https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have observed a young brown dwarf known as Cha Hα 1. As a result, they found that the disk around this brown dwarf is hydrocarbon-rich. The finding was detailed in a paper published August 7 on the pre-print server arXiv. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-brown-dwarf-cha-hydrocarbon-rich.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 13 Aug 2025 10:00:01 EDT news674295899 Researchers from the University of Bristol and the Central Laser Facility (CLF) at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have discovered why a toxic compound found in wildfire smoke resists natural breakdown when dissolved in atmospheric water droplets. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-wildfire-chemical-toxic-humans-lingers.html Environment Thu, 07 Aug 2025 11:19:03 EDT news673784341 Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers has explored the atmosphere of a nearby brown dwarf binary designated WISE J045853.90+643451.9. As a result, they detected hydrogen cyanide and acetylene in the atmosphere of this binary, marking the first time these two species have been identified in the atmosphere of a brown dwarf. The finding was reported Feb. 19 on the arXiv pre-print server. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-hydrogen-cyanide-acetylene-brown-dwarf.html Astronomy Thu, 27 Feb 2025 09:20:06 EST news659870403 Covering over 70% of Earth's surface, the oceans are home to countless life forms that maintain ecological balance and support human well-being. Among these, brown algae (Phaeophyceae) play a crucial role in sustaining coastal habitats, supporting marine biodiversity, and combating climate change through carbon capture. While they have long captured the interest of the scientific world, the genomic and evolutionary history of these organisms has remained largely unexplored. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-comprehensive-analysis-reveals-hidden-genomic.html Evolution Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:45:03 EST news653762701 Using the Keck II telescope in Hawaii, astronomers have observed a nearby brown dwarf known as HD 33632 Ab. Results of the observational campaign, presented in a paper published May 14 on the pre-print server arXiv, provide more insights into the properties of this substellar object and its atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-properties-nearby-brown-dwarf-hd.html Astronomy Tue, 21 May 2024 08:36:27 EDT news635499383 Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have observed a nearby cold brown dwarf designated WISEPA J182831.08+265037.8 (or WISE 1828 for short). The observations delivered important insights into the composition of the object's atmosphere. The new findings were published Feb. 8 on the preprint server arXiv. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-astronomers-atmosphere-nearby-cold-brown.html Astronomy Thu, 15 Feb 2024 10:20:01 EST news627213400 Brown algae take up large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air and release parts of the carbon contained therein back into the environment in mucous form. This mucus is hard to break down for other ocean inhabitants, thus the carbon is removed from the atmosphere for a long time, as researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen now show. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-brown-algae-carbon-dioxide-air.html Plants & Animals Mon, 26 Dec 2022 15:00:03 EST news590920322 Tiny aerosol particles that are suspended in the air can absorb and scatter sunlight radiation and contribute to create clouds affecting climate, reduce the visibility over cities and affect air traffic, and lower air quality. Aerosols in large pollution plumes, called brown clouds, can be transported long distances by the wind and reach other continents from the originating one. The variable composition of particles in brown clouds includes an unhealthy mix of organic molecules and ozone found in smoke. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-brown-carbon-aromatic-pollutants-emitted.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 22 Sep 2022 15:27:10 EDT news583079228 The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured images of a brown dwarf with silicate particles in its atmosphere. In their paper posted on the arXiv preprint server, astronomers describe their analysis of the brown dwarf and its unique atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-webb-telescope-brown-dwarf-clouds.html Astronomy Tue, 06 Sep 2022 10:48:21 EDT news581680068 The 2021 wildfire season broke records globally, leaving land charred from California to Siberia. The risk of fire is growing, and a report published by the UN last month warned that wildfires are on track to increase 50% by 2050. These fires destroy homes, plant life, and animals as they burn, but the risk doesn't stop there. In the journal One Earth on March 18, researchers detail how the brown carbon released by burning biomass in the northern hemisphere is accelerating warming in the Arctic and warn that this could lead to even more wildfires in the future. https://phys.org/news/2022-03-wildfires-devastate-planet.html Environment Fri, 18 Mar 2022 11:00:08 EDT news566797207 New research revealed that tiny, sunlight-absorbing particles in wildfire smoke may have less impact on climate than widely hypothesized because reactions as the plume mixes with clean air reduce its absorbing power and climate-warming effect. In a unique megafire study, a Los Alamos National Laboratory-led research team studied the properties of smoke from Arizona's massive Woodbury Fire last summer using a powerful set of observing techniques. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-impact-wildfire-climate.html Environment Fri, 10 Jul 2020 08:31:09 EDT news513588667 The wildfire that has raged across more than 150,000 acres of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia and Florida has sent smoke billowing into the sky as far as the eye can see. Now, new research published by the Georgia Institute of Technology shows how that smoke could impact the atmosphere and climate much more than previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2017-05-wildfires-climate-impact.html Earth Sciences Mon, 22 May 2017 12:06:50 EDT news414673600 Hanging over the world's major cities, a brown haze of smog traps the warmth from sun. Acting like a warming blanket, this haze has a substantial impact on the climate. However, the chemical complexity of the haze makes it hard to separate out the compounds that absorb the sunlight from the stew of other chemicals. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of California, Irvine identified the culprits—a set of molecules called brown carbon chromophores. https://phys.org/news/2016-01-scientists-chemical-culprits-responsible-smog.html Environment Tue, 26 Jan 2016 07:51:51 EST news373017100 Cloaking urban areas and wildfire zones, tiny smoke particles suspended in the atmosphere have a sizeable effect on our climate. But the exact effect of many of these aerosols—such as how much sunlight they absorb, thus warming Earth, or reflecting back to space and so cooling Earth—is very uncertain. https://phys.org/news/2015-10-reveals-urban-absorbs-sunlight-exacerbating.html Environment Thu, 01 Oct 2015 10:39:50 EDT news362914781 Sitting on an airplane flying into nearly every major city on a sunny day, passengers can see a lingering brown haze. This haze event is linked to climate issues, as the thousands of chemicals involved act as a warming blanket, absorbing sunlight and trapping surface heat. Yet, the chemistry of this haze is not well known. Recently, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory examined the chemistry of brown carbon, a pernicious set of particles in the haze. They focused on the specks that form around the chemical toluene, a common pollutant. They found that adding a bit of nitrogen oxide, released in combustion engine car exhaust, resulted in particles that trapped some heat. Increasing the nitrogen oxides level, however, resulted in particles that held significantly more heat and caused the mix to turn yellowish brown. https://phys.org/news/2015-09-ew-molecular-aerosol-haze-megacities.html Earth Sciences Tue, 29 Sep 2015 06:09:00 EDT news362725724 Scientists have uncovered key attributes of so-called "brown carbon" from wildfires, airborne atmospheric particles that may have influenced current climate models that failed to take the material's warming effects into account. The work was described by a collaborative team of researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Montana in the journal Nature Geosciences this week. https://phys.org/news/2014-08-scientists-uncover-combustion-mechanism-wildfires.html Earth Sciences Mon, 04 Aug 2014 17:32:14 EDT news326392323 When the 1893 World's Fair opened in Chicago, fairgoers aboard the world's first Ferris wheel soared high enough to compare two cities: the White City—gleaming whitewashed architecture built for the massive fair—and its dark twin, the blackened, soot-stained buildings of the Loop just a few miles to the north. https://phys.org/news/2014-07-volcano-thousand-mouths.html Earth Sciences Wed, 02 Jul 2014 08:50:02 EDT news323503971 There is an atmospheric particle not satisfied with only a single role in the climate. The ambitious culprit? Brown carbon aerosol steps outside the box and acts to both warm and cool the climate. A brown secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is thought to be created when gases that are emitted from both natural and man-made sources are oxidized under certain environmental conditions. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Nevada at Reno studied the light absorbing and reflecting abilities of SOA formed from alpha-pinene (α-pinene), an important gas that gives off a piney smell and is naturally emitted from both coniferous and deciduous forests. The study is an important step in the continued search for evidence that these particles form from naturally occurring gases and increase dramatically in the presence of pollution from cities. https://phys.org/news/2014-02-brown-carbon-sides-climate-equation.html Earth Sciences Tue, 04 Feb 2014 06:07:32 EST news310716411 (PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered something odd about a distant planet -- it lacks methane, an ingredient common to many of the planets in our solar system. https://phys.org/news/2010-04-planet-funny-spitzer.html Astronomy Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:01:52 EDT news191080885