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. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with strong heat-trapping capabilities. Although there is less methane in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, the foremost greenhouse gas, researchers attribute 30% of modern global warming to methane. Observations show that methane levels have increased over time, but the factors driving changes in the rate of accumulation remain unclear. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-satellite-stratospheric-methane-loss-higher.html Earth Sciences Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:07:43 EST news689872021 UCLA researchers have developed a mineral sunscreen formulation that significantly reduces the white, chalky cast that keeps many people from wearing sun protection daily. For decades, dermatologists have urged people to apply sunscreen daily to protect against ultraviolet radiation. Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation is the leading preventable cause of skin cancer, the most common cancer in the United States. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-mineral-sunscreen-white-tetrapod-zinc.html Biochemistry Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:11:22 EST news689346662 Silver-based atomic switches that create stable electrical connections between individual molecules and electrodes have been developed by researchers from Japan, addressing a key challenge in wiring molecular electronics. The switch operates by forming and breaking silver atomic filaments when a voltage is applied and reversed, corresponding to the "on" and "off" states. This method enables the scalable integration of molecular components, paving the way for ultra-compact and energy-efficient circuits built from single molecules. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-atomic-molecular-electronics-closer-reality.html Nanophysics Thu, 04 Dec 2025 10:00:06 EST news684064780 From cells that migrate to tissues that heal, nature abounds with systems capable of sensing and adapting to their surroundings. Replicating this level of adaptability in synthetic systems has remained a grand challenge in chemistry and materials science. Most artificial materials, though inspired by biology, still react to only one stimulus and lack the integrated responsiveness that characterizes living matter. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-supramolecular-robotics-enables-soft-materials.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Oct 2025 14:10:01 EDT news680963985 Spotted lanternflies may season themselves to the distaste of potential bird predators, according to a new study led by entomologists in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-lanternfly-toxic-shield-fend-bird.html Plants & Animals Tue, 28 Oct 2025 09:38:04 EDT news680863081 In the 17th century, Francis Bacon described a simple experiment—scraping and fracturing hard sugar in the dark to see sparks of light. This phenomenon is called mechanoluminescence (ML) or triboluminescence (TL), the process of materials emitting light under mechanical stimulation, like grinding or crushing. Usually, ML properties of luminescent compounds are observed in rigid crystalline systems, which limits their real-world applications. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-crystal-free-mechanoluminescence-illuminates-possibilities.html Materials Science Tue, 28 Oct 2025 05:00:04 EDT news680781843 In a new study appearing in Environmental Science and Technology, researchers found high levels of ultrashort-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in blood samples taken from Wilmington, N.C. residents between 2010 and 2016. Two ultrashort-chain PFAS—perfluoromethoxyacetic acid (PFMOAA) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)—were detected at high levels in almost every sample. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-high-short-chain-pfas-blood.html Environment Mon, 27 Oct 2025 08:00:03 EDT news680431893 Understanding molecular diversity is fundamental to biomedical research and diagnostics, but existing analytical tools struggle to distinguish subtle variations in the structure or composition among biomolecules, such as proteins. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a new analytical approach which helps overcome this problem. The new method, called voltage-matrix nanopore profiling, combines multivoltage solid-state nanopore recordings with machine learning for accurate classification of proteins in complex mixtures, based on the proteins' intrinsic electrical signatures. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-nanopore-machine-molecular-analysis-tool.html Biochemistry Tue, 21 Oct 2025 13:07:03 EDT news680270821 DeePFAS, a novel deep-learning model, streamlines large-scale non-targeted screening of "forever chemicals" (PFAS) by projecting raw MS2 spectra into a latent space of chemical features, offering a rapid, AI-driven solution to replace complex traditional analysis. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-deepfas-ai-tool-advances-chemical.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:04:03 EDT news680177041 A novel spectroscopic method developed at Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan, enables highly sensitive analysis of molecules at material interfaces, using a combination of conventional ATR-IR, precise gap-control and advanced data processing. The technique offers a low-cost alternative to conventional interfacial spectroscopy and has potential applications in material sciences, nanotechnology, and biological sciences. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-gap-infrared-method-enables-analysis.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 03 Oct 2025 11:21:04 EDT news678709262 Our solar system is a smashing success. A new study suggests that from its earliest period—even before the last of its nebular gas had been consumed—Earth's solar system and its planets looked more like a bin of well-used LEGO blocks than slowly-evolving spheres of untouched elements and minerals. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-patchwork-planets-piecing-early-solar.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:00:14 EDT news678467161 A research team at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities has investigated a new method to produce iron, the main component of steel. For the first time, the researchers were able to observe chemical reactions and iron formation in real-time at the nanometer scale. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-steel-production-makeover-captures-real.html Nanomaterials Mon, 29 Sep 2025 15:50:06 EDT news678379432 Cosmic dust—the tiny particles that help form stars, planets and the chemical building blocks of life—might be much spongier and fluffier than long assumed, according to an international group of scientists. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-space-spongier-thought-scientists.html Astronomy Mon, 29 Sep 2025 11:17:04 EDT news678363422 Caltech scientists have developed a method to create metallic objects of a precisely specified shape and composition, giving them unprecedented control of the metallic mixtures, or alloys, they create and the enhanced properties those creations will display. Want a stent that is biocompatible and mechanically robust? How about strong but lightweight satellite components that can operate in space for decades? https://phys.org/news/2025-08-metallurgy-21st-century-precisely-metal.html Nanomaterials Fri, 01 Aug 2025 11:39:04 EDT news673267142 A new study from NYU Abu Dhabi has found that high-energy particles from space, known as cosmic rays, could create the energy needed to support life underground on planets and moons in our solar system. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-life-survive-beneath-surface-mars.html Astrobiology Mon, 28 Jul 2025 15:57:33 EDT news672937048 As tons of plastic waste continue to build up in landfills every day, Yale researchers have developed a way to convert this waste into fuels and other valuable products efficiently and cheaply. The results are published in Nature Chemical Engineering. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-device-plastic-fuel-catalyst-free.html Materials Science Mon, 28 Jul 2025 09:00:06 EDT news672911667 A recently published article in the journal Weed Science shows electric control technologies can eradicate weeds just as effectively as herbicides or mechanical methods, with minimal risks to the crop, soil or the environment, despite displaying a potentially higher fire hazard risk if dry crop residues are present. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-electric-weed-effective.html Biotechnology Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:10:01 EDT news671972000 Researchers from RMIT University and CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, have unveiled a method to significantly extend the lifetime of quantum batteries—1,000 times longer than previous demonstrations. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-quantum-battery-device-longer-previous.html Condensed Matter Tue, 08 Jul 2025 12:50:05 EDT news671197656 For more than a century, the well-known 18-electron rule has guided the field of organometallic chemistry. Now, researchers at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), in collaboration with scientists from Germany, Russia, and Japan, have successfully synthesized a novel organometallic compound that challenges this longstanding principle. They have created a stable 20-electron derivative of ferrocene, an iron-based metal-organic complex, which could lead to exciting possibilities in chemical science. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-organometallic-compound-fundamental-principle-textbook.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 07 Jul 2025 09:22:04 EDT news671098922 Caltech professor of chemistry Sandeep Sharma and colleagues from IBM and the RIKEN Center for Computational Science in Japan are giving us a glimpse of the future of computing. The team has used quantum computing in combination with classical distributed computing to attack a notably challenging problem in quantum chemistry: determining the electronic energy levels of a relatively complex molecule. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-hybrid-quantumclassical-approach-chemical.html Quantum Physics Wed, 25 Jun 2025 15:21:28 EDT news670083686 Research from the University of St Andrews has set a new benchmark for the precision with which researchers can explore fundamental physics in quantum materials. The work has implications extending from materials science to advanced computing, as well as confirming a nearly 100-year-old prediction. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-quantum-materials-year.html Condensed Matter Tue, 17 Jun 2025 13:52:07 EDT news669387119 As the ocean warms across its temperate regions, kelp forests are collapsing and turf algae species are taking over. This shift from dense canopies of tall kelp to low-lying mats of turf algae is driving biodiversity loss and altering the flow of energy and nutrients through reef ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-competition-algae-gulf-maine.html Plants & Animals Thu, 22 May 2025 14:00:05 EDT news667122241 New research led by a York University professor sheds light on the earliest days of Earth's formation and potentially calls into question some earlier assumptions in planetary science about the early years of rocky planets. Establishing a direct link between Earth's interior dynamics occurring within the first 100 million years of its history and its present-day structure, the work is one of the first in the field to combine fluid mechanics with chemistry to better understand Earth's early evolution. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-earliest-days-earth-formation.html Earth Sciences Wed, 26 Mar 2025 14:37:03 EDT news662218622 In a joint project between the Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry and Skoltech, a research group led by RAS Academician Valentin Ananikov has developed a unique machine-learning-based search engine for analyzing vast amounts of high-resolution mass spectrometry data. Machine learning allows exploring terabytes of accumulated data without new experiments. The algorithm accelerates the search for new compounds, reduces costs, and makes research more environmentally friendly. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-ai-based-chemical-reactions-archives.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 20 Mar 2025 11:08:03 EDT news661687681 Imagine looking at the world through the stalked compound eyes of krill in the Southern Ocean. All of a sudden, a penguin appears like a voracious giant, streamlined like a torpedo, chasing and consuming thousands of krill at rapid speed. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-mere-whiff-penguin-poo-krill.html Plants & Animals Thu, 20 Mar 2025 00:20:01 EDT news661595162 It is widely believed that Earth's atmosphere has been rich in oxygen for about 2.5 billion years due to a relatively rapid increase in microorganisms capable of performing photosynthesis. Researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, provide a mechanism to explain precursor oxygenation events, or "whiffs," which may have opened the door for this to occur. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-volcanic-billions-years-stage-earth.html Earth Sciences Mon, 10 Mar 2025 10:15:03 EDT news660820501 Researchers from Japan and Taiwan reveal for the first time that helium, usually considered chemically inert, can bond with iron under high pressures. They used a laser-heated diamond anvil cell to find this, and the discovery suggests there could be huge amounts of helium in the Earth's core. This could challenge long-standing ideas about the planet's internal structure and history, and may even reveal details of the nebula our solar system coalesced from. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-discovery-huge-amounts-helium-earth.html Earth Sciences Wed, 26 Feb 2025 09:24:28 EST news659784256 Within the animal kingdom, mussels are masters of underwater adhesion. The marine mollusks cluster atop rocks and along the bottoms of ships, and hold fast against the ocean's waves thanks to a gluey plaque they secrete through their foot. These tenacious adhesive structures have prompted scientists in recent years to design similar bioinspired, waterproof adhesives. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-mimics-mussels-mucus-bacterial-buildup.html Biochemistry Mon, 17 Feb 2025 15:47:58 EST news659029672 Middle molecules with a molecular weight of more than 1,000 are difficult to synthesize due to multiple steps and time-consuming nature, demanding the development of a new approach that can overcome these disadvantages. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-click-chemistry-method-advances-drug.html Biochemistry Tue, 11 Feb 2025 12:32:09 EST news658499520 When synthesizing chemicals, stationary sensors can collect and communicate detailed data from within a reactor system. Physically installed sensors reach their limitations when it comes to mapping concentrations within a fluid flowing through hard-to-reach areas—particularly within long, narrow tubes. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-thousands-tiny-aware-sensors-chemical.html Biochemistry Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:17:05 EST news657821822