Phys.org news

Phys.org / Satellite launch pollution is rapidly accumulating in the upper atmosphere

The potent pollution from so-called megaconstellation satellite systems launched en masse into space since 2019 will account for nearly half (42%) of the total climate impact of space sector pollution by the end of the decade, ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / Buried in dark waters, viruses reshape one of Earth's largest carbon systems

Viruses play a far more active role in Earth's carbon cycle than previously understood, according to new research that reveals how they infect and control microbes responsible for carbon production in some of the planet's ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / What gives stevia its sweetness? Scientists uncover the genetic secret

Stevia is a widely used sweetener, but why do some stevia varieties taste cleaner and more sugar-like than others? Recent research conducted at the University of Toyama shows that stevia's sweetness is genetically linked ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / Meltwater flushed methane from Greenland seabed during ice-sheet retreat, researchers reveal

An international team of scientists has discovered that methane hydrates beneath the northwest Greenland continental shelf became rapidly destabilized by meltwater, releasing large stores of methane during ice-sheet retreat ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / Tiny ocean life helps scientists estimate whale prevalence off the California coast

A new approach to better assessing whale population data has emerged, led by a research team of marine biologists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and statisticians from Cal Poly. Scientists typically ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / A new model for predicting plant resistance can help prepare for climate change

A recent Minnesota Pollution Control Agency report found that climate change could cost Minnesotans more than $20 billion a year by 2040. This is just the local cost of a global problem. Ecosystem stability is essential to ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / New study provides rule of thumb to estimate land sustainability in river deltas

As densely populated coastal communities struggle to keep up with rising sea levels, new research reveals a way to predict how river deltas build land and protect coastal regions from encroaching oceans. This insight will ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / Biodegradable sensors attached to plants detect pesticides in 3 minutes

Researchers at the São Carlos Institute of Physics at the University of São Paulo (IFSC-USP) in Brazil, led by Paulo Augusto Raymundo-Pereira, have created biodegradable, "wearable" sensors for plants to monitor their health, ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / Machine-learning method maps the uncertainty of biodiversity scenarios: The Bigfoot connection

To effectively protect biodiversity in an era of climate change, ecologists first have to know where animal and plant species are located and then be able to predict what habitats will be available to them in the future. ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / We keep thanking machines and forests for one strange reason, and it is reshaping human bonds

Whether it's artificial intelligence programs or the Amazon rainforest, people often experience gratitude or protectiveness toward non-human entities because they perceive these entities as having good intentions, according ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / Large-scale eDNA survey reveals hidden factors that affect regional fish communities

As climate change and human activities continually ramp up, fish are forced to find ways to adapt. As fish move around to find more suitable habitats as ocean conditions shift, regional fish distributions change—which can ...

May 14, 2026
Phys.org / Sex-related differences in hoverfly eyes give insight into their aerodynamic powers

Many male hoverflies have bigger eyes than females, giving them the advantage of better optics and faster photoreceptors in high-speed pursuits to find a preferred partner to breed.

May 14, 2026