Almost half of the world's aquatic environments are severely contaminated by waste, research reveals

"Dirty" or "extremely dirty": these are the classifications of 46% of the world's aquatic environments. This conclusion comes from a study that compiled and systematized data from 6,049 records of waste contamination in aquatic environments on all continents over the last decade.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-world-aquatic-environments-severely-contaminated.html

The Amaterasu particle: Cosmic investigation traces its origin

Cosmic rays are extremely fast, charged particles that travel through space at nearly the speed of light. The Amaterasu particle was detected in 2021 by the Telescope Array experiment in the U.S. It is the second-highest-energy cosmic ray ever observed, carrying around 40 million times more energy than particles accelerated at the Large Hadron Collider. Such particles are exceedingly rare and thought to originate in some of the most extreme environments in the universe.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-amaterasu-particle-cosmic.html

Simulations and supercomputing calculate one million cislunar orbits

Satellites and spacecraft in the vast region between Earth and the moon and just beyond—called cislunar space—are crucial for space exploration, scientific advancement and national security. But figuring out where exactly to put them into a stable orbit can be a huge, computationally expensive challenge.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-simulations-supercomputing-million-cislunar-orbits.html

Photosynthesis: Study reveals how minerals are involved in homeostasis of chloroplasts

Plants fix 258 billion tons of CO2 in their chloroplasts through photosynthesis every year. For these cell organelles to work properly, they require certain minerals—particularly ions of the metals iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn). Disruptions of ion homeostasis impair photosynthesis and thus growth and yields. A team with members from Munich, Bochum, Columbia (MO), and Saarbrucken, led by LMU biologist Professor Hans-Henning Kunz has now deciphered the chloroplast ionome—the totality of metal ions in the chloroplast—of various plant species.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-photosynthesis-reveals-minerals-involved-homeostasis.html

Nanotubes with lids mimic real biology

When water and ions move together through channels only a nanometer wide, they behave in unusual ways. In these tight spaces, water molecules line up in single file. This forces ions to shed some of the water molecules that normally surround them, leading to the unique physics of ion transport. Biological channels are especially adept at this behavior, often choreographing channel openings and closings to achieve complex behaviors such as signals in the nervous system.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-02-nanotubes-lids-mimic-real-biology.html

"No Economic Strategy, Statesmanship": P Chidambaram On Union Budget 2026

Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram dismissed the Union budget 2026 presented today by Nirmala Sitharaman, saying it does not address any of the major challenges pointed out in the economic...

source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/union-budget-2026-no-economic-strategy-statesmanship-p-chidambaram-10927236

Scientists have identified unique sounds for 8 fish species

Have you ever wished you could swim like a fish? How about speak like one? In a paper recently published in the Journal of Fish Biology, our team from the University of Victoria deciphered some of the strange and unique sounds made by different fish species along the coast of British Columbia.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-scientists-unique-fish-species.html

Unlocking the high-performance potential of CF₃SF₄

Fluorine has changed the world of medicine. You might not see it, but newly approved drugs contain at least one fluorine atom. This tiny but powerful element is the "hidden engine" that makes our medications more stable and effective. Over the past decades, chemists have turned the trifluoromethyl (CF3) group into the "gold standard" in organic chemistry.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-high-potential-cfsf.html

Snakes on trains: King cobras are 'hopping railways' to unsuitable habitats in India

King cobras are the world's longest venomous snakes. So, imagine seeing one a few feet away as you embark on a train in India. The Western Ghats King Cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga)—a vulnerable king cobra species found in India's Western Ghats—has reportedly been caught aboard many trains in the Goa region of India. A new study, published in Biotropica, takes a closer look at these reports, where these snakes end up and whether this strange mode of animal migration is putting snakes into unsuitable habitats.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-snakes-king-cobras-railways-unsuitable.html

Biodegradable bark–plastic composite lets engineers predict product lifetime from tensile tests

Old trees are learning new tricks with the advent of composite materials. A "green composite" made from biodegradable polymers and the waste bark of the Yakushima Jisugi tree was developed by a research team at Tohoku University. When assessing the material, they found that simply testing its mechanical strength—in this case, its tensile strength or ability to resist pulling—could reliably predict the biodegradation process.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-biodegradable-barkplastic-composite-product-lifetime.html

Warming weakens natural enemies of insects, new research shows

A warming climate is disrupting the delicate balance of nature. An international team of scientists led by entomologists from the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences has found that higher temperatures significantly reduce the success of parasitoids—tiny wasps that help regulate insect populations in nature. This is also bad news for farmers, who rely on these wasps as part of plant protection against insect pests.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-weakens-natural-enemies-insects.html

Gold 'supraballs' nearly double solar energy absorption in tests

Sunbeams contain a lot of energy. But current technology for harvesting solar power doesn't capture as much as it could. Now, in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, researchers report that gold nanospheres, named supraballs, can absorb nearly all wavelengths in sunlight—including some that traditional photovoltaic materials miss. Applying a layer of supraballs onto a commercially available electricity converter demonstrated that the technology nearly doubled solar energy absorption compared to traditional materials.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-gold-supraballs-solar-energy-absorption.html

Epigenetic switch found to halt fat cell formation in adipose tissue

Metabolic diseases such as obesity, fatty liver, and insulin resistance are rapidly increasing worldwide, but fundamental methods to regulate the process of fat formation remain limited. In particular, once adipocytes (fat cells) are formed, they are difficult to reduce, making treatment challenging. A research team from KAIST has discovered the existence of a switch that prevents fat formation. This discovery elucidates how an epigenetic switch, which regulates gene activity without altering the DNA sequence itself, functions during the process of adipogenesis, presenting new possibilities for the precise control of obesity and metabolic diseases in the future.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-epigenetic-halt-fat-cell-formation.html

A new study of lunar rocks suggests Earth's water might not have come from meteorites

For a long time, scientists assumed that Earth's water was delivered by asteroids and comets billions of years ago. This coincided with the Late Heavy Bombardment (ca. 4.1 to 3.8 billion years ago), a period when planets and bodies in the solar system experienced a much higher rate of impacts.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-lunar-earth-meteorites.html

Exercise In Middle Age Matters More Than You Think, Long-Term Study Finds

US study finds consistent physical activity in young adulthood and middle age reduces high blood pressure risk, with notable racial disparities.

source https://www.ndtv.com/science/exercise-in-middle-age-matters-more-than-you-think-long-term-study-finds-10879503

Microplastics in the atmosphere: Higher emissions come from land areas than from the ocean, study finds

The atmosphere is an important transport medium that carries microplastics to even the most remote parts of the world. These microplastics can be inhaled and pose a health risk to humans and animals. They can also settle out of the atmosphere and contaminate oceans and soils worldwide.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-microplastics-atmosphere-higher-emissions-areas.html

Discovery reveals how acetylation controls key enzyme linked to cancer growth

Researchers from the University of Seville have participated in research to identify the molecular details of the regulation of an enzyme essential for sugar metabolism and closely linked to cell proliferation and growth: pyruvate kinase. Their results, the fruit of an extensive collaboration between the team led by Professor Irene Díaz Moreno of the University of Seville and that of Professor Eyal Arbely of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, have recently been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-discovery-reveals-acetylation-key-enzyme.html

Litter accumulation in tropical mangroves threatens biodiversity and local communities

Mangroves, typical of tropical and subtropical latitudes, have become veritable natural traps for land- and sea-based waste. The roots of these trees, known as mangroves, have a great capacity to trap litter—from both land and sea—which gradually breaks down until it is buried in the muddy bottom.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-litter-accumulation-tropical-mangroves-threatens.html

Two-dimensional materials expand options for next-generation terahertz quantum devices

Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered that atomic-scale substitutional dopants in ultra-thin two-dimensional (2D) materials can act as stable quantum systems operating at terahertz (THz) frequencies.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-dimensional-materials-options-generation-terahertz.html

Water makeup of Jupiter's Galilean moons set at birth, new study finds

While Io, the most volcanically active moon in the solar system, appears completely dry and devoid of water ice, its neighbor Europa is thought to harbor a vast global ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust. A new international study co-led by Aix-Marseille University and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) reveals that this striking contrast was established at birth, as they formed around Jupiter, not from later evolutionary processes.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-makeup-jupiter-galilean-moons-birth.html

Some moral acts matter more than others, study shows

Every day, we quietly judge the people around us. Did that co-worker split the credit fairly? Did a neighbor return a lost package? Did someone cut in line or respect the rules?

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-moral.html

1 Killed, 27 Injured During Bull Race At Pongal Festival In Tamil Nadu

An elderly man lost his life, and at least 27 others sustained injuries during a bull race organised as part of Pongal festival celebrations at Govinda Reddipalayam village in Vellore district of...

source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/1-killed-27-injured-during-bull-race-at-pongal-festival-in-tamil-nadu-10775531

The Bottom Line

Lessons learned from a dotcom entrepreneur on the boom and bust of his company, boo.com.

source https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002pqnp?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

New study reveals global patterns of plant intrinsic water-use efficiency

Intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) reflects how efficiently plants assimilate carbon relative to water loss at the leaf level. While widely studied using carbon isotope and gas-exchange measurements, most existing knowledge is derived from local observations.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-reveals-global-patterns-intrinsic-efficiency.html

Shrinkflation: Smaller products hurt some households more than others—and can be bad for business

UK inflation may be easing, but many households still find their weekly shop getting more expensive. One key reason is something not captured in headline prices: shrinkflation, where manufacturers reduce pack sizes without reducing the price.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-shrinkflation-smaller-products-households-bad.html

Study finds albumin, the most abundant blood protein, acts as a shield against deadly fungal infections

Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH) and the University of Crete, together with collaborators from Greece, Europe, the U.S., and India, have discovered a novel role of albumin, the most abundant protein in human blood, in protecting against a rare and often deadly fungal infection called mucormycosis. The study is published in Nature.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-albumin-abundant-blood-protein-shield.html

China and Canada announce tariffs relief after a high-stakes meeting between Carney and Xi

Canola oil and electric cars are at the centre of the deal agreed by Mark Carney and Xi Jinping after years of strained ties.

source https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy59pvkqvl5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Most beef cattle in South America experience hundreds to thousands of hours of heat-related discomfort each year: Study

A new study has quantified, for the first time, how much heat stress beef cattle actually experience across South America—as cumulative time spent in heat-related discomfort.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-beef-cattle-south-america-hundreds.html

The sky's hidden ecosystem: Radar reveals an organized, living habitat

When people think about habitats on Earth, they likely picture forests, oceans or grasslands. Few think to look up. Yet the lower atmosphere, or troposphere, may be the largest habitat on the planet. A new study published in Ecology argues that this vast aerial expanse is an environment teeming with life.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-sky-hidden-ecosystem-radar-reveals.html

NASA acknowledges record heat but avoids referencing climate change

Don't say the c-word. Global temperatures soared in 2025, but a NASA statement published Wednesday alongside its latest benchmark annual report makes no reference to climate change, in line with President Donald Trump's push to deny the reality of planetary heating as a result of human activities.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nasa-acknowledges-referencing-climate.html

Marine sediments suggest glaciers retreated in sync across both hemispheres

An international team of scientists has uncovered evidence glaciers in the Southern and Northern hemispheres were synchronous during the last ice age.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-marine-sediments-glaciers-retreated-sync.html

Surprise discovery reveals silica's hidden potential in flat optics

An unexpected discovery in a Harvard lab has led to a breakthrough insight into choosing an unconventional material, silica, to make optical metasurfaces—ultra-thin, flat structures that control light at the nanoscale and are already replacing traditional optical devices like lenses and mirrors.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-discovery-reveals-silica-hidden-potential.html

Team Uddhav Leader On Hindutva, Marathi Manoos, Thackeray Reunion

The Shiv Sena of the old days was very different from what a section of it is today, Arvind Sawant, senior leader of the Shiv Sena UBT, made it clear today, offering a more nuanced perspective of...

source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/team-uddhav-leader-on-hindutva-marathi-manoos-thackeray-reunion-10686289

Scores of homes razed, one dead in Australian bushfires

Bushfires have razed hundreds of buildings across southeast Australia, authorities said Sunday, as they confirmed the first death from the disaster.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-scores-homes-razed-dead-australian.html

Physicists create resilient 3D solitons in the lab

For the first time, physicists in Italy have created a 'lump soliton': an extremely stable packet of light waves which can travel through 3D space, and even interact with other solitons without losing its shape.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-physicists-resilient-3d-solitons-lab.html

iPhone Air 2 could fix two of the biggest issues with iPhone Air: here’s what we know

Apple is expected to upgrade the iPhone Air 2 with improved battery and camera features, including a potential second camera and new display technology. 

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/iphone-air-2-could-fix-two-of-the-biggest-issues-with-iphone-air-here-s-what-we-know-11768065097308.html

New chemical method makes it easier to select desirable traits in crops

Crops increasingly need to thrive in a broader range of conditions, including drought, salinity, and heat. Traditional plant breeding can select for desirable traits, but is limited by the genetic variation that already exists in plants. In many crops, domestication and long-term selection have narrowed genetic diversity, constraining efforts to develop new varieties.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-chemical-method-easier-desirable-traits.html

Self-configuring optical devices automatically learn how to sort out light

Light can be sculpted into countless shapes. Yet building optical devices that can simultaneously manipulate many different optical patterns at once is extremely complicated, and remains a major challenge in modern photonics.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-configuring-optical-devices-automatically.html

Sulfolobus islandicus: Expanding the genetic toolkit for drug delivery and biotechnology applications

Sulfolobus islandicus, an archaeal model organism, offers unique advantages for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology applications owing to its ability to thrive under low pH and high temperature conditions. Although several genetic tools exist for this organism, the absence of well-defined chromosomal integration sites continues to limit its development as a cellular factory.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-sulfolobus-islandicus-genetic-toolkit-drug.html

Superheated sediments in a submarine pressure cooker—an unexpected source of deep-sea hydrogen

The mid-ocean ridge runs through the oceans like a suture. Where Earth's plates move apart, new oceanic crust is continuously formed. This is often accompanied by magmatism and hydrothermal activity. Seawater seeps into the subsurface, is heated to temperatures above 400°C, and rises again to the ocean floor.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-superheated-sediments-submarine-pressure-cooker.html

Psychological traits that may fuel conspiracy theorist mindset identified

Conspiracy theories are one of the banes of the modern world, exacerbated by the internet and social media. What was once relegated to the fringe has now been pushed into the mainstream, actively shaping public discourse and policies. But why do so many people buy into these narratives even when they are contradicted by empirical facts?

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-psychological-traits-fuel-conspiracy-theorist.html

Trump's Plan To Seize And Revitalize Venezuela's Oil Industry Faces Major Hurdles

Trump's plan to take control of Venezuela's oil industry and ask American companies to revitalize it after capturing that country's president in a military raid isn't likely to have a significant immediate impact on oil prices.

source https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-plan-venezuela-oil-industry-hurdles_n_695a6ec0e4b048f68c305abf

Motorola may finally take on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a notebook-style foldable in 2026: here's what we know

Motorola may launch its first notebook-style foldable device, the razr fold, in 2026. The phone would compete directly with Samsung Z Fold 7.

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/gadgets/motorola-may-finally-take-on-samsung-galaxy-z-fold-7-with-a-notebook-style-foldable-in-2026-11767545918207.html

India Asks Citizens To Avoid Going To Venezuela Hours After US Captures Maduro

India on Saturday night advised its nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to Venezuela in view of the situation arising out of the capture of the oil-rich country's president by the US.

source https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/india-asks-citizens-to-avoid-going-to-venezuela-hours-after-us-captures-maduro-10256349

"Save Indian Football": Chhetri, Gurpreet, Other Stars Appeal To FIFA

Indian football is in a crisis. There is still no clarity on whether the national football league (the ISL) will happen at all

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/save-indian-football-sunil-chhetri-gurpreet-singh-sandhu-other-stars-appeal-to-fifa-for-resolving-crisis-10206438

Energy prices rise slightly for millions of households as temperatures fall

Millions of households in England, Wales and Scotland are seeing a slight rise in energy bills in the new year.

source https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyzy5488qqo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

How the 'guardian of the genome' impacts blood vessel growth

The protein p53, best known as the "guardian of the genome" for its role in preventing cancer, can affect blood vessels in different ways. However, it has not been clear how p53 can slow blood vessel growth in some cases and damage blood vessels in others.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-01-guardian-genome-impacts-blood-vessel.html

I used these five gadgets to boost my productivity last year: here’s why you should try them in 2026

I used these 5 gadgets to boost my productivity in 2025. From e-readers to smartwatches, check out the complete list of gadgets. 

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/gadgets/i-used-these-five-gadgets-to-boost-my-productivity-last-year-here-s-why-you-should-try-them-in-2026-11767287915594.html

Searching for light dark matter by tracking its direction with quantum sensors

Dark matter is an elusive type of matter that does not emit, absorb or reflect light, interacting very weakly with ordinary matter. These characteristics make it impossible to detect using conventional technologies used by physicists to study matter particles.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-12-dark-tracking-quantum-sensors.html

Energy prices rise slightly for millions of households as temperatures fall

Millions of households in England, Wales and Scotland are seeing a slight rise in energy bills in the new year.

source https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyzy5488qqo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss