All News

Phys.org / Dolphins learn how to use tools to hunt for fish from their mothers

From spears and the invention of the wheel to smartphones and robots, human societies have been building and using tools from the beginning. Human tool use has helped conquer new environments, increase communication and ultimately ...

Aug 11, 2026
Phys.org / 'Lying mirror' uses structured surfaces to conceal optical information

Mirrors normally reveal what is placed in front of them, even when their curvature distorts a reflection. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have introduced a different optical concept: a "lying ...

Aug 10, 2026
Phys.org / Engineered enzymes forge carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bonds with high selectivity

Researchers from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, including Dr. Zachary Birch-Price and professor Anthony Green, have developed a new family of engineered enzymes that can create several different types of chemical ...

Aug 10, 2026
Phys.org / Water quality, not just scarcity, may shape future competition for a limited resource

Climate change is largely to blame for water scarcity. The low water levels in European rivers this summer speak volumes in that respect.

Aug 10, 2026
Phys.org / A coral among the stars: New species discovered on Costa Rica's deep-sea seamounts

Scientists exploring seamounts off the coast of Costa Rica have discovered a new coral so genetically and morphologically distinct that it required the creation of an entirely new family for its classification. Bright yellow ...

Aug 11, 2026
Phys.org / Economic losses from natural disasters fall to $100 bn in first half of 2026: Swiss Re

Economic losses from natural catastrophes worldwide are estimated to have reached $100 billion in the first half of this year, reinsurance group Swiss Re said Tuesday, a sharp decline from the same period last year.

Aug 11, 2026
Phys.org / Uncovering how Cryptococcus shifts from silent infection to killer fungus

For most healthy people, Cryptococcus is an unnoticed infection. The immune system walls it off in the lungs and keeps it dormant for life. But in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy, recovering from an organ transplant, ...

Aug 10, 2026
Phys.org / Photosynthetic microorganisms achieve long-lasting and renewable chemical production

Photosynthetic microorganisms can use light energy to convert carbon dioxide into useful compounds under mild, environmentally compatible conditions. However, many current photosynthetic production systems rely on cells growing ...

Aug 10, 2026
Phys.org / Swarms of tiny robots remove microplastics from soil and water

Microplastics, which are plastic particles under 5 millimeters, are a major and growing threat in both soil and water. They damage soil fertility, disrupt nutrient cycling, harm aquatic and terrestrial life, and can move ...

Aug 8, 2026
Phys.org / New species of mountain horned dragon identified in Thailand's high-altitude forests

Scientists have described a new species of lizard from the high mountain forests of western Thailand and have given it a name straight out of an American fantasy drama television series: Acanthosaura syrax, named after Syrax, ...

Aug 10, 2026
Tech Xplore / AI model captures how humans read, paving the way to personalized text and better augmented reality

Researchers at Aalto University, together with international partners, have developed the most accurate model yet of how humans read. The new model uses reinforcement learning, a type of AI used in robotics, to explain—and ...

Aug 10, 2026
Medical Xpress / Two-stage process helps metastatic cancer cells hide, then multiply in the lungs

Most cancer deaths are caused not by the initial tumor but by the spread of cancer cells to distant organs in the process called metastasis. Since it occurs at the cellular level, the earliest stages of metastasis are difficult ...

Aug 8, 2026