"UK Traffic Got Desi Update": Indian Man Spots Auto-Rickshaw On London Streets

Its appearance on the streets of London felt particularly special because it juxtaposed two distinct urban environments within a single frame.

source https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/uk-traffic-got-desi-update-indian-man-spots-auto-rickshaw-on-london-streets-internet-amazed-11248333

Dishwashing with side effects: Kitchen sponges release microplastics

Kitchen sponges are considered a potential, yet largely understudied, source of microplastics in households. A study in Environmental Advances investigated how many microplastic particles are released from kitchen sponges during use and what environmental impacts result. The paper is titled "From sink to sea: Microplastic release from kitchen sponges and potential environmental effects."

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-dishwashing-side-effects-kitchen-sponges.html

Microbes make microplastics more likely to form ice in clouds, research reveals

Tiny pieces of plastic, called microplastics, are showing up everywhere, even in the water in clouds, rain, and snow—and they may be affecting our weather and temperatures. A study published in Environmental Science & Technology and led by Hosein Foroutan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, found that microbes living on microplastics dramatically boost their ability to trigger ice formation in clouds.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-microbes-microplastics-ice-clouds-reveals.html

Ancient sling bullet delivers a 2,100-year-old taunt: 'Learn your lesson!'

For millennia, sling bullets served as a hand-thrown projectile that could be used to fend off enemies. At Hippos, 70 sling bullets made of lead have been recovered over the course of fieldwork and excavation. However, while many are bare or depict scorpions and thunderbolts, one recently recovered sling bullet is the first inscribed example ever recovered at Hippos and the only known sling bullet ever inscribed with the letters ΜΑΘΟΥ meaning "Learn your lesson!"

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-bullet-year-taunt-lesson.html

'Miracle': Europe reconnects with lost spacecraft

The European Space Agency announced Thursday it has re-established communication with a spacecraft that is part of its Proba-3 mission, after losing contact with the satellite a month ago.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-miracle-europe-reconnects-lost-spacecraft.html

Remote working challenges linked to management issues

Strong organizational and management capabilities are key to implementing and getting the most out of successful remote and hybrid working practices.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-remote-linked-issues.html

Generative AI in business schools: Friend or foe?

Since tools like ChatGPT burst into higher education, debate has focused on two extremes: either students are all committing underhanded academic fraud and plagiarism or Artificial Intelligence will magically revolutionize learning.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-generative-ai-business-schools-friend.html

Sugar-processing enzyme has a hidden second job—controlling when cells divide

A metabolic enzyme studied for over seven decades has a hidden second function—it can unwind RNA and promote cell cycle progression, an additional function beyond its role in energy production, according to a new study led by the University of Surrey.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-sugar-enzyme-hidden-job-cells.html

Iran War News Highlights: IRGC Vows To 'Kill' Netanyahu, Trump Seeks Help To Reopen Hormuz

President Donald Trump called on allied countries to deploy warships to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

source https://www.ndtvprofit.com/world/iran-war-news-live-updates-check-breaking-news-on-us-israel-iran-war-middle-eat-crisis-gulf-conflict-11217206

"More Than An Hour For 6.5 km": Bengaluru Man Highlights City's Traffic Chaos

Expressing his frustration, Huria remarks that taking over an hour to travel a mere 6.5 kilometers is a common occurrence in Bengaluru.

source https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/more-than-one-hour-for-6-5-km-bengaluru-man-highlights-traffic-chaos-11216132

The Inquiry

How Poland’s economy became one of Europe’s fastest-growing success stories

source https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Eaton fire sent a pollution wave across Los Angeles, study shows

The 2025 Eaton fire's smoke did more than darken the sky: It generated a carbon monoxide and particulate matter surge that far exceeded Los Angeles County's average daily human-caused emissions, according to a new study led by researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The findings are published in the journal ACS ES&T Air.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-eaton-pollution-los-angeles.html

This isn't just another rocky world orbiting a red dwarf—this one's special

Astronomers have found an exoplanet that could serve as a benchmark in future studies. It's a rocky planet orbiting an M-type star, and though these planets are plentiful, this one could serve as a benchmark for understanding other M-dwarf exoplanets and their atmospheres. According to the authors of a new study, this new exoplanet could serve as "a reference system for highly irradiated rocky planets."

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-isnt-rocky-world-orbiting-red.html

Ancient DNA sequences that control gene function across plant evolution uncovered

A study has traced thousands of conserved regulatory elements back 300 million years, revealing deep principles of plant genome evolution—a discovery that could pave the way for more precise engineering of crop traits.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-dna-sequences-gene-function.html

Biodegradable nanoparticles can seek and destroy diseased immune cells

Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have developed a simplified version of biodegradable nanoparticles that can "educate" the immune system to find and destroy disease-causing cells throughout the body. The study, they say, advances the field of engineering immune cells within a patient's own body to combat cancers and autoimmune diseases including lupus, among other conditions.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-biodegradable-nanoparticles-destroy-diseased-immune.html

Why lethal mutations persist: Fruit fly study points to newly transferred jumping genes, not small DNA errors

Most lethal mutations in wild fruit flies are driven by newly transferred jumping genes, not small DNA errors, according to a new study from Duke University. The findings, published in PLOS Biology, challenge decades of assumptions in evolutionary genetics and may have implications for population health and conservation.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-lethal-mutations-persist-fruit-fly.html

Experts challenge idea that social media harms teen empathy

Teenagers who use social media more frequently may show slightly higher empathy, according to a new meta-analysis by researchers at Georgia State University. The study, a systematic review published in the Journal of Adolescence, analyzed data from 13 studies involving more than 10,000 adolescents with an average age of about 16. It found a small positive association between social media use and overall empathy.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-experts-idea-social-media-teen.html

"No Match For The Explosive Cricket": Kohli, Sachin's Tribute For India

History has been made. India are the T20 World Cup champions - AGAIN! India produced a batting spectacle of rare ferocity to overwhelm New Zealand by 96 runs in the summit clash and defend the T20...

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/no-match-for-the-explosive-cricket-virat-kohli-sachin-tendulkars-ultimate-tribute-after-indias-t20-world-cup-win-11187023

Overweight To Ace Athlete: Air Force Squadron Leader's Big Transformation

An Indian Air Force (IAF) officer hailing from Jammu, Neha has defied the odds, transformed her physique, and shattered deep-seated stereotypes to emerge as a trailblazing athlete.

source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/overweight-to-trailblazing-athlete-a-big-transformation-story-in-air-force-11183164

Can we grow life on Mars? Experiments show potential in simulated extraterrestrial soil

Life's capacity to survive in simulated lunar and Martian soils has been explored in two papers published in Scientific Reports. Treating simulated lunar soil with both symbiotic fungi and worm-produced compost can significantly improve the likelihood of reproduction for chickpea plants growing in the soil, indicates one study. A separate paper suggests that some microbes may be able to absorb enough water from the atmosphere to grow in simulated Martian soil at atmospheric humidity levels comparable to those on the planet.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-life-mars-potential-simulated-extraterrestrial.html

What's in your salad? Crops exposed to nanoplastics may boost heavy metal intake

Leafy vegetables like lettuce are readily available in grocery stores and often seen as a healthy food choice. As researchers work to understand how emerging contaminants behave in plants, new research is shedding light on how lettuce responds to combined environmental stressors.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-salad-crops-exposed-nanoplastics-boost.html

Simultaneously decoding the transcriptome, epigenome and 3D genome within a single cell

The origin of many diseases begins at the cellular level and involves multiple molecular interactions. However, previous methods have struggled to accurately observe changes in individual cells. Analyzing average values across thousands of cells made it challenging to detect the early signals of disease.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-simultaneously-decoding-transcriptome-epigenome-3d.html

CEO turnover taxes analyst attention, skewing broader forecasts

When analyst attention is absorbed by CEO turnover, other companies in their portfolio pay the price, new Cornell research finds. The study, "Analyst Rational Inattention: Evidence from CEO Turnover Events," published in the Accounting Review, finds that high-impact turnover events capture a disproportionate amount of analyst attention, leading to less-accurate forecasts for non-event companies they cover during that time.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ceo-turnover-taxes-analyst-attention.html

The sea is higher than we thought and millions more are at risk, study finds

Climate change's rising seas may threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government planners originally thought because of mistaken research assumptions on how high coastal waters already are, a new study said.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-sea-higher-thought-millions.html

Studying snakes' ability to stand upright could inform soft robotics and more

Snakes may be best known for slithering. But consider that these animals also perform one of the most extreme feats of posture control found in nature: They can stand nearly straight upright on a narrow perch without falling, lifting 70% of their body length, despite having no limbs.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-snakes-ability-upright-soft-robotics.html

Get ready for the Rubin Observatory's deluge of discoveries

It's been about eight months since the Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) saw first light. Now the telescope is scanning the night sky to detect transient changes and sending alerts to astronomers and observatories around the world so they can perform follow-up observations. This alert system is one of the last milestones before the VRO starts its primary endeavor: the decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ready-rubin-observatory-deluge-discoveries.html

AI cracks Roman-era board game

A smooth, white stone dating from the Roman era and unearthed in the Netherlands has long baffled researchers.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ai-roman-era-board-game.html

DNA study uncovers continental origins of Britain's Bronze Age population

When ancient DNA studies began to gain attention, little more than a decade ago, the view took hold among geneticists that everything we thought we knew about the peopling of Europe by modern humans was wrong. The story was simpler than anyone was expecting: Europe was settled in just three massive migrations from the east.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-dna-uncovers-continental-britain-bronze.html

Middle East Conflict: Exporters Fear Rise In Logistics, Insurance Costs, Impact On Shipmen

India is heavily reliant on the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait for crude oil and LNG imports and trade with key regions.

source https://www.ndtvprofit.com/markets/middle-east-conflict-exporters-fear-rise-in-logistics-insurance-costs-impact-on-shipments-11151170

Missing methane: Countries may be underestimating wastewater greenhouse gas emissions

The amount of greenhouse gases produced by the wastewater sector may be higher than reports suggest. According to a paper published in the journal Nature Climate Change, countries are missing out on reporting a significant portion of their emissions.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-methane-countries-underestimating-wastewater-greenhouse.html

Coral proxy data reveals century-long slowdown of South China Sea throughflow under global warming

The South China Sea Throughflow (SCSTF) serves as a critical oceanic conveyor belt for heat and freshwater, mediating water exchanges between the South China Sea (SCS) and the Pacific and Indian oceans while regulating key processes such as heat and salt budgets, eddy activities, and marine biogeochemical cycles. It also plays a pivotal role in modulating the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) and shaping climate variability across the Indo-Pacific. However, long-term direct observational data of the SCSTF have long been scarce, leaving its long-term changes under climate change and associated driving mechanisms poorly understood.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-coral-proxy-reveals-century-slowdown.html

Study shows digital hotlines make it easier for survivors to reach out

Use of chat and text services has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Rachel Joy Voth Schrag, a UT Arlington professor of social work. Understanding how survivors use these digital channels, she said, is critical for ensuring hotline advocates have the tools they need to support survivor and family safety. New research from The University of Texas at Arlington shows that these digital hotlines are changing how survivors of domestic and sexual violence access safety planning and support.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-digital-hotlines-easier-survivors.html

New study reveals what crop advisors really want from AI tools

A new study co-authored by Virginia Tech and University of Vermont researchers offers one of the first, large-scale empirical looks at how Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs) across North America evaluate the next generation of artificial intelligence–enabled decision support systems (AI‑DSS) for agriculture. Published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change, the study identifies the specific design features that most influence whether trusted agricultural advisors will choose AI tools—and what might hold them back.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-reveals-crop-advisors-ai-tools.html

An indoor air scrubber developed to remove ammonia in poultry houses

Researchers from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are helping poultry farmers protect their flocks and their employees, while improving poultry production. ARS researchers recently developed an indoor air scrubber that purifies the air in chicken houses and reduces ammonia levels by 87% to 99%.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-indoor-air-scrubber-ammonia-poultry.html

Twisting optical fiber creates a robust new pathway for light

Light powers everything from communications to sensing, yet even tiny imperfections can scatter it and weaken signals. To address this, a team led by the University of Bath—working with the University of Cambridge and international partners—has developed a new structure that keeps light flowing smoothly even through bends, twists or damage, with the potential to operate over unprecedented distances.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-optical-fiber-robust-pathway.html

The Kerala Story 2 Director Slams Anurag Kashyap For Calling Film "Propaganda"

The controversy began when Kashyap criticised The Kerala Story 2 in a viral video

source https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/the-kerala-story-2-director-reacts-to-anurag-kashyap-calling-film-propaganda-yeh-mansik-roop-se-durbal-ho-gaye-hain-11122148

Sunray-like ripples emerge on a frozen reaction front

Researchers in Belgium have unveiled a striking chemical reaction in which ripples along a frozen reaction front resemble the rays of a shining star. Publishing their results in Physical Review Letters, Anne De Wit and colleagues at the Université Libre de Bruxelles have shed new light on the patterns that emerge in reaction–diffusion systems, offering fresh insight into how similar structures arise in the natural world.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-sunray-ripples-emerge-frozen-reaction.html

2-month-olds see the world in a more complex way than scientists thought, study suggests

A new study suggests that babies are able to distinguish between the different objects they see around them at 2 months old, which is earlier than scientists previously thought.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-month-olds-world-complex-scientists.html

Neutron scattering helps clarify magnetic behavior in altermagnetic material

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have identified the true source of a magnetic effect seen in the material ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂), helping resolve an active debate in the rapidly growing field of altermagnetism. The study is published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-neutron-magnetic-behavior-altermagnetic-material.html

A new method to decode how DNA 'switches' control gene activity

DNA is the blueprint of life. Genes encode proteins and serve as the body's basic components. However, building a functioning organism also requires precise instructions about when, where, and how much those components should be produced.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-method-decode-dna-gene.html

How the humble silkworm could help us discover new anti-aging treatments

When scientists want to study aging and how to slow it down, they often turn to microscopic worms or lab mice among other models. The former are too different from humans, while the latter are expensive and take too long to study. But there's a new model in town that can potentially help us wind the clock back, and that is the silkworm (Bombyx mori).

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-humble-silkworm-anti-aging-treatments.html

World's smallest QR code, read via electron microscope, earns Guinness recognition

Just how small can a QR code be? Small enough that it can only be recognized with an electron microscope. A research team at TU Wien, working together with the data storage technology company Cerabyte, has now demonstrated exactly that. The QR code covers an area of just 1.98 square micrometers—smaller than most bacteria. The record has now been verified and officially entered into the Guinness World Records.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-world-smallest-qr-code-electron.html

Will AI eat into your jobs? The sharp divide between layoffs and evolution at India AI impact Summit

Several experts argue that AI could drive significant benefits, such as boosting productivity. However, they also stress that society must quickly adapt to these changes.

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/will-ai-eat-into-your-jobs-the-sharp-divide-between-layoffs-and-evolution-at-india-ai-impact-summit-11771259961977.html

Injured seabird desperately pecks at hospital door for help

An injured seabird sought help by pecking at the door of an emergency room at a hospital in Germany until medical staff noticed it and called firefighters to help with its rescue.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-seabird-desperately-hospital-door.html

India set to host AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam tomorrow: When and where to watch live

India will host the AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam from February 16 to 20, bringing together global leaders, tech CEOs and policymakers. Here is when and how to watch the livestream.

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/india-set-to-host-ai-impact-summit-2026-at-bharat-mandapam-tomorrow-when-and-where-to-watch-live-11771176159697.html

Strong correlations and superconductivity observed in a supermoiré lattice

Two or more graphene layers that are stacked with a small twist angle in relation to each other form a so-called moiré lattice. This characteristic pattern influences the movement of electrons inside materials, which can give rise to strongly correlated states, such as superconductivity.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-strong-superconductivity-supermoir-lattice.html

When AI meets physics: Unlocking complex protein structures to accelerate biomedical breakthroughs

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how scientists understand proteins—these are working molecules that drive nearly every process in the human body, from cell growth and immune defense to digestion and cell signaling. At NUS, researchers are harnessing AI to fast-track discoveries, offering fresh insights into life at the molecular level and new strategies against disease.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ai-physics-complex-protein-biomedical.html

Gradient cathodes boost stability of Li-rich batteries

Recently, a research team led by Prof. Zhao Bangchuan from the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. Xiao Yao from Wenzhou University, developed a composition gradient strategy to precisely regulate the internal stress distribution and electronic structure of Li-rich Mn-based cathode materials. The findings are published in Nano Letters.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-gradient-cathodes-boost-stability-li.html

Porous material uses green and blue light to repeatedly store and release CO₂

Scientists at the University of Groningen, led by Nobel laureate Ben Feringa and colleagues, have created a new porous material that captures and releases carbon dioxide using only visible light. The breakthrough could pave the way for more energy-efficient and sustainable carbon capture technologies that help combat climate change.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-porous-material-green-blue.html

Living in space can change where your brain sits in your skull: New research

Going to space is harsh on the human body, and as a new study from our research team finds, the brain shifts upward and backward and deforms inside the skull after spaceflight.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-space-brain-skull.html