Phys.org news

Phys.org / Artificial intelligence acts as an 'ideological chameleon' and may deepen political polarization

Researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, examined the ideological stance of large language models—artificial intelligence systems trained to understand and generate human ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Each degree of warming could add a month of intolerable heat for 1 billion people

The threat that rising temperatures fueled by climate change pose to the health of older people has been dramatically underestimated, according to a U.S. modeling study published Tuesday.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Novel plastic turns into a gas when heated—then reforms once cooled

In a study published in Macromolecules, researchers introduce a novel polymer that could simplify how materials are applied, removed and recycled by eliminating several complex processing steps used today.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Robotic ocean glider reveals giant phytoplankton chains in the Mediterranean Sea

Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography in Marseille, France, have discovered something surprising in the Mediterranean Sea: giant chains of phytoplankton.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Experiment shows how AI discoveries can shape human cultural evolution

Artificial intelligence can develop solutions that humans would be unlikely to discover on their own. But what happens when machines do more than solve individual problems and actually discover entirely new solution strategies? ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / New study links bad bosses with greater work intensity

Work intensity is significantly higher under poor line managers, according to new research led by Bayes Business School (City St George's, University of London) that could have strong implications for global occupational ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Study suggests three-quarters of Indo-Pacific coral reefs could drown as sea levels rise

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have found that most coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific may struggle to grow fast enough to keep pace with accelerating sea-level rise. Their study found ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Secrets of a mystery mammal from Patagonia revealed at last

Eight years of painstaking research on the virtually unknown Wolffsohn's viscacha have helped to shine the spotlight on this super-rare South American rodent and catalyze the conservation action it so urgently needs.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Loud snoring—simulation reveals the physical mechanism that keeps so many of us awake at night

Anyone who has had to share a room—or worse, a bed—with a loud snorer knows the effect unchecked snoring can have on sleep, sanity and emotional stability. An entire industry of products, technologies and treatments claims ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Double spiral inside narwhal tusks may explain their resistance to bending

The narwhal's impressive tusk has long been the subject of myths. In the Middle Ages, they were sold as unicorn horns believed to possess magical powers. Now, an international team of researchers led by Aarhus University ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / How to better forecast once-in-a-millennium weather events

For all that day-to-day weather forecasts have improved, it remains a challenge to forecast events that might happen once in 1,000 years—like the deadliest heat waves.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Most mammal species discovered in the Global South since 1990 end up in Northern collections

According to a study by Brazilian scientists published in the journal npj Biodiversity, most new mammal species described over the past 35 years are housed in institutions in countries of the so-called Global North, even ...

Aug 18, 2026