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. Letting late-summer weeds grow could help honeybees when they find it most challenging to gather nectar, according to new research published in the journal, Functional Ecology. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-honeybees-struggle-nectar-august-reveal.html Plants & Animals Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:10:01 EDT news706281421 The effects of global warming depend on species: The losers are legion, but a lucky few are winners. Now, researchers have shown that baleen whales are taking advantage of a newly opened-up fish bonanza in the Greenland Sea, east of Greenland and reaching to the Arctic Circle and beyond. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-summer-frenzies-whales-greenland.html Plants & Animals Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:01 EDT news706281241 The research team led by materials scientist Ralf Busch from Saarland University is preparing for its first science-in-space mission. If everything goes to plan, from 31 August the researchers will spend one week remotely studying metallic-glass alloys in experiments carried out on board the International Space Station, ISS. Working with the European Space Agency, ESA, and the German Aerospace Center, DLR, the team will investigate the properties of these alloys using hot, levitating droplets. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-levitating-molten-metal-iss-refine.html Materials Science Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:20:01 EDT news706331686 Researchers at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have discovered that fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) significantly impairs plants' ability to use water efficiently and absorb carbon dioxide. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fine-particle-pollution-undermine-ability.html Environment Wed, 19 Aug 2026 22:40:01 EDT news706373523 A patent-pending method developed and tested for multiple applications at Purdue University eliminates sample preparation, a bottleneck that currently dominates a laboratory scientist's time and budget, and enables spatial analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). https://phys.org/news/2026-08-multiomics-workflow-sample.html Biotechnology Wed, 19 Aug 2026 22:20:01 EDT news706355888 Remember the "Wow!" signal? That high-energy radio signature occurred in 1977, when Earth was much "quieter" in the radio band. If it happened today, it probably wouldn't even move the needle on the background noise of human radio chatter. Signals from satellites, radar and other human technology have crowded out extraterrestrial radio signals, limiting our ability to monitor the heavens for signals like the still-unexplained one received in 1977. What's more, the ionosphere partially blocks lower-frequency radio signals, making them even harder to detect from the ground. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-radio-telescope-moon.html Astronomy Wed, 19 Aug 2026 22:00:01 EDT news706373101 Dyadic coping is a potentially modifiable protective factor in the psychological health of middle-aged and older gastrointestinal cancer survivors, according to a study recently published in the European Journal of Cancer. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-couples-coping-skills-depression-gi.html Social Sciences Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:40:01 EDT news706373042 A decades-long collaboration between two scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is reshaping how we understand learning. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-memory-formation-membranes.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:20:01 EDT news706331718 Research in the International Journal of Sustainable Development has examined eight nations involved in World War II, both Allied and Axis countries, and shows how that period of history helped set societies on the path to the resource-intensive modern economies of today. The research links wartime mobilization to the period known as the Great Acceleration in energy use, material consumption and ultimately detrimental environmental impact. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-modern-consumption-patterns-wwii-mobilization.html Economics & Business Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:00:01 EDT news706372862 Amid increasingly stiff competition for capital, one way for a business to stand out is to make strong social impact pledges. For example, companies can voluntarily commit to environmental impact goals in hopes of attracting sustainability-minded investors and lowering the cost of capital. However, it isn't easy to tell whether these commitments, in and of themselves, make a difference in the marketplace—or, for that matter, to the planet. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-sustainability-commitments-consequences.html Economics & Business Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:40:02 EDT news706372741 In 1804, William Blake wrote in his poem Jerusalem of England's "green and pleasant" land. This idealized vision of English pastoral has resonated through two centuries, fusing the character of the nation with its landscape—those "mountains green" and "pleasant pastures." https://phys.org/news/2026-08-climate-rewriting-england-green-pleasant.html Environment Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:20:01 EDT news706355933 A team led by principal researcher Myungkwan Song of the Energy & Environment Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has developed an ultrasensitive ammonia gas sensor using an environmentally friendly, lead-free perovskite material. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-perovskite-based-sensor-ammonia-leaks.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:00:01 EDT news706372382 Changing the carbon source used during bacterial fermentation—essentially, what bacteria are fed—can significantly influence the properties of the sugar polymers they produce, known as bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPSs). https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bacterial-feedstock-flexible-biopolymers-stronger.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:40:03 EDT news706372261 Self-assembling, anthracene-based supramolecular nanofibers can enable excitons to migrate hundreds of nanometers, according to a new experimental finding by researchers at Science Tokyo. Coupling these nanofibers with a plasmonic gold nanohole substrate further doubles exciton diffusivity. By mitigating the limited diffusivity of singlet excitons in organic semiconductors, this approach offers a new strategy for improving optoelectronic technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-supramolecular-nanofibers-paired-nanohole-substrate.html Nanophysics Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:40:01 EDT news706378622 Where they could once hop and amble freely, urbanization is diminishing amphibians' habitats. Yet small-scale water bodies managed by people—such as those found in the gardens of Japan's temples, shrines and schools—remain within urban areas, providing oases for our moist neighbors. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-kyoto-gardens-habitats-local-amphibians.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:20:03 EDT news706370762 A new study finds that one side effect of Trump-era trade wars has been cheaper whiskey in much of the United States. But if you live in whiskey hubs Kentucky or Tennessee, your prices actually went up. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-foreign-tariffs-whiskey-cheaper.html Economics & Business Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:20:01 EDT news706375081 Nature provides resources to society, and the diversity of species (think of pollinators, for example) is expected to underpin human economies. So why are the poorest countries also those richest in wildlife, containing a high number of different species? The reason, according to new research, is that colonial exploitation of that biodiversity by now-rich countries created poverty legacies that persist today. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-legacy-colonial-biodiversity-exploitation-poverty.html Social Sciences Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:00:04 EDT news706356025 Rye is not only a hardy and high-yielding crop, but also possesses a valuable gene pool for wheat breeding. An international research team led by the IPK Leibniz Institute has significantly improved the foundations for research and breeding by publishing a high-quality reference genome sequence. For the first time, the sequence includes the complete centromeres of all seven chromosome pairs. Centromeres are important for the correct distribution of genetic information during cell division. The results of the study have now been published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rye-genome-uncovers-diversity-wheat.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:00:01 EDT news706374497 Photovoltaic technology, most commonly seen as bulky solar panels used on solar farms, is expected to become a dominant energy source by 2050. But these panels are often installed on land that might otherwise be used to grow crops and feed a burgeoning population. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-solar-panels-cool-crops-workers.html Earth Sciences Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:40:03 EDT news706367821 At the bottom of the ocean, optical fibers transmit telecommunications and internet data around the world. Waveguides make that feat possible by channeling and amplifying the light—and therefore the data within—over enormous distances. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-3d-ceramic-waveguide-lasers-surpass.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:40:01 EDT news706369441 A new study from researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has uncovered a previously unknown consequence of viral infection: Too much RNA inside a cell can disrupt its ability to produce energy. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rna-starve-cells-energy.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:30:03 EDT news706379761 Concerns about students cheating with AI are rife in schools and universities. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-aiwatermarking-party-students.html Education Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:20:04 EDT news706356060 How similar are "joy" and "surprise"? Conversely, how far apart are "joy" and "sadness"? We naturally organize words that express emotions—such as "happy," "afraid," and "angry"—according to similarities and differences in their meanings. However, investigating this entire structure using human participants alone is not easy because the number of comparisons rises rapidly as more emotion terms are included. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-prompts-tool-emotion-concepts.html Social Sciences Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:20:01 EDT news706365001 For a blue mussel, a good meal does not come entirely without risk. Blue mussels feed by filtering microscopic algae from seawater. But some unwelcome guests can slip in along with their food. Tiny parasite larvae can hitch a ride as the mussel pumps water in and out. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ecology-behavior-blue-mussels.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:10:01 EDT news706379641 Although climate change is already having a negative impact on crops, declines in yields have so far been offset by technological advances in agriculture. For field crops that do not rely on pollinators, however, this trend appears to be reversing. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-apples-react-differently-climate-wheat.html Ecology Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:00:03 EDT news706367641 Researchers from Monash University, in collaboration with the University of Warwick, have discovered how the bacterial antibiotic "gladiolin" can disarm Candida albicans, one of the leading causes of life-threatening fungal infections, opening new avenues for developing life-saving treatments. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-discovery-scientists-deadly-fungal-infections.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:00:01 EDT news706364881 A mysterious background of extremely low-frequency gravitational waves detected by networks of pulsars may carry information about events that began more than 13 billion years ago—including the formation of some of the first supermassive black holes in the universe. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dark-stars-left-gravitational-echoes.html Astronomy Wed, 19 Aug 2026 17:50:01 EDT news706379341 Lake Zurich's water level sank to its lowest level in 75 years on Wednesday, official measurements showed, as a drawn-out drought also took a toll on a range of other major Swiss lakes. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-lake-zurich-drought.html Environment Wed, 19 Aug 2026 17:40:04 EDT news706364898 Take a walk in London's Trafalgar Square this summer, and people of all body sizes—some tall, some short—will be wilting in the heat: a real mix of sizes. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-denisovans-tall-ancient-humans-skeptical.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 19 Aug 2026 17:40:01 EDT news706362662 For more than a decade, anglers on Lake Memphremagog—which straddles the Quebec–Vermont border—have been catching brown bullhead catfish marked with distinctive black lesions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-transmissible-cancer-bullhead-catfish.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 Aug 2026 17:20:02 EDT news706362422