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 / Integrative archaeogenetics reveal how Southern Andean communities adopted farming and endured crises

An interdisciplinary study published in Nature reconstructs over 2,000 years of population history in Argentina's Uspallata Valley (UV), a southern frontier of Andean farming spread in ancient times, with broader lessons ...

Mar 18, 2026
Phys.org / Satellite data reconstruct 2025 LA fires, showing rapid spread in first day

A severe drought, powerful Santa Ana winds and a not-fully-extinguished brushfire combined to create the most destructive wildfire in the history of Los Angeles in early 2025. The Palisades Fire, which fully ignited on Jan. ...

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 / 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 / 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 / Why heights and snakes still hit harder: Study tracks fear sweat in 119 people

Fear-eliciting images of modern and ancestral threats are equally likely to evoke physiological reactions, despite their distinct evolutionary origins, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by ...

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 / Fossilized whale skulls reveal feeding secrets of sharks 5 million years ago

A new study analyzing two fossilized whale skulls from around 5 million years ago has revealed fragments of sharks' teeth lodged inside them. This provides rare evidence of how sharks fed on whales in north European waters ...

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 / Colliding dust and the sparks of creation: Carbon-coated grains provide new clue to life's early energy

Two microscopic grains collide and produce a tiny spark. This phenomenon may have provided the energy to kick off life on Earth. But if these solid particles have the same composition, what factor causes the charge to flow ...

Mar 18, 2026