A global wildfire paradox: Human impacts worsen even as total burned area declines

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have spotted a contradiction in worldwide wildfire trends: Despite a 26% decline in total burned area from 2002 to 2021, the number of people exposed to wildfires has surged by nearly 40%.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-global-wildfire-paradox-human-impacts.html

First dates: It's not about the place—it's about the people

Dinner and a movie. Bowling. Hiking. A cup of coffee. There are so many options for where to go for a first date. But each of them comes with the worry: Is this going to go well?

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-dates-people.html

Study: When punishers profit, people are more likely to break the rules

UC San Diego researchers show that paying enforcers to punish makes people less likely to cooperate with others, which has major implications for law-enforcement quotas, asset forfeiture, and for-profit prisons.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-profit-people.html

Vapor-based method controls crystallinity of pore walls in nanospaces

Metal oxide materials with nanoscale pores have been applied and studied in a wide range of fields, including as catalysts, adsorption and separation materials, and energy materials. Among them, single-crystalline nanoporous metal oxides—with interconnected nanopores in a single crystal—are especially lucrative. They have recently attracted attention as unique materials that combine the desirable properties of nanoporous materials, such as high specific surface area and large pore volume, with those of single crystals.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-vapor-based-method-crystallinity-pore.html

Human influence reduces natural land carbon stocks by 24%, study finds

Human activities, such as deforestation and the expansion of agricultural areas, have a massive impact on the natural state of ecosystems. As a result, large amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere, contributing substantially to anthropogenic climate change.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-human-natural-carbon-stocks.html

Black Mayors Slam Trump, Highlight Sharp Crime Drop In Cities

As President Donald Trump declared Washington, DC, a crime-ridden wasteland in need of federal intervention this week and threatened similar federal interventions in other Black-led cities, several...

source https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/black-mayors-slam-trump-highlight-sharp-crime-drop-in-cities-9103821

US Negotiators' Aug. 25 Visit To New Delhi For Trade Talks Called Off; To Be Rescheduled

This round of trade talks was much anticipated, given that it was scheduled ahead of the imposition of additional 25% tariffs on India.

source https://www.ndtvprofit.com/economy-finance/us-negotiators-aug-25-visit-to-new-delhi-for-trade-talks-called-off

Analysis calls for community-led approaches in social science research

Much previous work in the social sciences has involved researchers—often but not always from the Global North—collecting data from rural communities in the Global South on a wide range of topics from public health to education, agriculture and climate change. Such 'helicopter' research is not good practice as it often involves an asymmetry of power and knowledge that invariably disadvantages local communities. So how can research be made more equitable?

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-analysis-community-approaches-social-science.html

Proposed policies would reward farmers for climate-smart biofuel crop practices

A team of agricultural economists, environmental scientists and policy experts envisions a path toward a carbon-neutral agricultural future by expanding the reach of policies designed to promote low-carbon biofuels for transportation and aviation.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-policies-reward-farmers-climate-smart.html

Will AI pull the career ladder up out of reach—or just change what it looks like?

Once, a university degree was widely seen as a "ticket" to securing high-paying jobs and social mobility.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ai-career-ladder.html

Northern losses and southern gains: Climate change reshapes moth communities across Finland

A new study led by the University of Helsinki examined how climate change is altering moth communities across Finland. The researchers wanted to understand whether communities are undergoing thermophilization—a shift towards species that prefer warmer conditions—as the climate warms.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-northern-losses-southern-gains-climate.html

Chemists help solve mystery of missing space sulfur

For decades, astrochemists have been looking for sulfur atoms in space and finding surprisingly little of the element that is a key ingredient to life. A new study could point to where it has been hiding.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-chemists-mystery-space-sulfur.html

Robot Drummer: Humanoid Robot Learns to Play Drums with Human-Like Precision

A breakthrough in creative robotics, Robot Drummer combines AI and humanoid design to perform complex drumming patterns with precision and flair. The system could inspire future innovations in robotic...

source https://www.gadgets360.com/science/news/robot-drummer-humanoid-robot-learns-to-play-drums-with-human-like-precision-and-creativity-9054295

Astronauts return to Earth with SpaceX after 5 months at the International Space Station

Four astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after hustling to the International Space Station five months ago to relieve the stuck test pilots of Boeing's Starliner.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-astronauts-home-space-station-splashdown.html

Bhubaneswar To Host India's First World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour Meet

Top Indian track and field athletes from the country will lock horns with international stars at the Indian Open 2025 World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour meet.

source https://sports.ndtv.com/athletics/bhubaneswar-to-host-indias-first-world-athletics-bronze-level-continental-tour-meet-9054011

It's challenging to predict extreme thunderstorms—improving this will help reduce their deadly and costly impacts

Our ability to predict extreme weather from thunderstorms, like the recent catastrophic flash floods in Texas, is unsettlingly poor, even in the hours leading up to the event. Improvements in understanding, detecting and predicting extreme thunderstorms—and increasing community resilience to them—are badly needed.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-extreme-thunderstorms-deadly-impacts.html

Syria's Minorities Demand For Constitution That Guarantees Pluralism

Hundreds of representatives of Syria's various ethnic and religious groups called Friday for the formation of a decentralised state and the drafting of a new constitution that guarantees religious,...

source https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/syrias-minorities-demands-for-constitution-that-guarantees-pluralism-9049208

Hulu app to shut down in 2026 as Disney fully merges platform into Disney+

Starting in 2026, Hulu will be phased out as a standalone app, with a unified Disney+/Hulu platform launching. Disney will also stop reporting subscriber numbers for its streaming services.

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/hulu-app-to-shut-down-in-2026-as-disney-fully-merges-platform-into-disney-11754675571239.html

Landslide risk doesn't always rise after a wildfire, Columbia River Gorge study finds

In the wake of a wildfire, there's often an assumption that burned landscapes will be more susceptible to landslides. But new research from the University of Oregon suggests it's not always that simple.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-landslide-doesnt-wildfire-columbia-river.html

Direct visualization of quantum zero-point motion in complex molecule reveals eternal dance of atoms

Most of us find it difficult to grasp the quantum world. According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, it's like observing a dance without being able to see simultaneously exactly where someone is dancing and how fast they're moving—you always must choose to focus on one.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-visualization-quantum-motion-complex-molecule.html

Cockatoos perform 30 distinct dance moves and may combine them in unique ways

Captive cockatoos have at least 30 different dance moves in their repertoire, including headbanging and body rolls, according to a study by Natasha Lubke at Charles Sturt University in Australia, and colleagues, published August 6, 2025 in the journal PLOS One. The moves, of which 17 are newly identified, may be performed with or without music.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-cockatoos-distinct-combine-unique-ways.html

"Everything Is Over": Uttarakhand Floods Leave Behind Trail Of Destruction

"Everything is over" -- a victim is heard saying in one of several disturbing videos which surfaced online after a cloudburst led to flash floods on Tuesday in Himalayan village of Dharali in this...

source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/everything-is-over-uttarakhand-flash-floods-leave-behind-trail-of-destruction-9026516

Study reveals wild chimpanzees learn how to communicate from relatives on mom's side, not dad's

Young chimpanzees learn their communication style from their mother and maternal relatives, but show little similarity to the communication behavior of their father and paternal relatives, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Joseph Mine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and colleagues.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-reveals-wild-chimpanzees-communicate-mom.html

Platinum-calcium alloy nanoparticles replace platinum, achieving both efficiency and durability in fuel cells

A research team led by Professor Jong-sung Yu of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST (President Kunwoo Kim) has successfully synthesized platinum-calcium alloy nanoparticles using a liquid-phase method. These nanoparticles serve as a catalyst that simultaneously enhances both the efficiency and durability of hydrogen fuel cells, an emerging next-generation eco-friendly energy technology.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-platinum-calcium-alloy-nanoparticles-efficiency.html

"He Hated Me In School'': Woman's Friendship Day Post For Husband Goes Viral

Aanchal Rawat shared the touching full-circle love story on X, revealing how her former "enemy" became her life partner.

source https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/the-guy-who-hated-me-in-school-womans-wholesome-friendship-day-post-for-husband-goes-viral-9011995

Basic Course In Biomedical Research: What It Is And Why It Matters

Basic Course In Biomedical Research: To receive the course completion e-Certificate, participants must appear for an online, offsite, proctored examination.

source https://www.ndtv.com/education/what-is-basic-course-in-biomedical-research-and-why-it-matters-to-medical-professionals-9007954

'The great mass of waters killed many thousands': How earthquakes, tsunamis shook ancient Greece and Rome

The Greek poet Crinagoras of Mytilene (1st century BC–1st century AD) once addressed a little poem to an earthquake. He asked the quake not to destroy his house:

source https://phys.org/news/2025-08-great-mass-thousands-earthquakes-tsunamis.html

What Are The Top 10 Cities For Students In Asia? Here's The List

Top 10 Student Cities In Asia: The latest rankings highlights the growing prominence of Asian cities in global education, driven by academic excellence, job opportunities, and student satisfaction.

source https://www.ndtv.com/education/what-are-the-top-10-cities-for-students-in-asia-heres-the-list-9002886

Car loan scandal payouts row - what's it about?

The Supreme Court will make a key decision which could unlock compensation for millions of motorists.

source https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2l9vvj097lo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

PlayStation Plus reveals August 2025 line-up: Lies of P, DayZ, and My Hero One’s Justice 2

Sony reveals the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for August 2025, featuring Lies of P, DayZ, and My Hero One’s Justice 2. The additions celebrate the service's 15th anniversary, offering commemorative avatars based on popular titles. Players must claim July's games before August 5.

source https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/playstation-plus-reveals-august-2025-line-up-lies-of-p-dayz-and-my-hero-one-s-justice-2-11754068853213.html

Climate interventions to save our oceans need stronger governance, experts warn

Climate interventions are accelerating in our oceans—but without responsible governance, they could do more harm than good, according to new research.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-07-climate-interventions-oceans-stronger-experts.html