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. The Apollo astronauts didn't know what they'd find when they explored the surface of the moon, but they certainly didn't expect to see drifts of tiny, bright orange glass beads glistening among the otherwise monochrome piles of rocks and dust. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-moon-shimmers-shiny-glass-beads.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 11 Jun 2025 16:55:03 EDT news668879701 High-entropy alloys (HEAs) offer tunable compositions and surface structures, presenting significant potential for creating novel active sites to enhance CO2 reduction (CO2RR) catalysis, a key process for sustainable energy. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-graph-neural-network-discovery-cu.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 21 May 2025 12:48:25 EDT news667050503 A new type of adhesive that can be cleanly removed from plastic bottles and packaging before disposal could lead to better-quality recycled plastic, a new study has shown. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-plastic-bottles-easier-recycle-degradable.html Polymers Tue, 18 Feb 2025 12:05:03 EST news659102701 By probing chemical processes observed in the Earth's hot mantle, Cornell scientists have started developing a library of basalt-based spectral signatures that not only will help reveal the composition of planets outside of our solar system but could demonstrate evidence of water on those exoplanets. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-library-exoplanet.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 14 Nov 2024 05:00:02 EST news650712664 A Southwest Research Institute-led team combined compositional data of primitive bodies like Kuiper Belt objects, asteroids and comets with new solar data sets to develop a revised solar composition that potentially reconciles spectroscopy and helioseismology measurements for the first time. Helioseismology probes the sun's interior by analyzing the waves that travel through it, while spectroscopy reveals the surface composition based on the spectral signature produced by each chemical element. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-team-solar-composition-ratios-longstanding.html Astronomy Tue, 12 Nov 2024 12:25:03 EST news650636701 The TOC (Translocon at the Outer envelope of Chloroplasts)-TIC (Translocon at the Inner envelope of Chloroplasts) supercomplex is responsible for mediating the transport of most precursor proteins from the cytoplasm into the chloroplast. The chloroplast protein transport system includes a motor protein complex, which plays a critical driving role in the translocation of precursor proteins across the chloroplast membrane. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-reveal-basis-precursor-protein.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 12 Nov 2024 12:02:02 EST news650635321 Employees of the Institute of Chemistry of Kazan Federal University and the Kazan National Research Technical University have produced especially strong carbon plastics based on phosphate binders that can withstand temperatures of more than 500 degrees Celsius. The findings are published in the journal Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-scientists-strong-carbon-plastics-aviation.html Polymers Fri, 30 Aug 2024 09:56:03 EDT news644230561 For the first time, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide ices have been observed in the far reaches of our solar system on trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). https://phys.org/news/2024-05-scientists-ices-outskirts-solar.html Astronomy Sat, 25 May 2024 05:39:13 EDT news635834337 Recently, Dr. Huo Zhipeng and his student Lu Yidong from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of Chinese Academy of Sciences have created a new type of composite material for shielding against neutron and gamma radiation. They used micron plate Sm2O3, a type of rare earth-based filler, to reinforce boron-containing polyethylene. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-composite-material-shielding-neutron-gamma.html Plasma Physics Fri, 24 May 2024 14:36:13 EDT news635780170 Most systems used to detect toxic gases in industrial or domestic settings can be used only once, or at best a few times. Now, researchers at MIT have developed a detector that could provide continuous monitoring for the presence of these gases, at low cost. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-detector-toxic-gases.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 16 May 2024 14:13:03 EDT news635087581 Whether in the form of frost or a smooth, transparent ice cube, ice adheres spontaneously and even quite strongly to many solid surfaces. However, as any careless person who has skidded on a winter sidewalk can testify, ice can also be very slippery. In fact, ice can be both sticky and slippery. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-physicists-struggling-ice-capacity-adhere.html General Physics Thu, 21 Mar 2024 11:50:01 EDT news630239779 Carbon materials, due to their appropriate physicochemical characteristics such as high surface area, adjustable pore structure, variable morphology, and multifunctional surface properties based on chemical modifications, low cost, and ease of preparation from various precursors, are ideal carrier materials for functional metal components. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-carbon-based-electrocatalysis-industrially-relevant.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 19 Mar 2024 15:30:03 EDT news630081001 A ring of icy rocks orbiting our sun just beyond Neptune may give us a glimpse of how Neptune—and other objects in the outskirts of our solar system—were formed. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-scientists-james-webb-space-telescope.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 06 Mar 2024 16:57:04 EST news628966621 Earth's moon achieved its Swiss cheese appearance from celestial objects crashing into its surface, forming impact craters. But craters weren't all that was left behind; the intense pressure and temperature of such a collision also impacted the rocks and dust covering the lunar surface, known as regolith, altering its mineral composition and structure. Analyzing the resulting minerals provides modern researchers clues to the moon's past. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-lunar-sample-china-mission-minerals.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 06 Feb 2024 11:00:02 EST news626433081 As astronomers have begun to gather data on the atmospheres of planets, we're learning about their compositions and evolution. Thick atmospheres are the easiest to study, but these same thick atmospheres can hide the surface of a planet from view. A Venus-like world, for example, has such a thick atmosphere making it impossible to see the planet's terrain. It seems the more likely we are to understand a planet's atmosphere, the less likely we are to understand its surface. But that could change thanks to a new study accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astrophysical Society and available on the arXiv preprint server. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-atmosphere-exoplanet-reveals-secrets-surface.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 27 Dec 2023 15:00:01 EST news622911245 Janus adhesive hydrogels hold promising applications across health care fields. Nevertheless, a simple method to synthesize the material had yet to be bioengineered in the lab. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-one-step-synthesis-janus-hydrogel.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 04 Dec 2023 09:42:46 EST news620905360 It's a world like no other: a metal-rich asteroid that could be the remnants of a small planet, or perhaps an entirely new type of celestial body unknown to science. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nasa-journey-metal-rich-asteroid.html Space Exploration Thu, 12 Oct 2023 15:53:44 EDT news616344819 Tropical ecosystems are constantly navigating between prolonged drought and extreme rainfall, but little research has been done to understand why some plants are able to survive these swings in climate. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-survive-droughts-extreme-rainfall.html Plants & Animals Mon, 02 Oct 2023 12:58:03 EDT news615470281 Carbon fiber composites are preferred structural materials due to their high specific strength and modulus. Laminated construction of carbon composites and anisotropic nature, though, leave them sensitive to external loading. Since a brittle matrix controls the properties in and out of plane direction, interlaminar resin-rich regions are particularly susceptible to matrix cracking. Such incipient damage eventually evolves into life-limiting fracture, such as delamination under Mode II loading. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-electrospun-short-nylon-nanofibers-resistance.html Nanomaterials Tue, 21 Mar 2023 11:32:03 EDT news598617121 In addition to oxygen, nitrogen or carbon dioxide, the air we breathe contains small amounts of organic gases, such as benzene and toluene. These oxidize into small particles or aerosols that contribute to the condensation of water in the droplets that form clouds. Now, a study by the Institut de Cièncias del Mar (ICM-CSIC), the Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano (IQFR-CSIC) and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) stresses the importance of clouds, which filter solar radiation, for understanding past and future climate changes. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-highlights-impact-marine-gases-climate.html Earth Sciences Tue, 31 Jan 2023 10:41:03 EST news594384061 ESA and OHB have signed a contract to move forward with the design and construction of ESA's ambitious Comet Interceptor spacecraft, planned for launch in 2029. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-comet-interceptor.html Space Exploration Fri, 16 Dec 2022 12:05:46 EST news590414740 Macromolecules in diverse phases can adsorb onto natural systems, composite materials, and thin-film devices. In a new report now published in Science Advances, Yuma Morimitsu and a research team in applied chemistry and polymer interfaces and molecular adhesion used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to visualize well-defined double-stranded DNAs and conducted molecular dynamics simulations to identify the adsorption mechanisms of polymer chains to solid surfaces. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-visualizing-cooperative-adsorption-string-like-molecule.html Biochemistry Tue, 06 Dec 2022 09:50:01 EST news589538479 Early crust on Mars may be more complex than previously thought—and it may even be similar to our own planet's original crust. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-mars-crust-complex-evolved-previously.html Planetary Sciences Fri, 04 Nov 2022 00:00:02 EDT news586707275 A multinational team of researchers, co-led by a City University of Hong Kong (CityU) physicist, has found that a novel metallic crystal displays unusual electronic behavior on its surface, thanks to the crystal's unique atomic structure. Their findings open up the possibility of using this material to develop faster and smaller microelectronic devices. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-kagome-metallic-crystal-electronics.html General Physics Thu, 27 Oct 2022 10:47:43 EDT news586086448 A new study by a recent graduate of Southwest Research Institute's joint graduate program in physics with The University of Texas at San Antonio demonstrates the ability of the Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) to determine the composition of areas on the lunar surface by measuring the reflectance of far-ultraviolet (far-UV) light. https://phys.org/news/2021-10-lunar-composition-capabilities-spectrograph-instrument.html Space Exploration Thu, 07 Oct 2021 08:18:14 EDT news552813492 "Skin electronics" are thin, flexible electronics that could be mounted onto the skin. While it may sound like something out of science fiction, it is anticipated that soon such devices will serve in a wide range of applications such as health monitoring, health diagnosis, virtual reality, and human-machine interface. https://phys.org/news/2021-08-highly-elastic-nanomembrane-skin-electronics.html Nanomaterials Thu, 26 Aug 2021 14:00:07 EDT news549198918 Diamonds that formed deep in the Earth's mantle contain evidence of chemical reactions that occurred on the seafloor. Probing these gems can help geoscientists understand how material is exchanged between the planet's surface and its depths. https://phys.org/news/2021-03-deep-diamonds-evidence-deep-earth-recycling.html Earth Sciences Wed, 31 Mar 2021 14:00:08 EDT news536394068 CEST researchers have uncovered novel insight/results about surface functionalization of materials used in a wide range of applications, such as energy storage, biochemistry, sensing, and energy production https://phys.org/news/2021-03-insight-surface-properties-two-dimensional-mxenes.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 30 Mar 2021 10:55:52 EDT news536320549 Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY (CUNY ASRC) and Northwestern University have created a 4-D printer capable of constructing patterned surfaces that recreate the complexity of cell surfaces. The technology, detailed in a newly published paper in Nature Communications, allows scientists to combine organic chemistry, surface science, and nanolithography to construct precisely designed nanopatterned surfaces that are decorated with delicate organic or biological molecules. The surfaces will have a wide variety of uses, including in drug research, biosensor development, and advanced optics. Importantly, this technology can create surfaces with different materials, and these materials can be patterned across the surface without the use of expensive photomasks or tedious clean room processes. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-nanoscale-d-technique-therapeutics.html Nanophysics Fri, 06 Mar 2020 05:00:01 EST news502690204 Nanoscale photocatalysts are small, man-made particles that harvest energy from sunlight to produce liquid fuels and other useful chemicals. But even within the same batch, the particles tend to vary widely in size, shape and surface composition. That makes it hard for researchers to tell what's really doing the work. https://phys.org/news/2020-02-wire-real-time-imaging-reveal-sites.html Nanophysics Wed, 19 Feb 2020 08:57:27 EST news501325044