News tagged with chemical elements

Related topics: massive stars , stars , early universe

Galaxies in the young cosmos

(Phys.org) -- The universe was born about 13.7 billion years ago in the big bang. The Sun and its system of planets formed about five billion years ago. What happened, then, during that long, intervening stretch ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created May 21, 2012 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 9 | with audio podcast

Nanosheet catalyst discovered to sustainably split hydrogen from water

(Phys.org) -- Hydrogen gas offers one of the most promising sustainable energy alternatives to limited fossil fuels. But traditional methods of producing pure hydrogen face significant challenges in unlocking ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created May 10, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (15) | comments 57 | with audio podcast

Physicists show standard 'quasiparticle' theory breaks down at 'quantum critical point'

A new study this week finds that "quantum critical points" in exotic electronic materials can act much like polarizing "hot button issues" in an election. Reporting in Nature, researchers from Rice Univer ...

Physics / General Physics

created Apr 25, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Astronomers detect vast amounts of gas and dust around black hole in early universe

(PhysOrg.com) -- Using the IRAM array of millimetre-wave telescopes in the French Alps, a team of European astronomers from Germany, the UK and France have discovered a large reservoir of gas and dust in a ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Apr 02, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 20 | with audio podcast

A planetary system from the early Universe

A group of European astronomers has discovered an ancient planetary system that is likely to be a survivor from one of the earliest cosmic eras, 13 billion years ago. The system consists of the star HIP 11952 ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Mar 27, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (13) | comments 13 | with audio podcast

New method to separate much-needed medical isotopes proposed

Individual atoms of a certain chemical element can be very stubborn when it comes to separation, mainly because techniques rely on a difference in chemical and physical properties — atoms are almost identical in both ...

Physics / General Physics

created Feb 28, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Explosives and fish are traced with chemical tags

Researchers at the University of Oviedo (Spain) have come up with a way of tagging gunpowder which allows its illegal use to be detected even after it has been detonated. Based on the addition of isotopes, ...

Biology / Ecology

created Jan 12, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Canada hunts for rare earth metals as China cuts back

A steep decline in Chinese exports of rare earth metals used in many hi-tech gadgets has forced a global search for new crucial supplies and hopes are high for major finds in Canada, analysts say.

Technology / Business

created Dec 21, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Upper atmosphere facilitates changes that let mercury enter food chain

Humans pump thousands of tons of vapor from the metallic element mercury into the atmosphere each year, and it can remain suspended for long periods before being changed into a form that is easily removed from the atmosphere.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 18, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 17 | with audio podcast

Distant galaxies reveal the clearing of the cosmic fog

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have used ESO's Very Large Telescope to probe the early Universe at several different times as it was becoming transparent to ultraviolet light. This brief but dramatic phase in ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Oct 12, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 11 | with audio podcast

Exeter academic explains chemical 'risk list'

A University of Exeter academic has spoken about the many chemical elements we rely on that are at risk.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Sep 14, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 2

Cosmic crashes forging gold: Nuclear reactions in space do produce the heaviest elements

(PhysOrg.com) -- Collisions of neutron stars produce the heaviest elements such as gold or lead. The cosmic site where the heaviest chemical elements such as lead or gold are formed has most likely been identified: ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Sep 09, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (25) | comments 46 | with audio podcast

Terminating toxic metals: Molecularly engineered material solves complex environmental contamination issues

A whiteboard, dry-erase markers and curiosity can sometimes be the most powerful tools in the scientific toolkit to solve America's biggest challenges. And few problems pose as serious a threat to the environment ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Sep 08, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Making massive stars

How do massive stars form? Stars with more than about eight times as much mass as the sun are arguably the most important actors in the universe. Although they live only hundreds of millions of years, they ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Aug 29, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Urban impacts on phosphorus in streams

Although phosphorus is an essential nutrient for all life forms, essential amounts of the chemical element can cause water quality problems in rivers, lakes, and coastal zones. High concentrations of phosphorus in aquatic ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Aug 11, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0