Phys.org news

Phys.org / White-rot fungi show promise for reducing pharmaceutical residues in biosolids

Antidepressants and other psychoactive drugs are designed to affect the human brain. But after they enter the water system in excrement or unused drugs flushed down the drain, traces of these compounds can enter the environment ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / How AI deep learning is helping scientists protect California's coastal ecosystems

Researchers at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability have developed the most high-resolution statewide maps of California's kelp forests to date, giving researchers, conservationists and community members ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Durable dual-atom catalyst enables high-temperature CO₂ to CO conversion

The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into carbon monoxide (CO), an industrial feedstock, has attracted significant attention as a key step for producing synthetic fuels and chemical products. However, because CO₂ is ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / 3D model predicts mosquito flight paths from sight and CO₂ cues

A mosquito finds its target with the help of certain cues in its environment, such as a person's silhouette and the carbon dioxide they exhale. Now researchers at MIT and Georgia Tech have found that these visual and chemical ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / California's lead-ammo bans are working, but expanding condor ranges undercut gains

Recent data showing an increase in lead exposure and deaths among critically endangered California condors seems to fly in the face of decades of conservation measures, including bans on lead bullets and public-education ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Protein sequencing advance offers new insights into life's foundations

Proteins, one of the smallest building blocks of life on Earth, hold promise for answering some of biology's biggest questions. Consisting of amino acids strung together into peptide chains, these molecules perform much of ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Cell-inspired sensor can monitor blood for 10 hours without sensitivity loss

A team led by La Trobe University has drawn inspiration from nature to develop a breakthrough sensor that can rapidly track tiny molecular changes in blood, paving the way to real-time, personalized medicine. The discovery ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Rapid melting of Antarctic sea ice is largely driven by ocean warming, research reveals

Sea ice around Antarctica expanded for several decades until a dramatic decline in 2015. The reasons behind this are revealed by research led by the University of Gothenburg, which is published in Nature Climate Change.

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / What makes a genus real? Scientists use tree bats to evaluate a testable '2 Sigma Genus Concept'

Dr. Amy Baird, Professor of Biology at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD), and her colleagues are seeking to change the attitude of biologists toward the meaning of taxonomic categories above the species level with ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Plant survival under three simultaneous stressors may hinge on a single protein

Researchers at the University of Missouri have discovered certain proteins may be the key to saving plants' lives when multiple stressors hit at the same time. This knowledge may one day lead to crops that are more resistant ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Finding Easter eggs in entertainment boosts enjoyment and fan behavior, study finds

If you've watched popular movies or television shows in the last decade, there's a good chance you've found an Easter egg or two: not an actual brightly colored egg but a subtle reference to another movie or story in the ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Beavers can convert stream corridors to persistent carbon sinks

Beavers could engineer riverbeds into promising carbon dioxide sinks, according to a new international study led by researchers at the University of Birmingham. The paper, published in Communications Earth & Environment, ...

Mar 18, 2026