http://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. Submerge it and they will come. Opportunistic seaweed, barnacles, and bacterial films can quickly befoul almost any underwater surface, but researchers are now using advances in nanotechnology and materials science to design environmentally friendly underwater coatings that repel these biological stowaways. http://phys.org/news239276649.html Nanotechnology Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:44:31 EST news239276649 (PhysOrg.com) -- A summer research expedition organized by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has led to the identification of gigantic amoebas at one of the deepest locations on Earth. http://phys.org/news238599328.html Space & Earth Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:36:12 EST news238599328 The Earth currently has more than 400 so-called "dead zones"--huge expanses of deep ocean that, because of human activities, become too oxygen-starved during the summer to support most life. http://phys.org/news237198353.html Space & Earth Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:40:09 EST news237198353 (PhysOrg.com) -- A year ago Northwestern University chemists published their recipe for a new class of nanostructures made of sugar, salt and alcohol. Now, the same team has discovered the edible compounds can efficiently detect, capture and store carbon dioxide. And the compounds themselves are carbon-neutral. http://phys.org/news235997333.html Chemistry Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:49:48 EST news235997333 A new natural defense mechanism against infections has been evidenced by an international team led by researchers from CNRS, Inserm, the Institut Pasteur and the Universite Paul Sabatier – Toulouse III. Zinc, a heavy metal that is toxic at high doses, is used by the cells of the immune system to destroy microbes such as the tuberculosis bacillus or E. coli. Published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe on 14 September 2011, this discovery makes it possible to envisage new therapeutic strategies and test new vaccine candidates. http://phys.org/news235824397.html Biology Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:20:01 EST news235824397 (PhysOrg.com) -- Water softening techniques are very effective for removing minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which occur as positively-charged ions in "hard" water. But many heavy metals and other inorganic pollutants form negatively-charged ions in water, and existing water treatment processes to remove them are inefficient and expensive. http://phys.org/news234534780.html Chemistry Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:34:53 EST news234534780 (AP) -- Apple is defending itself against a fresh barrage of criticism from Chinese environmental activists over alleged pollution by the manufacturers who make its iconic iPhones, iPads and other products. http://phys.org/news234081297.html Technology Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:35:08 EST news234081297 Heavy metal pollution of lakes has a seriously detrimental impact on people and ecosystems that rely on such bodies of water. According to a study published in the current issue of Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, researchers have focused on the physicochemical properties and toxicology of water from and around Thane City of Maharashtra. http://phys.org/news232014111.html Space & Earth Mon, 08 Aug 2011 09:40:03 EST news232014111 UC researchers have developed the first lab-on-a-chip sensor to provide fast feedback regarding levels of the heavy metal manganese in humans. The sensor is both environmentally and child friendly, and will first be field tested in Marietta, Ohio, where a UC researcher is leading a long-term health study on the potential health effects of heavy metals. http://phys.org/news231416372.html Technology Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:50:01 EST news231416372 Will we soon be fueling our cars, applying cosmetics and eating food - all made from algae? That's the rather science-fiction-y premise of the new cluster of companies (many of them based in San Diego, home of the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology) that are growing strains of algae far more useful than that residue that forms on your swimming pool. http://phys.org/news229794532.html Technology Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:50:01 EST news229794532 (AP) -- More than 600 people, including 103 children, have been sickened in China's latest case of mass lead poisoning, state media reported Sunday. http://phys.org/news227078776.html Medicine & Health Sun, 12 Jun 2011 06:26:36 EST news227078776 China's safety watchdog has found nearly one in ten toys in the domestic market is unsafe, highlighting widespread quality problems in the country's poorly regulated manufacturing industry. http://phys.org/news226032913.html Medicine & Health Tue, 31 May 2011 03:55:32 EST news226032913 A new "organocatalyst" developed at Oregon State University is now available for commercial use. Produced by an Albany, Ore., pharmaceutical company, it should make new drug development around the world less costly, more efficient and more environmentally friendly. http://phys.org/news224342873.html Chemistry Wed, 11 May 2011 15:00:01 EST news224342873 (PhysOrg.com) -- The molecular machinery bacteria use to rid themselves of toxic substances including antimicrobial drugs has been studied in detail by a UA-led team of researchers. A better understanding of these mechanisms could lead to new weapons in the fight against pathogens. http://phys.org/news224250782.html Biology Tue, 10 May 2011 12:53:34 EST news224250782 Treated stormwater is safe to use on your humble household vegetable patch according to a new report by the Center for Water Sensitive Cities at Monash University. http://phys.org/news220697904.html Space & Earth Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:10:01 EST news220697904 Radioactive contamination of the sea from Fukushima is likely to be only a local problem, but could lead to an exclusion zone if there is a major release of long-term pollutants, scientists say. http://phys.org/news220625935.html Space & Earth Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:59:19 EST news220625935 Over 50 percent of the population in the United States and over 60 percent in the world live in coastal areas. Rapidly growing human populations near the ocean have massively altered coastal water ecosystems. http://phys.org/news218971230.html Biology Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:20:58 EST news218971230 To the surprisingly inventive uses for banana peels — which include polishing silverware, leather shoes, and the leaves of house plants — scientists have added purification of drinking water contaminated with potentially toxic metals. Their report, which concludes that minced banana peel performs better than an array of other purification materials, appears in ACS's journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. http://phys.org/news218901280.html Chemistry Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:55:52 EST news218901280 China has adopted a plan to tackle heavy-metal pollution, according to state media, after more than 30 major poisoning incidents since 2009. http://phys.org/news217349768.html Space & Earth Sat, 19 Feb 2011 15:10:01 EST news217349768 Miners used to rely on canaries to alert them to dangerous build-ups of gases. Now much smaller animals -- the smallest of all -- can warn of toxins in water supplies. http://phys.org/news217100903.html Chemistry Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:48:39 EST news217100903 Up to 10 percent of rice grown in China is contaminated with harmful heavy metals but little has been done to highlight the possible public health risks, a report said. http://phys.org/news217052723.html Space & Earth Wed, 16 Feb 2011 04:40:01 EST news217052723 (AP) -- The mystery of what killed tens of thousands of fish that washed up along the Arkansas River late last year can't be solved, state wildlife officials announced Wednesday, but they do have a theory about what caused birds to fall out of the sky in a small Arkansas town on New Year's Eve. http://phys.org/news215328270.html Biology Thu, 27 Jan 2011 06:20:01 EST news215328270 (PhysOrg.com) -- It is an annual rite of summer in Chicago: heavy or persistent rain causes a water backup from runoff and sewage that pollutes Lake Michigan, forcing officials to close beaches as a health precaution. http://phys.org/news213469916.html Space & Earth Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:12:54 EST news213469916 Fifty-seven laboratories from 29 countries volunteered to put their measuring competence to the test. Each laboratory received a sample without knowing the levels of heavy metals present, and was asked to measure and report the values back to the JRC. http://phys.org/news209814798.html Medicine & Health Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:53:34 EST news209814798 Two essential genes that control the accumulation and detoxification of arsenic in plant cells have been identified. This discovery is the fruit of an international collaboration involving laboratories in Switzerland, South Korea and the United States, with the participation of members of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Plant Survival. http://phys.org/news209131327.html Biology Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:30:01 EST news209131327 Moose in southern Norway are in significantly worse health than those further north and in eastern Norway. An analysis of roughly 600 moose livers, combined with information such as carcass weights and ages, shows that Norway’s southernmost herds are afflicted with kidney problems and osteoporosis.
 http://phys.org/news208522960.html Biology Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:02:56 EST news208522960 In Hungary, as in many parts of the world, toxic bauxite sludges created during aluminium production are stored in the open air. Prolonged rainfall probably pushed the collection pond to its limits. The dam failure has now caused the biggest environmental catastrophe in Hungary's history. http://phys.org/news206184549.html Space & Earth Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:30:16 EST news206184549 Microbubbles are much bigger than they sound. If all goes as planned during a demonstration project in eastern China, microbubble technology developed at the University of Utah has the potential to boost a wide range of environmental cleanup efforts around the world. Uses include removing oil and gas byproducts from water, removing organics and heavy metals from industrial sites, and removing harmful algae from lakes. http://phys.org/news206161394.html Space & Earth Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:07:48 EST news206161394 (AP) -- The concentration of toxic heavy metals where Hungary's massive red sludge spill entered the Danube has dropped to the level allowed in drinking water, authorities said Friday, easing fears that Europe's second longest river would be significantly polluted. http://phys.org/news205776262.html Space & Earth Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:04:35 EST news205776262 A new international research project has found high levels of heavy metals in Chinese cigarettes, with some containing three times the level of lead, cadmium and arsenic of Canadian brands. http://phys.org/news205755842.html Medicine & Health Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:24:14 EST news205755842