Science News
Spot a baby bird on the ground? Don't be tempted to bird‑nap it
Spring is the season of blooming flowers and buzzing bees.
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2026-11-06 23:00:02
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Phys.org
Scientific Discoveries
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The wasps that horrified Darwin reveal evolution's one-way streets
Few insects have a more gruesome lifestyle than Darwin wasps. Rather than simply hunting other animals, these parasitic wasps lay their eggs on or inside living hosts, including caterpillars, beetles and spiders. Their larvae then feed on their hosts, gradually consuming them and eventually killing them.
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2026-11-06 22:20:01
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Phys.org
Science News
Air holes turn silicon wafers into flat ultraviolet focusing mirrors for compact optics
Traditional lenses and mirrors focus light using curved surfaces. Metasurfaces can achieve similar functions with a flat layer of nanoscale structures that locally control the phase of light. Extending these flat optics into the ultraviolet could support compact systems for high-resolution imaging, spectroscopy, and sensing, but it introduces a fundamental materials problem: many of the materials used to make metasurfaces strongly absorb UV light.
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2026-11-06 22:00:01
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Phys.org
Science News
How a metabolite protects the enzyme that consumes it
Metabolites are consumed by enzymes to produce other vital molecules as well as to control metabolite levels. But how do cells avoid consuming too much? Researchers from the MPI of Biochemistry, with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the de Duve Institute in Brussels, have deciphered such molecular regulation in tryptophan metabolism. The essential amino acid tryptophan binds to a second site on the enzyme TDO2, distinct from where it is consumed. This sequesters a region needed by two effectors, the kinase CK2 and the ubiquitin ligase CUL1–β-TrCP, which act sequentially to signal TDO2 degradation. The findings are now published in Molecular Cell.
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2026-11-06 21:40:01
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Phys.org
Science News
New method measures microplastics in the air using an uncrewed aerial system
Microplastics have been found in our bodies and the food we eat—and even in remote environments around the world, including seawater and ice in the Arctic. Despite their prevalence, little is known about how they move through the atmosphere. New CIRES-led research, which demonstrates a new method for sampling microplastics in the atmosphere using an uncrewed aerial system (UAS), aims to change that. The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
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2026-11-06 21:20:04
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Phys.org
Science News
Future warming events will outdo the extreme heat waves of the recent past, new study finds
The extreme heat waves we have seen over the last few years may only serve as a preview of what is to come as a result of climate change. A new study led by researcher Philipp Aglas-Leitner from Freie Universität Berlin, published in Nature Communications, finds that future heat waves could last longer, impact larger areas, and be much more severe.
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2026-11-06 21:00:01
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Phys.org
Science News
Light-powered method resurrects 'dead-end' compounds for drug discovery
Throughout the drug development process, which can take a decade or more, tens of thousands of chemical compounds are produced that never go on to become medicines. A Florida State University researcher is part of a team that has discovered a new way to give some of these "dead ends" a second chance at becoming the foundation for tomorrow's blockbuster drugs.
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2026-11-06 20:40:01
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Phys.org
Science News
Quantum gas microscope reveals individual atoms in first tunable three-component Hubbard system
For the first time, an international team of researchers from Germany, Thailand, India, China and the United States has created a three-component Hubbard system with tunable interactions in the laboratory. In doing so, the team used a quantum gas microscope to make the individual atoms visible. The study, published in Science, provides an important foundation for future quantum simulations of nuclear physics and materials science.
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2026-11-06 20:20:01
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Phys.org
Science News
European forests need to solve two crises—but not necessarily in one place
Forest areas can act both as carbon sinks and as vital habitats for thousands of species—but not necessarily at the same time. This has important implications for how Europe should manage its forests, says a University of Copenhagen researcher.
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2026-11-06 20:00:01
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Phys.org
Science News
MTG-I2 satellite delivers remarkable first images, capturing a weather view of Europe every 2.5 minutes
Europe's meteorological satellite agency, EUMETSAT, has released the first image from the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) on board Meteosat Third Generation Imager 2 (MTG-I2), just over two months after the satellite's launch on Aug. 27, 2026. The satellite will provide forecasters with high-resolution observations of Europe every 2.5 minutes. This unprecedented frequency will help forecasters monitor fast-developing weather hazards more closely and support earlier, more precise warnings.
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2026-11-06 19:40:10
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Phys.org
Science News
High-precision timeline helps clarify an ancient magma surge in the North Cascades
Where oceanic crust subducts beneath continental crust, belts of volcanoes known as continental arcs can form. Located around the world, these arcs may undergo episodic magma flare-ups—dramatic surges in the flow of magma into the continental crust at rates up to 20 times higher than normal. However, what triggers these extreme surges, which last tens of millions of years, can be unclear.
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2026-11-06 19:40:06
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Phys.org
Science News
AI won't ever make a historically accurate film—but it could help archaeology create better stories
Tech billionaire Elon Musk was up in arms about the recent adaptation of Homer's "Odyssey" by director Christopher Nolan, which he heavily criticized for its diverse casting and accused of lacking historical accuracy. Claiming he wanted to show that artificial intelligence could bypass traditional Hollywood studios and deliver a story "historically accurate and true to the art of Homer" at a fraction of the cost, he set his AI Grok Imagine to the task.
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2026-11-06 19:20:11
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Phys.org