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