{"@attributes":{"version":"2.0"},"channel":{"title":"Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/","language":"en-us","description":"Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.","item":[{"title":"HydroGraphNet boosts watershed predictions of daily flow and nitrogen in sparse data regions","description":"Spatially distributed prediction of streamflow and nitrogen (N) export dynamics is essential for precision management of agricultural watersheds. While temporal deep learning models have shown strong basin-scale performance, their ability to generalize spatially is limited, particularly under data-scarce conditions. To address this gap, a team of researchers led by the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) propose HydroGraphNet, a knowledge-guided graph machine learning framework integrating process-based knowledge and explicit spatial learning into temporal modeling.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-hydrographnet-boosts-watershed-daily-nitrogen.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 21:40:01 EDT","guid":"news695712757"},{"title":"How to feed your garden birds without spreading disease","description":"The outbreak of a mysterious and deadly disease in finches in British gardens in 2005 set alarm bells ringing for conservationists. A decade later, the extent of that disease in greenfinches and chaffinches was reported. And now, bird scientists are beginning to understand how feeding birds in our gardens might be linked to their health and survival.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-garden-birds-disease.html","category":"Ecology","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:30:01 EDT","guid":"news695394017"},{"title":"Salty drinking water could be increasing your blood pressure. People living in coastal areas are most at risk","description":"When people consider what causes high blood pressure, they often think of lifestyle factors, such as eating salty foods, lack of exercise or smoking. However, an unexpected source of salt might also be raising blood pressure for millions of people: the water they drink.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-salty-blood-pressure-people-coastal.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 17:30:01 EDT","guid":"news695476436"},{"title":"Prenatal opioid exposure in babies doesn't predict future classroom performance, study finds","description":"Every 25 minutes in the United States, a baby is diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition that occurs in newborns who have been exposed to opioids in the womb and develop withdrawal after birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Historically, research has focused on the impact of NAS\u2014also known as neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome\u2014on the health and development of young children, which has found that prenatal opioid exposure is associated with increased risk for adverse developmental, cognitive and behavioral outcomes in early childhood.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-prenatal-opioid-exposure-babies-doesnt.html","category":"Education","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 17:00:04 EDT","guid":"news695313246"},{"title":"DESI completes planned 3D map of the universe and continues exploring","description":"The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has successfully completed the largest high-resolution 3D map of the universe ever made, a major milestone in understanding the force driving cosmic expansion. The milestone was reached when DESI's 5,000 fiber-optic sensors captured their final scheduled observations, targeting a region of sky near the Little Dipper.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-desi-3d-universe-exploring.html","category":"Astronomy","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:00:02 EDT","guid":"news695563761"},{"title":"Disputes over Africa's ocean resources: Here's what could help avoid them","description":"Over the last several decades, the oceans have become more crowded. Aquaculture, wind and wave energy, and oil and gas exploration are taking up more space. This growth threatens the health of ocean ecosystems and coastal communities' access to food and livelihoods that they have relied on for centuries.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-disputes-africa-ocean-resources.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:30:01 EDT","guid":"news695306710"},{"title":"Raven personalities shape survival as human pressure grows at the Dead Sea","description":"Along the stark and shimmering coastline of the Dead Sea, where desert cliffs meet one of the world's most extreme environments, a quiet drama is unfolding in the skies above. Fan-tailed ravens, intelligent, adaptable, and ever-watchful, are making life-or-death decisions every day. And according to new research, those decisions may come down to personality.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-raven-personalities-survival-human-pressure.html","category":"Plants & Animals","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:00:01 EDT","guid":"news695314948"},{"title":"Physics-based AI model opens new frontiers in dielectric materials exploration","description":"Predicting material properties remains a major challenge in materials science, as it often requires complex and computationally intensive calculations. In particular, understanding how materials respond to electric fields is essential for the development of next-generation electronic devices.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-physics-based-ai-frontiers-dielectric.html","category":"Condensed Matter","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:30:01 EDT","guid":"news695573511"},{"title":"Mental math's shortcut\u2014pupil dilation suggests people start solving before all numbers are in","description":"People often solve simple arithmetic problems, such as basic addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, in their minds. The precise mental processes they rely on to solve these problems, however, are not entirely clear. Researchers at Universit\u00e9 de Bordeaux and UCLouvain recently tried to better understand how humans tackle simple math mentally by tracking the size of their pupils.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-mental-math-shortcut-pupil-dilation.html","category":"Mathematics","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:50:01 EDT","guid":"news695482943"},{"title":"More rhythm, less blues: Program boosts class behavior","description":"From flash mobs to line-dancing to the Nutbush, experiencing rhythm and movement in a group context is known to boost mental and physical health in people of all ages. Now a University of the Sunshine Coast study published in Behavioral Sciences of more than 200 4-year-olds across South East Queensland has found and measured significant, specific benefits of the practice in preschool settings.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-rhythm-blues-boosts-class-behavior.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:30:01 EDT","guid":"news695467974"},{"title":"People with dark personality traits are naturally inclined towards leadership roles, finds new study","description":"Can you tell if you're working with a narcissist or a psychopath? A new study suggests that people's job choices may offer some clues, especially in fields built on leadership and persuasion such as business, politics, and law, where such darker traits are more common. Those in creative fields or nature-focused work may be more likely to encounter individuals with a Machiavellian way of thinking, according to findings published in Personality and Individual Differences.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-people-dark-personality-traits-naturally.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:10:01 EDT","guid":"news695314226"},{"title":"Zirconia thin films unlock new reversible nonpolar-to-polar mechanism","description":"Researchers from National Taiwan University break traditional frameworks by unveiling a new symmetry-transition mechanism in ZrO2 thin films, achieving ultra-stable antiferroelectric behavior for up to 108 cycles.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-zirconia-thin-reversible-nonpolar-polar.html","category":"Nanomaterials","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:30:02 EDT","guid":"news695565056"},{"title":"How poison frogs built a chemical weapons system one evolutionary step at a time","description":"Poison frogs are small and brightly colored amphibians that originate from Central and South America. As suggested by their name, these frogs can release highly toxic chemicals from their skin, which deter and neutralize predators.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-poison-frogs-built-chemical-weapons.html","category":"Plants & Animals","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:50:01 EDT","guid":"news695467298"},{"title":"Q&A: How research aims to improve bad housing data","description":"Nicholas J. Marantz, associate professor of urban planning and public policy at UC Irvine, is investigating how effectively current data sources track changes in residential housing stock. His aim is to understand how policy changes, such as new zoning laws and broader housing market forces, influence the availability and creation of homes, particularly affordable homes.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-qa-aims-bad-housing.html","category":"Economics & Business","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:30:02 EDT","guid":"news695313376"},{"title":"Surprising link between metallicity and superconductivity uncovered in twisted trilayer graphene","description":"Superconductivity is a state of matter characterized by an electrical resistance of zero, typically at very low temperatures. Past studies have found that in various materials, this unique state is accompanied by unusual electron arrangements.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-link-metallicity-superconductivity-uncovered-trilayer.html","category":"Condensed Matter","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:00:04 EDT","guid":"news695304845"},{"title":"The moon might be more prone to fires","description":"Engineers love a good practical challenge, especially when it comes to spaceflight. But there's one particular challenge facing the crewed missions of the near future that scares mission planners above almost all others\u2014fire. For decades, we've relied on a NASA test known as NASA-STD-6001B to screen material flammability for flight. But space is much more complicated than an Earth-bound test provides for. A new paper from researchers at NASA's Glenn Research Center and Johnson Space Center and Case Western Reserve University details a planned mission to test the flammability of materials on the moon's surface\u2014where they expect flame to act much differently than it does here on Earth.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-moon-prone.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:30:01 EDT","guid":"news695565411"},{"title":"Universal quantum protocol extracts maximum work without knowing a system's state in advance","description":"A new study published in Nature Communications has shown that in the asymptotic limit, extracting the maximum possible work from many copies of a quantum system does not require knowing exactly what state that system is in.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-universal-quantum-protocol-maximum-state.html","category":"Quantum Physics","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:00:08 EDT","guid":"news695563531"},{"title":"New research aims to reduce microfiber pollution released from cruise and hotel laundry","description":"Microfiber pollution from large-scale laundry operations is emerging as a significant and largely unseen environmental issue. New research led by the University of Portsmouth is using Cleaner Seas Group's industrial filtration technology\u2014already deployed in commercial settings to better understand the scale of the problem and how it can be prevented before it reaches our waterways.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-aims-microfiber-pollution-cruise-hotel.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:30:01 EDT","guid":"news695463929"},{"title":"Saturday Citations: Neuroinflammaging treatment stuns; a hidden magma lake; decoding little red dots","description":"This week in science news: Researchers are calling to exploit sewage waste and manure to break U.S. synthetic fertilizer dependence. Wasps have begun disrupting the 10-million-year mutualism of ants and plants. And scientists have taken a step toward using CRISPR to silence the extra chromosome in Down syndrome.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-saturday-citations-neuroinflammaging-treatment-stuns.html","category":"Other","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:10:01 EDT","guid":"news695642585"},{"title":"Bright quantum light emission achieved at room temperature in 2D semiconductors","description":"A joint research team led by Professor Park Kyoung-Duck and Associate Director Suh Yung Doug of the Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has succeeded in realizing a high-efficiency quantum light source that emits bright lights even at room temperature. The study is published in the journal Science Advances.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-bright-quantum-emission-room-temperature.html","category":"Optics & Photonics","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:00:01 EDT","guid":"news695395962"},{"title":"Students expect their university will mishandle sexual misconduct, if they ever report it","description":"Sexual misconduct\u2014including sexual harassment, stalking, intimate partner violence and sexual assault\u2014is a common problem on U.S. college campuses.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-students-university-mishandle-sexual-misconduct.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:30:04 EDT","guid":"news695564124"},{"title":"Flat optics move toward market with 300-per-second metalens production","description":"A collaborative research group has developed a fully automated roll-to-roll manufacturing platform capable of producing large-area visible metalenses at a rate of 300 units per second, marking a major breakthrough in translating metasurface technology from the laboratory to real-world industrial deployment.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-flat-optics-metalens-production.html","category":"Optics & Photonics","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:04 EDT","guid":"news695564946"},{"title":"PFAS detected in dolphin milk may pass from mothers to calves","description":"Researchers have found that a group of chemicals known as PFAS can be transferred from mother dolphins to their nursing calves, adding to the evidence that these persistent contaminants can be transferred from mothers to offspring during early development.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-pfas-dolphin-mothers-calves.html","category":"Ecology","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:04:50 EDT","guid":"news695714541"},{"title":"Earth's tectonic elevator hauls ancient buried microbes back to the seafloor to revive and spread","description":"In subduction zones, the sites of the world's largest earthquakes, tectonic activity may generate a \"pump\" that transports long-buried subseafloor microbes back toward the seafloor, according to research presented at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-earth-tectonic-elevator-hauls-ancient.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:00:03 EDT","guid":"news695712968"},{"title":"Global N2Onet aims to cut farm nitrous oxide emissions with shared data","description":"Nitrogen (N) fertilizer supports global agriculture, but its use and overuse drive emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent and long-lived trace gas. Incomplete understanding of N2O flux drivers makes it difficult to make spatiotemporal emissions predictions and evaluate management strategies for emissions reductions. N2O experts evaluated current sources of uncertainty and propose an initiative for accelerating advances in N2O measurement, analysis, and mitigation.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-global-n2onet-aims-farm-nitrous.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:00:02 EDT","guid":"news695712396"},{"title":"Rivers are driving a hidden permafrost meltdown, with thaw progressing 15% faster than expected","description":"Thawing permafrost buried underneath rivers may be accelerating permafrost degradation faster than previously estimated in these inundated regions, according to new research shared at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-rivers-hidden-permafrost-meltdown-faster.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 06:39:02 EDT","guid":"news695713087"},{"title":"Taiwan landslide's hidden motion comes into focus as fiber optics track deep slip","description":"Placed within a borehole drilled deep through the layers of a landslide, a fiber optic cable captured tiny, periodic stick-slip events that offer a unique glimpse at the complex movements within the landslide's shear zone.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-taiwan-landslide-hidden-motion-focus.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 06:25:17 EDT","guid":"news695712252"},{"title":"Wildfires used to 'go to sleep' at night. Climate change is turning them into prime burning hours","description":"Burning time for North American wildfires is going into overtime. Flames are lasting later into the night and starting earlier in the morning because human-caused climate change is extending the hotter and drier conditions that feed fires, a new study found.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-wildfires-night-climate-prime-hours.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Sat, 18 Apr 2026 06:16:17 EDT","guid":"news695711720"},{"title":"How nanomedicine gets inside your cells and treats you from the inside out","description":"Canadians swallow millions of pills every day to treat common health issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type II diabetes, but scientists are working at the molecular level to turn patients' cells into pharmacies.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-nanomedicine-cells.html","category":"Bio & Medicine","pubDate":"Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:00:02 EDT","guid":"news695634855"},{"title":"Study finds park design affects cooling differently by day and night","description":"Urban parks are often seen as natural refuges from summer heat, but new Concordia research shows that, depending on the time of day, the way trees are arranged within parks can influence whether those spaces cool people down or trap heat.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-04-affects-cooling-differently-day-night.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:40:02 EDT","guid":"news695625355"}]}}