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Groups of genetically identical fish follow different behavioral paths as they mature
Science News

Groups of genetically identical fish follow different behavioral paths as they mature

Schooling fish have long fascinated us with their mesmerizing collective movements and seemingly perfect coordination. But a new study on clonal mollies suggests that this behavior is not innate. During their first days of life, the fish still display distinct individual behaviors, and it is only around one month of age that they begin to form cohesive shoals, developing the coordinated movements characteristic of the group. However, several shoals of genetically identical clones begin to behave differently after a few weeks.

📅 2026-09-30 20:10:01    •    Phys.org
UV light locks radiation-detecting materials into durable, water-resistant films
Science News

UV light locks radiation-detecting materials into durable, water-resistant films

Florida State University researchers have developed a method to make a class of materials more robust and potentially easier to manufacture for advanced radiation detection devices, including those used in medical imaging and radiation therapy as well as space technologies.

📅 2026-09-30 20:00:17    •    Phys.org
Stratospheric observatory Sunrise-III reveals intricate solar magnetic structures
Science News

Stratospheric observatory Sunrise-III reveals intricate solar magnetic structures

A team of researchers led by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan discovered unexpectedly intricate magnetic structures above quiet-sun regions by observing the sun with the balloon-borne solar observatory Sunrise-III during its 2024 flight in Earth's stratosphere. The work is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

📅 2026-09-30 20:00:01    •    Phys.org
NASA satellite can monitor most of world's irrigation canals, study finds
Science News

NASA satellite can monitor most of world's irrigation canals, study finds

Irrigation canals form a sort of circulatory system for global agriculture. Across the world, millions of kilometers of human-made canals carry water from lakes, rivers and reservoirs downhill to farmland. Canals are vitally important to human food production, yet many agricultural areas lack the means to monitor the ebb and flow of water through these waterways. This forces farmers and water managers to rely on scattered gauges, inspections and local reports to make decisions about water use.

📅 2026-09-30 19:50:01    •    Phys.org
Astronomers link mysterious cosmic flashes to collisions of dead stars
Science News

Astronomers link mysterious cosmic flashes to collisions of dead stars

For decades, astronomers have identified collisions between two neutron stars through bursts of gamma rays that can disappear in less than two seconds. But some of these violent encounters may also reveal themselves through X-ray flashes lasting several minutes. A new study published in Science Bulletin provides evidence for this connection, suggesting that merging neutron stars could be hiding among cosmic flashes whose origins have remained uncertain.

📅 2026-09-30 19:40:15    •    Phys.org
How New World blackbirds conquered the Americas
Science News

How New World blackbirds conquered the Americas

Where did the roughly 100 species of New World blackbirds alive today originate, and how did they spread across the Americas? Dr. Axel Arango Garcia and professor Chaitanya S. Gokhale from the Chair for Computational and Theoretical Biology (CCTB) at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have reconstructed the evolutionary history of this family of birds.

📅 2026-09-30 19:40:06    •    Phys.org
Longer lives despite mitochondrial defects? Worms rely on calcium-triggered 'cages'
Science News

Longer lives despite mitochondrial defects? Worms rely on calcium-triggered 'cages'

If your car's engine develops a stutter, that's generally a sign that you should go to a mechanic before it stops running. We tend to think the same way about our bodies: When something's broken, something bad usually follows. There might, however, be at least one exception to this rule.

📅 2026-09-30 19:30:01    •    Phys.org
AI-enhanced petitions on Change.org: More text, less success
Science News

AI-enhanced petitions on Change.org: More text, less success

The change was obvious—but in the end, things stayed about the same. Cornell researchers took advantage of online petition website Change.org's gradual rollout of an artificial intelligence writing tool to gauge AI-enhanced language's impact on petition outcomes.

📅 2026-09-30 19:10:01    •    Phys.org
Research collaboration helps Gulf Coast communities plan for the unpredictable
Science News

Research collaboration helps Gulf Coast communities plan for the unpredictable

For communities along the Gulf Coast, hurricane season presents a recurring challenge: knowing when, where and how to evacuate before a major storm hits. To tackle this, researchers at Texas A&M University have spent more than a decade helping local, state and federal agencies develop clear, data-driven evacuation strategies.

📅 2026-09-30 19:00:21    •    Phys.org