Phys.org news

Phys.org / Climate doom may discourage climate action, but there's a way to counter it

Every summer is getting hotter. Wildfires are blazing, and the worst is yet to come. There's nothing to be done—we're doomed! Sound familiar?

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Curved surfaces reshape active materials, localizing vibrations near defects

Many materials, both living and engineered, are powered from within. Scientists have thoroughly investigated how such 'active' materials operate, but so far, mostly in circumstances where the curvature of the environment ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Rare satellite data reveal major limits in flood models

The Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine was destroyed on June 6, 2023. The event unleashed a catastrophic flood that forced thousands of residents to evacuate their communities as water levels rose 10 feet (3 meters) above normal.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Fifteen years of data link plastic pollution to seabird population losses

Every year, about 50 million metric tons of plastic is dumped into the environment. This waste entangles, chokes and poisons wildlife worldwide, including sable shearwaters living on the remote Australian island of Lord Howe. ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / 'Switchable' smart gel may pave way for next-gen drug delivery and sensing tech

University of Birmingham scientists have developed a new material that changes from a gel to a liquid-like state under ultraviolet light and can be rebuilt using heat or dismantled by acid.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / How only a few tree species drive Amazon forest recovery

When a destroyed section of the Amazon rainforest begins to recover, nature deploys only a few tree species that can withstand poor soil conditions and blazing sun and grow rapidly, a Brazilian study has shown.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Fiber-optic cable reveals hidden crevasses that could destabilize glaciers

In recent years, the Alps have experienced devastating glacier collapses: In September 2023, a section of the Marmolada glacier in the Dolomites collapsed, resulting in the deaths of seven mountaineers. Just over a year and ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Drier soils may turn late summer into prolonged extreme heat

The summers of recent years have been hot, but not unusual from a meteorological perspective. According to researchers at Leipzig University, though, the next extreme summer would far exceed anything we have experienced so ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Plants could transform how scientists measure the climate benefits of tidal marshes

Growing up in New Jersey, Emily Wilson regularly passed tidal marshes without giving them much thought. They were part of the coastal landscape—stretches of green and blue she saw from the road.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Yellowstone's past droughts may signal less geyser activity and more wildfires

A study led by a Montana State University research professor reveals how climate and hydrothermal activity have shaped the vegetation, wildfire and aquatic ecosystem histories of the Yellowstone Plateau over the past 15,000 ...

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / AI and 8 million digitized plant specimens reveal how the climate is changing nature in large parts of the world

AI optimists will be encouraged by a recent report on the state of the world's plants and fungi by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Aug 18, 2026
Phys.org / Building real-time control for engineered biological systems

Scientists can engineer living cells to perform useful tasks, from producing medicines and sustainable chemicals to detecting disease. Unlike traditional engineered systems, living cells are constantly changing as they grow, ...

Aug 18, 2026