher global temperatures overal

The Hindu 22 Aug 2026 12:13 pm

Assam elephant habitat recovery hope rides on biochar from invasive plants

A two-hectare area in Udalguri districts Khalingduar Reserve Forest has been selected for the project supported by the International Elephant Foundation

The Hindu 22 Aug 2026 12:12 pm

Bipartisan majorities in US favor banning glyphosate

Two-thirds of Americans favor banning the use of the herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular weedkiller Roundup, on crops grown in the United States, according to a nationally representative survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 7:30 am

Soccer ticket crackdowns and price hikes are excluding traditional fans

The new season of the English Premier League is almost ready to kick off, and with it comes another annual cycle of the national game. Each August brings hope and expectation for supporters, with an opportunity to start anew. But rather than excited anticipation, frustration, anger and anxiety are the overriding emotions of many fans.

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 5:10 am

Hydrogel platform uses vitamin B2 and blue light to simplify living tissue models

Researchers at Tampere University have developed a versatile hydrogel platform that makes it easier to create customized biomaterials for tissue engineering, disease modeling, drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Their plug-and-play crosslinking technology enables the design of a wide range of hydrogels in which biological molecules, such as proteins, peptides and nucleic acids, can be incorporated under gentle, cell-friendly conditions. The paper is published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 3:10 am

Nagaland inks deal for first private-sector solar plant

The 20 MW solar power project at Tizit is expected to help the State reduce its energy imports

The Hindu 22 Aug 2026 3:07 am

Climate change could triple the price of wheat

Bread, pasta and breakfast cereals may seem far removed from dry fields in North America, Europe or Asia. Yet when water shortages hit several of the world

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 2:50 am

Complex odors prove easier to map than expected with machine learning

If you want to describe a particular color, you could look to the Pantone color wheel to find its exact hue, saturation and brightness, and how it compares with other colors. But nothing like that has existed for complex odors.

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 2:30 am

Laser-cut aluminum foil could replace costly terahertz polarizers

When physicists at the ARC Centre for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) needed a key component for their terahertz experiments, they ran into a frustrating problem

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 2:10 am

Scientists map hair follicle formation in spacetime, advancing understanding of how organs develop

In a new research report, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have developed a technology that allows them to capture a 3D molecular

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 1:50 am

Here's what happened when this Army recruit's family missed his graduation

Heres what happened when this Army recruits family missed his graduation

India Today 22 Aug 2026 1:22 am

New Monte Carlo method accelerates simulations of densely entangled polymer melts

Long polymer chains are everywhere: in synthetic materials, soft matter, biological systems such as chromosomes, and mathematical models of filaments and knots. When many such chains are densely packed, they form what physicists call a polymer melt. In this crowded environment, each chain is constrained by the others around it. These entanglements are central to the behavior of polymeric materials, but they also make the systems extremely difficult to simulate. As chain length increases, the time needed to obtain a new independent configuration grows very rapidly. For very large systems, conventional simulations can therefore become computationally prohibitive.

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 1:10 am

Earlier this month, Romania sank 4 rock-filled barges into the Danube to keep its nuclear reactor running. Days later, the river rose 1.6 inches when forecasters had expected it to fall

Romania has deployed four rock-filled barges in the Danube to redirect scarce river water toward the Cernavod nuclear power plant as severe drought conditions threaten cooling supplies. The intervention produced an unexpected 1.6-inch rise in the river level, despite forecasts predicting an equal decline.

The Economic Times 22 Aug 2026 1:04 am

Realistic solid-state model brings fractons in quantum spin liquids closer to detection

Quasiparticles arise from the complex interaction of many particles in solids; for example, we describe lattice vibrations in crystals as phonons. Fractons are exotic quasiparticles that occur at the vertices of magnetic domain walls between different spin orders. What makes them special is that they are virtually immobile and can only be displaced by other fractons. In theory, this limited mobility could be exploited to robustly store quantum information.

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 12:50 am

New ROOT method charts a path to reversing biological changes once thought irreversible

Once a cell has locked into an abnormal state

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 12:30 am

Hidden chemical pathway could keep phosphorus from fueling lake algal blooms

Why do some lakes remain plagued by harmful algal blooms even after phosphorus pollution has been reduced? Part of the answer lies beneath the surface. A new Concordia study has uncovered a previously overlooked chemical process that can help trap phosphorus in lake sediments, preventing it from returning to the water, where it can fuel excessive plant and algal growth.

Phys.org 22 Aug 2026 12:10 am

16th-century shipwreck of a merchant vessel discovered off the coast of Ramatuelle in France accidentally when navy researchers scanned the seafloor in routine sonar investigations

16th-century shipwreck of a merchant vessel discovered off the coast of Ramatuelle in France accidentally when navy researchers scanned the seafloor in routine sonar investigations has led researchers to a ship lying 8,200 feet below the sea. Called Camarat 4, the wreck dates to the 16th century and contains ceramics, anchors, cannons and cauldrons. It is the deepest shipwreck found in French territorial waters.

The Economic Times 22 Aug 2026 12:05 am

UK forecasts

This year

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 11:50 pm

First 15 days of egg development may determine survival for California

Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon are California

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 11:30 pm

Autonomous ship operators

If a remotely operated oil tanker causes a spill, the shipowner remains responsible for compensating victims under existing international rules. But another question remains unresolved: Can the person controlling the ship from shore also be sued directly for negligence?

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 11:30 pm

Thunderquakes enable seismic imaging of Earth

Seismic waves produced by thunderstorms, called thunderquakes, can be used as a novel source for seismic imaging, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 11:30 pm

Arsenal vs Coventry City LIVE Streaming, English Premier League 2026-27 LIVE Telecast: When And Where To Watch

Arsenal vs Coventry City LIVE Streaming, English Premier League 2026-27: The Premier League returns for the 2026-27 season with Arsenal beginning their title defence.

NDTV 21 Aug 2026 11:28 pm

Noise annoys: On noise and the Patna High Court order

India must enforce noise pollution regulations uniformly and consistently

The Hindu 21 Aug 2026 11:19 pm

When and where to watch Neeraj Chopra live at Lausanne Diamond League?

Neeraj Chopra will return to action at the Lausanne Diamond League on Friday , with the Indian javelin star set to face one of his fiercest competitors in Sri Lankas Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, in a major South Asian contest. Chopra enters the meeting after winning silver at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, while Rumesh won gold.

India TV 21 Aug 2026 11:16 pm

Shipwrecks from WWI and WWII are polluting the North Sea

In April 1917, the German submarine UC-30 sailed beneath the waves off the coast of R

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 11:10 pm

Company mergers can cut costs without cutting prices for consumers, study finds

Merging companies might become cheaper and more efficient to run, but savings are not necessarily passed on to shoppers

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 10:50 pm

Patience predicts longer education paths and faster earnings growth, real-money experiment finds

Some teenagers are happy to wait for a bigger reward tomorrow rather than cash in today. Others would rather take the sure thing now

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 10:50 pm

LHC collisions reveal oxygen and neon

Many people are aware that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN smashes tiny subatomic particles together at nearly the speed of light to test foundational laws of physics and discover new fundamental particles, but some experiments also help scientists better visualize the actual structure of atoms we are already familiar with, like oxygen and neon.

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 10:40 pm

Twenty years and 7,500 fossils reveal what blurs Earth

In productive marine environments, a square meter (10.8 square feet) of seafloor can be perforated by hundreds to thousands of isolated and interconnected tunnels through which crawl and writhe a cornucopia of clams, shrimp, sea stars, sand dollars, snails, worms and other animals.

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 10:30 pm

The framing of nature changes how kids respond to environmental education

How to teach children to care about the environment? Beyond including climate change and biodiversity in the curriculum, researchers argue that environmental ethics

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 10:10 pm

Scientists uncover environmental cues behind black bear hibernation

New research from Virginia Tech scientists in the College of Natural Resources and Environment provides fresh insight into how environmental conditions influence black bear hibernation, with implications for wildlife management in today

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 10:10 pm

Inspired By Border When He Was 9, Bihar Man Realises Army Dream After 14 Attempts

I was deeply inspired by the character of 2nd Lieutenant Dharamvir, played by Akshaye Khanna, in 'Border', said Kishu Singh, who's now a Lieutenant

NDTV 21 Aug 2026 9:55 pm

When Justice Goes Viral

By Inderjit Badhwar There was a time when a courtroom was, quite literally, a room. What was said inside it travelled outward through judgments, legal reporting and, eventually, public discussion. Today, a courtroom can be watched live on a mobile phone, clipped within seconds and circulated to millions before the hearing itself has concluded. That [] The post When Justice Goes Viral appeared first on India Legal .

indialegallive 21 Aug 2026 7:31 pm

What is Contamination OCD? When Fear of Germs Takes Control of Your Life

Washing your hands more than usual? Discover what Contamination OCD really is. An expert explains the causes, signs, and how to regain control of your life.

Only My Health 21 Aug 2026 6:47 pm

Leaving abusive relationships can be harder for migrant women. Here

Like many women raised in traditional cultures and religious contexts, I was taught that a

Phys.org 21 Aug 2026 5:50 pm