en-us Science X internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Every storybook opens a window for our imagination to be freed from the reality of the world around us and escape into the fictional world. While the author's words act as a guide, everyone experiences fiction in their own way, creating vivid mental pictures and even forming an emotional connection with the characters. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-worlds-readers.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:33 EDT news711885746 Researchers at the National University of Singapore's College of Design and Engineering (CDE) have developed a fiber that functions as pixels and senses touch at the same time, integrating 54 of them into a sleeve to create the world's first touchscreen built into a garment. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-thread-world-touchscreen-garment.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:08 EDT news711887822 Scientists have discovered a hidden layer of identity in plant root cells: an "environmental mode" that switches on in some cells and becomes more common when water is scarce. The study, led by Dr. Marina Oliva and professor Ryan Lister, from the ARC Center of Excellence in Plants for Space and The University of Western Australia's School of Molecular Sciences, examined how plant cells responded to drought conditions. The work is published in Nature https://phys.org/news/2026-10-drought-shifts-root-cells-newly.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:40:14 EDT news711888302 Artificial intelligence (AI) means high school and college students now have access to a resource that can potentially "do all the work for them." While this can reduce students' immediate stress about submitting assignments, it may negatively impact their long-term learning. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-2.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:20:31 EDT news711877157 In the future, quantum computers could solve complex problems where today's computers fall short, for example, in the development of new materials or supply-chain planning. To date, however, the systems have been prone to errors and their use is mainly limited to research labs. Moreover, software development standards are still lacking. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-blueprint-future-quantum-software.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:20:21 EDT news711889802 AI agents tend to do things when we give them specific commands, such as analyzing data and answering questions. But what would they do if left to their own devices? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-strand-ai-island-playing-games.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:03:55 EDT news711885714 The loss of Earth's animal and plant species is a crisis. Just don't call it an "extinction crisis" if you aim to mobilize public concern. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-word-choice-extinction-animals-biodiversity.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:40:01 EDT news711885121 Have you ever binge-watched Bluey or a British crime drama and caught yourself imitating the characters' accents out loud? Rest assured, you are not alone. While it's a common belief that picking up someone else's accent just happens automatically, new research from The Ohio State University suggests that people actually have considerable control over when they adopt or suppress someone else's accent. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-accent-lot.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:20:13 EDT news711884941 The moment we take a sip of our morning coffee or our first bite of lunch, the brain begins interpreting what we taste. Is it sweet? Sour? Or something else entirely? But the brain does not create flavor based solely on signals from the tongue. That is the finding of a new study from the Department of Food Science, published in Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-music-flavor-food.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:00:15 EDT news711877524 We've all done it: convinced ourselves that if we can't donate enough money to a cause, it's better not to give at all. But new research led by Jean Zhang, now a postdoctoral researcher at the Wharton School, suggests we're setting the bar for generosity far too high. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-people.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:00:37 EDT news711873675 Tiny underwater algae sway gently in the current. All of a sudden, a light shines on them and they form robotlike arms that start to pick up small rocks and put them in floating baskets. Sounds like science fiction, but researchers from Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) have created a small soft robot arm covered with minuscule algae that can grasp and lift objects. And it's powered by light. This next step in biotechnology has been published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-algae-powered-soft-robot-arm.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 05:39:19 EDT news711866320 Researchers studying facial movements have found that it's not just what you say, but what your face does when you say it, that counts when it comes to appearing confident when answering a question. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-brows-speakers-confident.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:40:11 EDT news711877322 Scientific estimates show that there should be between about 100 million and 1 billion stellar-mass black holes in the Milky Way. But they aren't easy to locate. They're not like supermassive black holes (SMBH) at the centers of galaxies. Those are usually easy to spot for different reasons. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-black-holes-neighborhood.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:40:07 EDT news711871458 There's a good reason why that fine china set or crystal stemware collection inherited from grandma sits in a box gathering dust in the basement. According to new research co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign marketing expert, consumers don't simply donate family heirlooms and move on from them when they no longer spark joy. Instead, they remain concerned with how those heritage goods will be passed on to new owners and whether their legacy will continue. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-family-legacy-heirs-donate-inherited.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:00:10 EDT news711865634 Citywide measures of urban sustainability can conceal sharp differences between neighborhoods. A city may appear to provide good streets overall while some areas lack greenery, openness or pedestrian-friendly space where diverse populations live. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-tokyo-streets-reveal-hidden-gaps.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:30:01 EDT news711865906 Eastern Australian humpback whales reach nearly their full adult size quickly, a new Griffith University–led study has found, as shown by the first contemporary growth curves for this recovering whale population. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-drone-reveal-rapid-early-growth.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:20:01 EDT news711871038 A generous parental leave reform was introduced in Estonia in 2004. This increased the likelihood of a second or third child being born into the family and also shortened the interval between births, according to Sanan Abdullayev's doctoral thesis, defended at Tallinn University. At the same time, taking shared parental leave did not necessarily mean that the father took time off work and assumed primary responsibility for the children while receiving the benefit. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-parental-benefit-people-children-estonia.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:30:01 EDT news711862232 Engineering students at the University of Cincinnati are developing an easy-to-use system to deploy autonomous drones in warehouses to take inventory and alert workers about leaks from containers. UC College of Engineering and Applied Science doctoral students Deepak Antony David and Luke Busse are working with Valvoline to use drones to log inventory and detect leaks that could damage entire pallets. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-drone-vr-warehouse.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:28:23 EDT news711872724 Young women are often exposed to social media content that can contribute to negative body image, but new research has found small, deliberate changes to their feeds could help reduce body image pressures. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-young-women-online-social-media.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:00:22 EDT news711870979 Giant manta rays can grow up to nine meters (30 feet) long with a disk size of seven meters (23 feet) across and weigh up to 2,000 kg (4,400 pounds). This size leaves them with very few natural enemies once they reach adulthood at around eight to 10 years old. But giant manta ray babies, called pups, cannot rely on their size to protect them from predators that live in the open ocean, including several species of shark and orcas. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-baby-manta-rays-hunker-coasts.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:01 EDT news711799141 The transportation sector is still responsible for around a third of greenhouse gas emissions. Shifting from private transportation—particularly vehicles with internal combustion engines—to electric public transportation offers a way to reduce emissions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-personalized-autonomous-mobility.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:20:01 EDT news711868464 Engineers at the University of Cincinnati are using sound to help NASA detect if a drone's motors or propellers are damaged to prevent a crash. UC College of Engineering and Applied Science doctoral student Prissha Chawla and her research partners recorded the various sounds that drones make when their propellers get chipped or cracked or their motor becomes damaged or begins to fail. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-potential-catastrophic-drone-failures.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:00:01 EDT news711862517 Picture a forlorn man walking into a lawyer's office after his marriage has collapsed. The bank is threatening foreclosure, and his finances are in tatters. His problems may be legal on paper, but in person they can look far more complicated: panic, shame or the numb resignation of someone who can no longer imagine a way out. He did not come for counseling, and his lawyer is not a therapist. Still, the attorney may be sitting beside him at the worst moment of his life—with a chance to help before despair slides into tragedy. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-legal-encounters-overlooked-opportunities-suicide.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:40:14 EDT news711870434 The old saying that one bad apple spoils the barrel suggests that an individual behaving badly can have a negative influence on the entire group. The idea now has some fresh scientific backing. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-people-bad-behavior-quickly.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:30:01 EDT news711806166 A crowdsourced verification system used by Elon Musk's X failed to flag a vast majority of false claims related to the U.S. midterm elections—including those promoted by the billionaire—a study said Wednesday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-community-flag-election-falsehoods.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:20:01 EDT news711863942 U.S. adults appear increasingly likely to view stress as an unavoidable part of daily life, according to the 2026 Stress in America survey by the American Psychological Association. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-costofliving-nation-future-stress-reshaping.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:20:08 EDT news711868935 Details have been published of a critical flaw in the programming language PHP, which is the backbone of more than 70% of all websites. Left unfixed, the flaw would allow hackers to easily take over and compromise millions of websites and the information held on their servers. In response, multiple European governments and operators including the Port of Rotterdam have taken websites offline. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-critical-flaw-affecting-websites-cybersecurity.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:20:06 EDT news711879082 Artificial intelligence has found critical security flaws in a major programming language called PHP, with many websites taken offline Thursday as organizations worldwide scramble to fend off would-be hackers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-websites-php-ai-hacking.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 05:00:05 EDT news711862993 Apple's first folding phone arrives in stores on Friday, bringing the advantages of a flexible display to iPhone loyalists. Such devices also have their own care and protection considerations. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-apple-duo-dos-donts.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 05:00:08 EDT news711862762 A new study by Miki Shibata, a professor at Hiroshima University's Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, reveals a paradox in Japan's English-medium higher education: Official English instruction coexists with local peer expectations that drive classroom interactions back into Japanese. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-implicit-language-hierarchies-english-taught.html Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:00:20 EDT news711876195 Imagine encountering a rattlesnake in your backyard or while on a hike. It will most likely "freeze" to avoid attracting attention, but if it feels especially threatened, it may rattle and even strike, delivering a painful dose of venom. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-rattlesnakes-alike-personality-venom.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:40:01 EDT news711793881 Populations of many pollinators, including bumblebees, have been crashing over the last few decades, thanks to the widespread use of chemical pesticides, loss of habitat and the acceleration of climate change. But it can be hard to know just how bad the problem is, or whether conservation strategies are helping, without relying on lethal traps—which can kill tens of thousands of bees in order to get an accurate count of their populations. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-bee-lethal.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:40:05 EDT news711817081 Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum have partnered with colleagues in Göttingen, Berlin, Paris and Essen to develop new optogenetic tools that can selectively inhibit cellular activity through light. These tools could help investigate diseases in which the balance between excitation and inhibition is disrupted, such as cardiac arrhythmias. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-optogenetic-tool-inhibits-neurons-heart.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:20:01 EDT news711814801 A new study from Indiana University shows that being in a positive mood leads orangutans to value what they learned more strongly. The study comes from the lab of Erica Cartmill, professor of animal behavior, anthropology and cognitive science in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington, and was led by Daan Laméris, a postdoctoral researcher at IU. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-laughter-orangutans-rewards.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:00:12 EDT news711793621 With artificial intelligence (AI) data centers consuming electricity at a growing rate, identifying a sustainable computing solution to offset these massive community and environmental disruptors is proving critical. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-brain-semiconductor-chips-smarter-greener.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:40:20 EDT news711818581 Although the main prey of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), migratory ungulates such as blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), now spend substantially less time within hyena territories than they did 30 years ago, hyena clans in the central Serengeti have remained largely stable. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-serengeti-hyenas-clans-stable-climate.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:40:08 EDT news711805081 Reclaiming the label "witch" has become an act of feminist solidarity. But are we recovering the women themselves, or a posthumous identity built from accusation rather than fact? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-powerful-women-witches-historical.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 23:40:01 EDT news711798345 A big-eyed, venomous primate that had not been documented in scientific literature since the 1930s has been hiding in plain sight on the Indonesian island of Bangka, turning up in backyards, along roadsides and on power lines and prompting local residents who find them to call the Alobi Wildlife Rescue Center for help. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-venomous-primate-thought-lost-science.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:40:01 EDT news711796023 Over the past 30 years, Swiss barn owls have become more reddish-brown and more heavily spotted. By analyzing the genomes of more than 3,000 birds, scientists at the University of Lausanne identified the genetic variants linked to these changes in plumage and revealed natural selection at work. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, show that evolution can happen rapidly in the wild. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-swiss-barn-owls-gradually.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:00:10 EDT news711803641 What causes adversaries to escalate conflicts into costly, prolonged wars even when neither side wants to fight? And in the fog of war, what might help them break that cycle and find a path to peace? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-fog-war-game-based-boundaries.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:00:13 EDT news711805381 Compulsive use of social media may be associated with a strong desire for reassurance among people who are afraid to rely on others and engage in face-to-face interactions, according to a study published Oct. 21, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Chris Bjornsen and Allen Harbaugh of Longwood University in the U.S. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-compulsive-social-media-linked-reliance.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:45 EDT news711733321 It's important for a robot not just to learn a task optimally, but to complete it without going off the rails of reasonable expectations. Until now, roboticists could have one or the other. Aerospace engineering researchers in The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, combined reinforcement learning with control theory to guarantee robot stability and improve tracking performance by up to 15% compared with existing methods. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-wheeled-flying-legged-robots-stay.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:20:10 EDT news711814381 Vultures were long thought to make few and fairly simple sounds. Yet no one had investigated in detail how the birds use sound to communicate. For his master's thesis in Jorg Massen's Vulture Cognition Lab, Connor Proudfoot studied the critically endangered Rüppell's vulture. He and his colleagues found that the birds produce a wide range of complex sounds, which they use in a range of social situations. The findings, published today in PLOS One, could help improve the success of captive breeding programs and shed light on the evolution of communication. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-silent-vultures-wide-range-communicate.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:01 EDT news711733021 Researchers led by Carina Hahn at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S., have found that forensic specialists in facial identification need only one or two features, such as eyes or ears, to identify a face when looking for a match. Published in PLOS One, the study found that specialists find ears to be the most useful but are capable of adapting when recognizing that another feature might be more beneficial. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-forensic-specialists-facial-features-individuals.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:28 EDT news711733561 More than 8,900 people aged under 30 were arrested for money laundering offenses in England and Wales between 2020 and 2025. That's more than six in 10 of all money laundering arrests recorded during the period. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-young-people-money-mules-crime.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 22:20:01 EDT news711804379 Imagine you're in the movie theater watching 2018's "Hereditary." During one of the film's most unsettling sequences, the main character, Peter, wakes up in bed disoriented. As he sits up, you hear a couple of gasps from others in the audience. The camera stays locked on Peter as he moves through his house and enters the dim living room. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-horror-exploit-human-vision-movies.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 22:00:01 EDT news711794699 The start of a new battery materials library could pave the way for future AI models to help scientists design sodium-ion batteries that charge faster, last longer and store more energy, according to new research from the University of Surrey. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-materials-library-ai-sodium-ion.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:00:08 EDT news711806281 Researchers at Keele University have discovered that migratory butterflies may use different navigation systems to find their way during migrations, highlighting the importance of understanding how different species may respond to environmental changes. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-butterfly-reveal-migrating-species-natural.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:20:01 EDT news711801421 Viruses are sneaky intruders, hijacking the internal machinery of host cells and replicating out of sight. Understanding these dynamics is the first step to developing effective antiviral strategies that could stop infections, but scientists have largely been left in the dark because there are limited tools to study how viruses move in space and time inside live infected cells, according to Joyce Jose, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-tool-tracks-viral-rna-infected.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:00:13 EDT news711800341 Physical education has traditionally been one of the most eagerly awaited classes of the school day, since it lets students get out of the classroom, move around and interact with their classmates in a different way—conditions that are conducive to learning values such as camaraderie and cooperation. However, the physical exposure and the dynamics of interaction, comparison and competition that the class can entail still make some students uneasy, and, in settings where bullying occurs, turn it into a potentially unsafe space. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-student-responsibility-shown-key-tackling.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 21:20:01 EDT news711803296 What happens when a young student gets a low math score? A parent may say, "Math has never been your strength." A teacher might write "careless" beside a calculation. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-schoolwork-feedback-young-students.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 20:20:08 EDT news711798316 By the time a child reaches the age of 4 or 5, most parents and caregivers have heard about "kindergarten readiness." But what if a 5-year-old still struggles to count to 10, sing the alphabet song or play cooperatively with other children? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-kindergarten-redshirting-retention-shifted-sharply.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:20:03 EDT news711799339 The 19th-century pastoralist Thomas Austin was homesick. He yearned for the pastimes of his home in England—especially rabbit hunting. He asked his family to send him some rabbits. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-humble-rabbit-australia-worst-species.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:40:10 EDT news711798196 The media habits of teens and young adults reflect transformative changes in modern storytelling and technology, and the entertainment industry and other content creators should pay attention, according to the latest "Teens and Screens" report from the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-annual-teens-screens-reveals-young.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:00:15 EDT news711796516 Imagine you have a bag you really like. It felt like "the one" when you bought it. Over time, it starts to look worn. There are some scuffs on it. Nothing is actually wrong with the bag, and it still works exactly as it should. Yet, once you notice those imperfections, you start thinking about buying a new one to replace it. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scuff-bag-dent-suddenly.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:20:05 EDT news711797302 In late 2026, a pilot project exploring the possibilities of using hydrogen and electricity to power heavy-duty transport on long-haul journeys will begin in Finland. The pilot aims to develop technology that contributes to the EU's objective of emission-free heavy road freight transport. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-chargeable-batteryfuel-cell-hybrid-emission.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:40:11 EDT news711794771 Whenever I drive amid the mazelike bustle of Tokyo's Shuto Expressway, where approximately 1 million vehicles transit daily, I see billboard advertisements for all manner of businesses: dentists, hotels, car and tire companies, and affordable funerals. Lots and lots of funerals. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-japan-expensive-funerals-declining-birthrates.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:40:15 EDT news711797354 A recent genomic survey of North Carolina black bears from mountain and coastal habitats reveals distinct differences in genetic health and diversity between the populations, with coastal bears exhibiting greater genetic fragility than mountain bears. The results could be used by wildlife management and law enforcement to ensure the health of both bears and the ecosystems they are part of. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-genetic-snapshot-north-carolina-black.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:10:01 EDT news711813241 Look closely at a face in a painting and you might think you know what emotion the person is experiencing. A smile suggests happiness. A furrowed brow might signal anger. Widened eyes could mean fear or surprise. But what happens when you ask lots of people the same question? Do they see the same emotion, or something more complicated? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-emotion.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:40:16 EDT news711796932 Climate change and changes in the way land is used are the two biggest threats to wildlife because they change the environment in which animals survive and thrive. Knowing how species respond to these pressures is central to planning conservation actions. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-africa-survive-climate.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:50:01 EDT news711804721 Less favorable ocean conditions mean marbled murrelet chicks take longer to leave the nest, making them more vulnerable to predation, according to a new study of the Pacific Northwest seabird by Oregon State University scientists. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-poor-ocean-conditions-murrelet-chicks.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:10:01 EDT news711805021 Adults are more objectively creative than preschoolers but are inhibited by anxiety and low self-confidence, according to a study published Oct. 21, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Janika Saretzki from the University of Graz, Austria, and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-preschoolers-creative-adults-theyre-confident.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:25 EDT news711693016 The trauma of war has long-lasting reverberations, influencing business decisions made decades later, argue Eun Hye Jo and Jenny Jung-Wha Lee, accounting professors at Costello College of Business based at George Mason University Korea. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-childhood-war-loom-large-ceos.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:00:28 EDT news711794894 An absence of women scientists in U.K. exam board specifications for science could be a factor in the disproportionate number of girls dropping STEM subjects at 16 and contribute to the gender gap in STEM careers, new research from the University of Cambridge has found. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-uk-exam-board-science-specifications.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:10:02 EDT news711799201 Marine heat waves are usually seen as destructive events that can disrupt entire ocean ecosystems and trigger massive environmental damage. In 2018 and 2019, an extreme heat wave hit the Bering Sea, causing spring sea ice levels to plummet. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bering-sea-linked-boom-hybrid.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:30:02 EDT news711795170 Sometimes, while people are interacting with each other, their movements and physiological responses can fall into step. Some past studies have linked synchronized bodily responses to cooperation and being attuned to the emotions of others. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-synchronized-bodily-responses-cooperation.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 06:40:01 EDT news711638284 Like a hack writer or a friend rehashing their glory days over and over, artificial intelligence tends to tell the same old story. For AI agents instructed to write fiction, that tale usually involves lighthouses and a keeper named Elias, according to new Cornell research. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-elias-lighthouse-keeper-ai-fiction.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:01 EDT news711628220 Scientists have proposed what they believe is the first method for detecting "mirror life"—a hypothetical form of life made from molecular building blocks that are the mirror image of those found naturally on Earth. Researchers at the University of Strathclyde and the Department of Chemistry at Durham University have outlined a new approach that could identify mirror organisms using molecules which emit left- and right-handed light. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-based-method-hypothetical-mirror-life.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:14 EDT news711798483 An international study led by the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC-UPF) in Barcelona, the Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona, Harvard University and the University of the Basque Country (EHU) has reconstructed the genetic history of the Iberian Peninsula between the first and eighth centuries A.D. using 243 ancient genomes from 31 archaeological sites. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-suebi-alans-visigoths-erase-deep.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:00:46 EDT news711719289 In most parts of Europe, bees have become less widespread during the last 100 years, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-century-picture-europe-bees.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:10:28 EDT news711722531 Could a magnetic field be used to identify in advance which OLEDs will keep smartphone and TV screens bright the longest? A KAIST research team has developed a technique that predicts OLED lifetime by analyzing small changes in brightness caused by a magnetic field. The technique reduces the need for long operating tests and is expected to support the development of longer-lasting displays. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-magnetic-field-blue-oled-lifetimes.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:20:01 EDT news711798901 Minecraft is one of the world's most popular video games, where players explore, gather resources, craft items and try to survive in a virtual universe constructed of 3D cubes that represent different materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-ai-slays-dragon-agents-conquer.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:15:14 EDT news711713568 Imagine you're involved with someone who knows exactly what captures your attention. They know what makes you laugh, what makes you angry and which topics you like to talk about. They've been paying attention. They've learned what keeps you engaged. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-beware-ai-throuple-technology-relationship.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 09:00:18 EDT news711791763 Researchers at Uppsala University have adapted Cell Painting, a widely used imaging method in drug discovery, to look at individual cells inside small 3D clusters of cancer cells. Two drugs that looked almost identical in ordinary flat cell cultures behaved differently in 3D, and the team linked the difference to how each drug switches on the cell's p53 stress response. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-transparent-minispheres-reveal-alike-cancer.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 05:00:02 EDT news711713161 In a new Nature Physics study, researchers found that fin regrowth in zebrafish is driven by a brief burst of growth signal at the fin tip, sized to the amount lost, which sets up gradients of Erk activity that guide the regrowth. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-regrowth-erk-gradients-zebrafish-fins.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:40:15 EDT news711626822 NASA researchers are developing the future of flight on Mars, laying the groundwork for helicopters with the ability to fly higher and farther while conducting science on the Red Planet. Using high-fidelity computer simulations and wind tunnel tests, engineers are reimagining the rotorcraft blades that could carry the next generation of Mars flyers. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nasa-experimental-mars-helicopter-blade.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:50:01 EDT news711720660 Imagine sitting on a city bus full of strangers. Look around at the people riding with you. If you needed help, how would you choose whom to trust? By scanning people's faces, your brain is already making interpretations about their personalities by judging certain facial features. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-personality-uncovers-key-patterns.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:20:12 EDT news711727442 Stanford researchers recently revealed how a seemingly physics-defying wireless communication technology works. The new technology, called thermal noise communication, harnesses background static that normally is the bane of radio, cellular and other wireless signals. In their new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team showed how a transmitter could deliver data to a receiver without any actively produced signal by manipulating tiny oscillations in voltage. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-background-static-wireless-generated-radio.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:20:01 EDT news711725283 The Orionids—one of two major meteor showers caused by remnants from Halley's Comet—will peak this week, though a large moon will dim visibility until after it sets late at night. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-orionid-meteor-shower.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 14:30:01 EDT news711722869 Migrating birds that breed in the Arctic are spreading avian influenza to polar bears in eastern Greenland, according to a new study that found evidence of infections in bear blood samples acquired from Greenland Inuit subsistence hunters. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-migratory-birds-avian-influenza-greenland.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:20:10 EDT news711794772 A Japanese spacecraft rocketed toward Mars on Tuesday on a quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-japan-spacecraft-mysterious-moons-mars.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 05:40:13 EDT news711693525 Cortisol is a hormone that helps humans and many other animals regulate their energy use and respond to changing conditions. For a long time, sharks and rays were believed to rely on a different steroid hormone for these functions, without producing cortisol themselves. Now, a new study of North Pacific spiny dogfish, a species of small shark, challenges this view. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-spiny-dogfish-blood-hormone-thought.html Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:00:01 EDT news711365171 As artificial intelligence becomes capable of producing sophisticated art in seconds, a new paper challenges us to rethink what makes human creativity valuable. The paper argues that while AI can bypass years of artistic training, it cannot replace the transformative experiences that give creativity its deeper meaning. The research suggests that the future of art may lie less in producing impressive works and more in using technology to inspire exploration, meaningful experiences and new ways of seeing the world. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-ai-art-seconds-creative-growth.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:40:01 EDT news711714181 The spectacled cobra (Naja naja) is one of India's "big four" snakes responsible for most serious snakebite cases. It is currently considered one species, which lives across much of South Asia, with regional differences in color, hood markings and venom. However, it's still unclear which regional cobra populations represent separate evolutionary groups. A new study published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution has helped parse out which groups have different lineages, and when and where they may have diverged from their ancestors. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-india-cobras-genetic-mainland-sri.html Thu, 15 Oct 2026 13:20:21 EDT news711282094 In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many households wiped down groceries with disinfectant before putting them away. Hand sanitizer was in short supply. With little information on how the virus spread, people became more cautious of germs from other people. A new University of California San Diego study suggests that humans may not be alone in changing behavior after experiencing a disease threat. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-humans-primates-cautious-germs-viral.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:00:16 EDT news711638425 Applying eyedrops is difficult in space, where there is almost no gravity. A KAIST research team has developed a wearable patch that delivers eyedrops to the eye without relying on gravity. The research team was led by Professor Ki-Hun Jeong from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, in collaboration with a research team led by Professor Se Joon Woo from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. The paper is published in the journal Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-eyedrops-space-wearable-patch-approach.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 17:00:04 EDT news711719304 Reindeer grazing changes the vegetation of northern pine forests below ground as well as above it. In a recent study in Finland, trees and understory vegetation in grazed forests had nearly 30% less shallow-root biomass than those in ungrazed areas. Root structure also changed, which may affect the ability of plants to take up water and nutrients. The research is published in the journal Oikos. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-reindeer-grazing-roots-forests.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:40:09 EDT news711794879 A team of researchers in India has developed a new compound capable of releasing both hydrogen and methane when heated at low temperatures. In their new study, published in Science Advances, the researchers show how this new compound can provide a foundation for creating recyclable molecular compounds for storing and delivering alternative fuel components. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-fuels-crystalline-compound.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:20:04 EDT news711633952 Large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude and Google Gemini are increasingly being used to help robots perform tasks, but what if LLMs could be exploited to turn helpful robots into harmful robots? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-secret-trigger-words-ai-powered.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:40:14 EDT news711732961 Male seahorses, fishes that belong to the Syngnathidae family, show a distinctive reproductive strategy in which males carry developing embryos in a brood pouch. Their most distinctive feature is the brood pouch on the ventral side of the male fish, into which the female fish transfers her eggs. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-male-seahorse-pouch-proteins-toxic.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:40:02 EDT news711726601 Researchers have discovered honey beehives act as "living immune systems" that help protect the bee colony, its offspring and food supplies from disease. The finding underlines the need to protect bee habitat to ensure their health. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-beehives-immune-layered-antimicrobial-defenses.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 18:00:11 EDT news711643621 A small stream of liquid flows quietly in midair, horizontally, as if inside an invisible tube. Nothing touches it. About 5 centimeters (2 inches) away, a cylinder lined with hundreds of tiny speakers surrounds the stream, yet there is no sound. The liquid simply keeps flowing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-ultrasound-tube-air.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:40:08 EDT news711707485 There are an estimated 10 quintillion insects alive on Earth at any given time. That's 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 individual insects. But how many species are there, why do we need them, and what would happen if their numbers continued to fall? Dr. Alex Dittrich, a zoologist at Nottingham Trent University, explains why these small creatures play such a big role in keeping our planet functioning. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-insects.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:00:01 EDT news711793877 People experiencing technology-facilitated abuse, such as spyware on a phone, an ex tracking their location or an abuser controlling their accounts, may encounter or turn to AI chatbots for help. But a new study led by researchers at NYU Tandon finds that the advice those systems provide is frequently inaccurate, incomplete or potentially unsafe to follow. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-ai-chatbots-unsafe-incomplete-advice.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:50:01 EDT news711797758 Bacteria get a bad reputation—with all the outbreaks, infections and deaths. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-infections-bacteria-reveal-medicines-crops.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 09:40:13 EDT news711785956 Two years after releasing its last virtual reality product, Meta has announced plans to release virtual reality (VR) glasses. They are due to reach the market in spring 2027. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-meta-virtual-reality-glasses-technology.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 09:40:05 EDT news711793399 For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have passed down their traditions and culture through oral storytelling. Now, a Canadian Indigenous community is using a data center to help preserve its heritage. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nation-community-canada-center-heritage.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 04:49:58 EDT news711776966 Close social relationships are known to contribute to the survival of many animals, including humans. Maintaining social bonds over time, however, can also require effort and sacrifices. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-social-bonds-wild-jackdaws.html Sun, 18 Oct 2026 10:20:01 EDT news711373350 The England-wide study involving 121 bereaved people from 13 ethnic backgrounds found that racism, language barriers and a lack of culturally appropriate support continue to prevent many people from accessing help after the death of someone close to them. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bereaved-people-ethnically-diverse-communities.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:00:24 EDT news711790104 The arrival of cooler weather following a summer of heat waves is a timely reminder that the U.K. electricity system must be resilient to the effects of temperature extremes at both ends of the thermometer. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-hot-cold-climate-extremes-uk.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:50:07 EDT news711799955 Your phone vibrates, a notification pops up, or you just take a quick glance at the screen. Even minor interruptions can affect your concentration—not least when you're in class. Now, a large randomized trial involving more than 16,000 students in India shows that teaching without access to mobile phones can improve students' academic performance. The researchers also found that students who experience phone-free teaching firsthand become more supportive of the restrictions. The research is published in Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-college-lessons-grades-large-randomized.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:01 EDT news711711183 At its best, negotiation is the art of mutual value creation. But once created, that value must be capitalized upon in the post-negotiation environment. That means the formal end of negotiations is often only the end of the beginning. Time will tell whether the gains and losses sustained during a negotiation are as solid as they seem when the counterparties get up from the table. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-aftermath-winners-losers-vice-versa.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 14:40:19 EDT news711713852 Self-driving electric taxi fleets could make transportation more efficient and sustainable, but only if vehicles can continuously make smart decisions about where to drive and when to recharge. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have now developed a new optimization method that enables near-optimal large-scale fleet control while accounting for uncertainties that arise in real-world transportation systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-method-driverless-electric-taxi-fleets.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:20:01 EDT news711795475 Researchers have developed an air-purifying vehicle technology that removes fine particulate matter from surrounding air as a vehicle moves and captures brake wear particles before they are released. The technology uses the vehicle's existing structure to purify roadside air and directly capture brake wear particles at the source. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-vehicle-filters-roadside-air-electric.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:00:16 EDT news711794727 A seven-minute virtual reality (VR) intervention can help students feel calmer, less anxious and better able to cope with academic pressure, according to new research from City St George's. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, come at a time when schools and universities across the U.K. seek new approaches to support student well-being amid growing concerns about stress, anxiety and overwhelm among young people. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-minute-virtual-reality-intervention-students.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:20:07 EDT news711716344 The twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026, collapsing buildings across northern Venezuela, from Yaracuy state to Caracas, have revived a question that follows every major quake: Why do some buildings fall while others nearby remain standing? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-collapse-earthquake-stay.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:00:05 EDT news711719194 Research by Columbia University faculty in the Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science has revealed a new insight that challenges long-held assumptions about the fundamental chemistry of lithium-ion batteries. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-lithium-ions-unexpected-clusters-battery.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:20:20 EDT news711719294 New research has found parents, guardians and nongamers may struggle to recognize video game loot boxes, their defining features and the digital receipts linked to purchases. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-parents-nongamers-struggle-video-game.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:00:02 EDT news711782962 South Korean authorities began a new attempt Wednesday to coax a shark-turned-viral sensation back to sea, with falling temperatures in the Busan canal where it is stranded raising concerns for its survival. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-south-korea-crowd-shark-sea.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 05:40:01 EDT news711777471 A research team led by distinguished professor Giuseppe Pezzotti at the Biomedical Engineering Center, Kansai Medical University (Japan), has demonstrated that differences in the molecular structures of viral RNA can be captured as "Raman barcodes," enabling the identification of 20 SARS-CoV-2 variants and subvariants. These findings are expected to contribute to the development of a rapid method for identifying newly emerging viral variants. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-raman-barcodes-distinguish-sars-cov.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:40:27 EDT news711713502 Small snakes called dwarf reedsnakes can escape danger by rolling rapidly along the ground. Researchers investigated how they perform this unusual form of locomotion using multi-angle video analyses. The results show that the snakes use precisely coordinated body movements that keep their heads facing the direction of travel and at a relatively stable height, even as the posterior body undergoes large rotational movements. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-wheels-dwarf-reedsnakes-bodies-high.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 11:00:04 EDT news711359649 Smart glasses need compact, efficient displays that can produce detailed images without drawing too much power. Laser beam scanning is one approach to meeting these requirements. Rather than using a fixed array of pixels, these displays steer a laser beam across the field of view, building an image point by point. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-voltage-photonic-chip-smart-glasses.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:06 EDT news711713575 In recent years, researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have been both leading and contributing to collaborative genome projects. These efforts have produced reference-quality genome assemblies for the Finnish brown hare and the mountain hare, as well as the Saimaa ringed seal, in collaboration with research partners. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-genomes-eastern-finnish-species-unique.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:20:01 EDT news711783026 Cephalopods, like the octopus, have specialized arms and suckers, but how these structures evolved from the simple bodies of their mollusk ancestors remains a mystery. Researchers from the University of Tokyo compared gene activity during embryonic development of cuttlefish, octopus and snail body parts. They found that several genes associated with appendage patterning showed expression along developing cephalopod arms, but no comparable patterns in developing suckers. Developing suckers instead expressed Ets1, a gene associated with early embryonic development in mollusks. The findings suggest cephalopods evolved suckers by reusing existing genes in new ways. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-octopus-cuttlefish-suckers-evolved-repurposing.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:30:01 EDT news711634621 Ask an AI chatbot to complete a personality questionnaire in English, then give it the Mandarin version, and its answers paint a different picture. In tests of five systems, switching languages changed how strongly the responses expressed qualities such as curiosity, cooperativeness and dependability. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-languages-chatbot-personality-results.html Sun, 18 Oct 2026 10:40:01 EDT news711380011 Apps that let businesses sell surplus food at a discount in "surplus bags" have become a popular way to keep edible food out of landfills while giving consumers access to lower-cost meals and groceries. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-surplus-food-apps-competition.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 07:20:06 EDT news711780077 If you've ever created a snowflake by folding, cutting and unfolding a piece of paper, you've practiced the art of kirigami. Like origami, kirigami has inspired innovations far beyond the elementary school classroom, with applications ranging from deployable structures for spacecraft to semiconductors. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-4d-biofabrication-technology-tissue-wound.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:40:12 EDT news711648422 For the first time, scientists have observed bleached corals on the brink of death fully recover through brief contact with healthy clones. Ghostly white corals returned to full health in a laboratory setting within seven weeks, the fastest documented recovery to date, according to a study published in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-reverse-coral.html Sun, 18 Oct 2026 12:00:01 EDT news711300075 Research in New Phytologist reveals a gene that regulates tea plants' flavor and cold tolerance, providing insights on how to expand the potential for better-tasting tea to be grown in a wider variety of locations. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-gene-tea-flavor-cold-tolerance.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 03:10:15 EDT news711635342 U.S. officials gave final approval Tuesday to the Boeing 737 MAX 10, certifying the latest long-delayed version of the popular single-aisle aircraft. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-certify-boeing-max-delays.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 04:56:26 EDT news711777354 Proteases are naturally occurring enzymes that break down proteins into peptides and even single amino acids. They are useful in medicine and industrial processes, where they clean tissue, digest waste and help in the manufacture of everyday products. Now scientists have used artificial intelligence to design new versions from scratch. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-molecular-scissors-protein.html Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:40:06 EDT news711294937 As part of U.S. welfare reforms in the 1990s to provide adequate financial support to low-income families while avoiding disincentivizing work, policymakers expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). This change encouraged people to work more by giving greater benefits with greater earned income, and single mothers faced stronger incentives to enter the workforce than married mothers. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-antipoverty-tax-credit-expansion-unintended.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 03:10:07 EDT news711689051 The use of robots, drones and AI tools in agriculture is already paying off on 42% of the world's cropland. This could increase to 50% in the next 20 years and to as much as 75% if every country tightened environmental regulations. If every country loosened its regulations, it would fall to 31%. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-smart-farming-profitable-regions-global.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 15:00:01 EDT news711618121 Green sawfish, distinguished by their long, sharklike bodies and tooth-lined "saw" on the front of their heads, are on the verge of extinction, largely due to overfishing and habitat loss. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-northern-australia-lifeboat-critically-endangered.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:00:01 EDT news711718261 Diverse and sustained social activities may boost cognitive performance and slow the decline in brain health associated with aging, suggest the findings of a large international study, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-diverse-sustained-social-boost-cognition.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:30:16 EDT news711607150 Advances in weed management technology could reduce reliance on herbicides and manual labor, but a new review from the University of Mississippi and Cornell University indicates those tools also bring steep costs and potential challenges. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-weed.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 20:00:07 EDT news711718874 A robot artificial intelligence (AI) system has been developed that can understand human instructions, predict what a scene will look like after an action and then carry out the task. Rather than simply translating instructions into physical movements, the technology also uses the anticipated outcomes of those actions to control the robot. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-robot-ai-future-scenes.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:20:01 EDT news711647401 Researchers already know that humans have a tendency to use egocentric anchoring—a cognitive bias in which people use their own preferences, beliefs and perspectives as a mental starting point (or anchor) to understand or predict what another person thinks, feels or prefers. This is not necessarily a sign of selfishness or self-importance, but a way for us to better understand others. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-strangers-easier-theyre.html Fri, 16 Oct 2026 16:40:02 EDT news711375971 Many owners will enthusiastically attest that their cat has improved their quality of life. Some studies support this common claim that caring for a feline friend has positive effects on human health and well-being. However, the evidence is inconsistent, and other studies have even reported possible negative effects of cat ownership. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-owners-cats-tend-positive-moods.html Fri, 16 Oct 2026 08:40:01 EDT news711353290 Large language models (LLMs), the artificial intelligence (AI) systems underpinning the functioning of ChatGPT and other conversational agents, are now widely used to source information, summarize texts and generate content for specific purposes. These models essentially generate their responses by predicting sequences of words based on the patterns they learned during previous training. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-llms-human-standard.html Thu, 15 Oct 2026 10:00:06 EDT news711199801 As humans and AI models roam the internet, they encounter lots of junk: clickbait headlines, misinformation, hashtags. Research by Dr. Zhengzhong Tu and his colleagues indicates that this junk-filled environment could be a cause for concern. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-llms-frivolous-online-content-brain.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:40:09 EDT news711633967 Until recently, buying a car meant obsessing over horsepower, transmission types and brand heritage. But step into the market today and the showroom floor looks entirely different. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-digital-natives-buying-electric-cars.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 20:20:08 EDT news711722104 Millions of large feral animals roam Australia. Pigs, camels, deer, horses, water buffalo, cattle and goats were introduced deliberately as transport, livestock or to hunt. Many have since established wild populations. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-feral-threatened-endangered-camels-banteng.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 17:50:04 EDT news711735961 A new study led by researchers at The University of Manchester has provided the first plant-wide assessment of chemical looping reforming, an emerging hydrogen production technology that combines hydrogen generation with built-in carbon capture. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-generation-hydrogen-production-built-carbon.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:00:01 EDT news711647221 Relatively few transgender athletes participate in high school and collegiate sports. Still, since 2020, 27 states have passed laws banning them from participating in sports based on their gender identity. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-transgender-sports-women-survey-story.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:20:01 EDT news711717136 Recently, shorter teacher certification programs have been introduced in different Canadian provinces. These programs are being implemented in Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Québec. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-shortening-canadian-teacher-devaluing.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 20:40:09 EDT news711720251 An analysis of more than 1,600 cases of purported reincarnation has revealed a striking correlation: The time between death and "rebirth" was shorter on average when records indicated that the prior person had died unexpectedly. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-pattern-emerges-reincarnation.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:00:05 EDT news711707296 SpaceX reported a bigger quarterly profit than expected Tuesday as its satellite communications operations and its business of leasing computing power to other companies boomed. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-spacex-profit-losses-satellite-leasing.html Wed, 21 Oct 2026 04:48:15 EDT news711776874 Researchers from the VUB's Artificial Intelligence Lab and the University of Namur (UNamur) demonstrate in a new large-scale study how autonomous AI systems can spontaneously develop a functional, shared language without human intervention. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-ai-agents-artificial-natural-language.html Thu, 15 Oct 2026 08:40:12 EDT news711272281 From The Traitors to everyday life, we often mistake nervousness, confidence or group suspicion for signs of deception. Dr Nadja Heym, Associate Professor in Personality Psychology and Psychopathology, explains why spotting a liar is harder than we think. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hard-liar-expert-psychology-deception.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:40:09 EDT news711714257 People who tackled arithmetic problems while stressed by a countdown clock, error buzzers and an observer nearby later gave potential losses less weight when deciding whether to accept a gamble. This finding from a new study suggests that pressure may change the balance between how people perceive what they could stand to gain and what they could lose. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-math-pressure-gamble-downside-smaller.html Wed, 14 Oct 2026 09:00:18 EDT news711115765 Meta's recently launched AI agent Muse promises to be many things: it can fire off emails, book vacations and fill out cumbersome online forms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-ai-agents-bargains-pays-price.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 17:40:01 EDT news711735422 Japanese scientists are readying a mission to Mars' moons to retrieve samples that could help unlock the origins of the solar system and life on Earth, in what aims to be the first round trip to the Martian region. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-japan-historic-mission-mars-moon.html Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:20:01 EDT news711555681 As artificial intelligence moves increasingly toward edge devices, researchers are exploring electronic components that can combine memory and information processing. Memristive and synaptic devices are of particular interest because their electrical conductance can retain information about previous inputs, providing a physical basis for brain-inspired computing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-transistor-combines-memory-brain.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:00:01 EDT news711725581 A research team led by Dr. Sun-Mi Hwang from the Clean Air Research Laboratory at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has developed catalysts as an all-in-one solution to address exhaust emissions from ammonia-fueled ships. This technology can simultaneously and cost-effectively remove various greenhouse gases from ammonia combustion and is expected to contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in the maritime industry. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-ammonia-fueled-ship-exhaust-treatment.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:20:01 EDT news711727201 It is a dietary staple found in sushi, rice wraps and ramen toppings. Commonly known as nori in Japan and gim in Korea, red seaweed is especially popular across Asia. Yet, despite its widespread consumption, many of its nutritional benefits remain poorly understood. Now, research led by Hokkaido University scientists has discovered that digestion of a particular red alga releases a peptide, or a small fragment of protein, with potential benefits for blood glucose control and diabetes prevention. The study was published in Food Bioscience. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-blood-sugarregulating-compound-red.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:40:14 EDT news711708140 Indonesian authorities were investigating Tuesday after a car-sized piece of debris, possibly from a Chinese rocket according to a government agency, crashed into a palm oil plantation near homes and work sites. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-indonesia-probes-chinese-rocket-fragment.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 05:46:08 EDT news711693934 Employees with autism may expend considerable time and effort modifying their behavior to meet workplace expectations, from rehearsing conversations and monitoring facial expressions to concealing sensory discomfort, according to a new study led by a Penn State researcher. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-employees-autism-hidden-labor-workplace.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:12 EDT news711708241 With the rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), transportation and power systems are increasingly closely interconnected, driving innovation but also introducing new vulnerabilities. Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have uncovered a novel cross-domain cyberattack whereby, rather than breaching a heavily guarded power communication network, an attacker need only manipulate EV charging navigation systems to redirect large numbers of vehicles to the same charging station, concentrating demand in a short period of time and potentially triggering local power outages or degrading grid reliability. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-discovery-domain-cyberattack-electric-vehicle.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 14:40:12 EDT news711720260 According to a new study, all employees like private rewards—a salary increase or glowing performance review that's not broadcast to others in the workplace—but narcissists also want to have rewards made public for their colleagues to see, the researchers found. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-workplace-narcissists-crave-quiet.html Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:40:24 EDT news711710654