https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The rice disease bacterial leaf blight (for short: BB) is causing significant yield losses in Asia and Africa. It is triggered by the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), which has many distinct regional strains on various continents. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-advance-east-african-rice-harvests.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:20:15 EDT news712563979 Water is one of the most essential components of life, and many of its unique properties arise from interactions between its molecules. Hydrogen bonds influence water's physical properties, contribute to the formation of ice crystals and are crucial for normal biological processes. Understanding these interactions is fundamental to chemistry, physics and biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-waterpuzzle-magnets-hydrogen-bonds-classroom.html Education Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:20:04 EDT news712568618 China's leading universities face two overlapping pressures: competing globally while remaining aligned with national strategic priorities. A study of 132 university president–party secretary pairs, conducted by a Hiroshima University researcher, found that 53% had different but potentially complementary backgrounds and experience, the most common of three leadership configurations. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-china-universities-pair-leaders-complementary.html Education Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:00:06 EDT news712560982 When we think of extraterrestrial intelligence that might be out there among the stars, we tend to think of creatures not too unlike us, though maybe with gray skin, probably bald and with big black eyes. We focus on the familiar, humanoids. But there are many intelligent species on Earth that are nonhumanoid: dolphins, crows, pigs and—with swarm if not individual intelligence—ants and bees. The film "Arrival" conceived of hexapod beings more capable than humans and with a more sophisticated communication system. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-extraterrestrial-firefly-communications-distinguish-alien.html Astronomy Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:50:02 EDT news712568508 Walking has been shown to improve the overall health of a community and can predict the prevalence of chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to the World Health Organization. Because of this, city planners assess neighborhoods' walkability, which measures how built environments support walking, when planning improvements. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-resident-neighborhood-walkability.html Social Sciences Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:40:01 EDT news712562421 Once again, Australia's flying-foxes are in trouble. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-flyingfoxes-starving-crisis.html Ecology Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:20:06 EDT news712561940 For decades, physicists recognized only two types of magnetism that occur in materials without external influence: ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. In findings published in Science, a team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has delivered conclusive experimental proof of a third magnetic phase called altermagnetism. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-altermagnetism-geometric-experimental-proof.html Condensed Matter Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:20:01 EDT news712566421 New research from the University of California, Davis, reveals why adding crushed shells to beach sand helps protect shell-making animals—such as clams, oysters and mussels—from the detrimental effects of ocean acidification. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-indigenous-adding-shells-sand-young.html Plants & Animals Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:00:11 EDT news712565641 Burrowing shrimp are a pest well known to shellfish growers. These pale-bodied creatures excavate mud as they dig into the ground, creating piles of sediment that suffocate oysters and clams growing on the surface. In estuaries on the West Coast, shrimp beds reach densities of hundreds of shrimp per square meter, but the boundaries of the beds change. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-burrowing-shrimp-mudflat.html Plants & Animals Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:00:06 EDT news712560739 Graphene, a material consisting of a sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern, has proved promising for various technological applications. Materials in which several layers of graphene are stacked together can exhibit different advantageous properties. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-unusual-quantum-states-layer-graphene.html Superconductivity Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:40:06 EDT news712402259 Generally, intra- and intersexual interactions have been considered qualitatively different processes. However, same-sex sexual behavior is widespread in the animal kingdom, challenging this assumption. Recently, a hypothesis was proposed that regards territorial contests in butterflies, in which two males chase each other without apparent physical attack, as an initial phase of mating behavior. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-reexamining-sexual-species-recognition-butterflies.html Ecology Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:40:01 EDT news712560435 Prompting teachers to communicate high expectations and confidence in students' potential leads them to give more detailed feedback, according to a new study led by Yasemin Copur-Gencturk, Ph.D., a professor of education at USC Rossier and co-director of the USC STEM Center; Ian Thacker, Ph.D., an associate professor of educational psychology at The University of Texas at San Antonio; and Joseph Cimpian, Ph.D., a professor of economics and education policy at New York University. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-teachers-high-feedback-reveals-subtle.html Education Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:20:10 EDT news712556595 If you spend time watching online videos, you might feel like covering your ears. For some influencers, dropping f-bombs and other swear words is part of their brand, and their followers embrace it. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-profanity.html Social Sciences Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:00:01 EDT news712556297 Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a high-speed microscopy technique that captures images so quickly they can be used to make "videos" of the dynamic processes that occur inside living cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-high-microscopy-captures-3d-images.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:00:11 EDT news712488781 Our cells are a hotbed of activity, with reactions churning away to keep us alive. But the cytoplasm, where many metabolic reactions take place, is not uniform. Instead, proteins and other molecules cluster together into membraneless compartments, creating distinct, crowded microenvironments for reactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-crowding-enzyme-reactions-protein-droplets.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:00:02 EDT news712508233 Pollution from smoke emitted by months of wildfires across Indonesia caused an estimated 3,560 deaths in the vast Southeast Asian archipelago in September, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-pollution-people-indonesia-september.html Environment Fri, 30 Oct 2026 05:30:05 EDT news712556949 A collaborative research team led by Yasuhiro Kobori at Kobe University, together with researchers from Toho University, Saitama University, Nagoya Institute of Technology and the University of Freiburg, has identified a potential molecular mechanism that could enhance magnetic compass responses in cryptochrome, a blue-light-sensitive protein implicated in magnetoreception. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-small-molecular-nature-magnetic-compass.html Condensed Matter Fri, 30 Oct 2026 01:00:01 EDT news712482542 As NASA and its partners prepare for longer human missions beyond Earth, University of Florida researchers are investigating a challenge that could affect astronauts' ability to grow fresh food in space: plant disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-space-station-probe-disease-future.html Space Exploration Thu, 29 Oct 2026 23:00:01 EDT news712497029 A U.N. report finds that 252 million hectares (ha) (623 million acres) across 149 countries are being restored, creating more than 1 million green jobs—the largest documented global restoration effort to date. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-efforts-faster.html Environment Thu, 29 Oct 2026 22:40:01 EDT news712507201 A newly published study advances our knowledge of how microplastics may age in the environment and whether they stick to other contaminants as they do so. Microplastics (MPs) are tiny plastic pieces that measure less than 5 millimeters (about 0.2 inches) in length. The study looked at the aging of MPs made of three common polymer chemicals—polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene—to see if they changed as they aged and how that affected nearby contaminants. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-lab-aged-microplastics-enable-interactions.html Polymers Thu, 29 Oct 2026 22:20:01 EDT news712505882 A handful of soil holds a crowded world of bacteria, fungi and other organisms. Scientists can collect their DNA, but much of it remains difficult to identify. Now, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and partner institutions have developed an artificial intelligence tool that helps make sense of this genetic puzzle. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-tool-scientists-bacteria-hidden.html Ecology Thu, 29 Oct 2026 22:00:02 EDT news712505101 A University of Alicante (UA) study of 325 fiction series released in Spain between 2020 and 2024 has concluded that video-on-demand (VOD) platforms have not replaced traditional television. Instead, the two distribution models are developing new ways of collaborating and sharing content. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-television-gains-ground-streaming-platform.html Social Sciences Thu, 29 Oct 2026 21:40:01 EDT news712497452 A research team from Toyohashi University of Technology, the Institute for Molecular Science and the Institute of Science Tokyo, led by Yu Kinjo and professor Ryugo Tero of Toyohashi University of Technology, has developed a new method to investigate the state of water near material surfaces using X-rays. By combining X-ray absorption spectroscopy with data analysis, the researchers separated the weak signals of interfacial water from those of the much larger amount of surrounding water. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ray-method-isolates-faint-material.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 29 Oct 2026 21:20:01 EDT news712504261 Researchers have developed a tourist recommendation system combining three algorithms to help travelers find destinations suited to their preferences, budgets and travel routes. Details appear in the International Journal of Work Innovation and address a limitation of digital platforms that often prioritize popularity over practical considerations. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-tool-combines-algorithms-tailor-destination.html Economics & Business Thu, 29 Oct 2026 21:00:04 EDT news712501422 Most of us could spend our entire lives looking at the night sky and see very few changes. The moon becomes more or less illuminated, the planets drift placidly through the sky, satellites and the ISS intrude for a few moments at a time, and the bright, momentary streak of a meteor punctuates the occasional evening of stargazing. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nasa-uv-space-telescope.html Astronomy Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:40:01 EDT news712498499 As political campaigns increasingly use artificial intelligence to communicate with voters, questions arise about how the technology influences perceptions of election fairness and trust. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-partisan-voters-view-campaign-ai.html Political science Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:20:01 EDT news712499896 Aparna Shah teaches Virginia Tech students how the human eye turns light into sight. In May, she saw her dog lose his. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-eye-veterinarian-unique-treatment-dog.html Veterinary medicine Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:00:01 EDT news712499783 Evolutionary changes in a key protein synthesis enzyme, isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase (IleRS), may help bacteria fine-tune how quickly proteins are made, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan; the University of Zagreb Faculty of Science, Croatia; and ETH Zürich, Switzerland. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-evolutionary-key-enzyme-bacteria-proteins.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:40:05 EDT news712502284 In eThekwini, researchers have harnessed machine learning and satellite data to spot the city's most landslide-prone zones. A new study published in Scientific Reports has found that urban development activities, including road construction, property development and vegetation loss, are significantly increasing landslide susceptibility across parts of eThekwini. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-machine-safer-cities.html Environment Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:40:01 EDT news712479578 New research from Durham University highlights how insects have been part of human diets for thousands of years despite seeming unusual to many people. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ancient-insect-diets-sustainable-food.html Archaeology Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:30:08 EDT news712499329