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. Emissions from aircraft that use leaded aviation gasoline are a significant source of environmental pollution in neighborhoods near regional airports, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon State University and Portland State University. The findings were published in Communications Sustainability. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-small-plane-fuel-sevenfold-oregon.html Environment Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:40:06 EDT news707399605 While parks, playgrounds and hiking trails are generally thought of as "healthy" spaces, researchers from the University of Michigan have found that many of them overlap with old toxic waste sites or sit dangerously close to facilities that actively release hazardous chemicals. Their new study, published in Scientific Reports, looks at the proximity of 151,366 U.S. public parks to facilities in the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and Superfund sites (SFS). https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hazardous-sites-facilities-toxic-chemicals.html Environment Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:40:01 EDT news705663804 Rice is the most-eaten food on the planet, and its discarded outer husk results in some 300 billion pounds of waste per year. FIU chemistry researcher Islam Ibrahim Hussein says the inedible castoffs could be the key to cleaner water. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-discarded-rice-husks-capture-toxic.html Biochemistry Mon, 03 Aug 2026 18:20:02 EDT news704987757 Nitrate contamination of drinking water poses a major health concern, particularly in agricultural communities where fertilizers, livestock manure and septic systems can leach nitrates into groundwater. Many rural households rely on private water wells, which may not be routinely tested, leading some to consume contaminated water without realizing it. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-methods-nitrates.html Environment Fri, 24 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news704118001 A research team has presented a roadmap for developing an "artificial olfactory system" that detects odors like the human nose and analyzes them using artificial intelligence (AI) by leveraging metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The team systematically organized and reviewed key research trends in electronic nose technology, from MOF material design to sensor implementation and AI-based odor pattern recognition. The research was led by Hyuk-Jun Kwon's in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science of Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology. The work is published in the journal Progress in Materials Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-powered-electronic-nose-distinguish.html Biochemistry Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news703169645 The Himalayas are often seen as one of Earth's great natural barriers, separating the heavily populated and industrialized regions of South Asia from the remote Tibetan Plateau. But new research, published in Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that this mountain range is not an impenetrable wall for air pollution. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-coal-pollution-earth-remote-mountain.html Earth Sciences Fri, 26 Jun 2026 18:00:01 EDT news701690585 Scientists have identified the two biggest reasons that once-pristine rivers across the Arctic are growing cloudy with toxic orange iron particles that smother insects and suffocate fish. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-arctic-rivers-rusting-toxic-orange.html Earth Sciences Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:20:10 EDT news699617941 The latest production from the "molecular movie" imaging technology developed at Oregon State University is a new, inexpensive way of dealing with a common environmental pollutant. Based on short-pulse lasers, the imaging technology allows chemical and biological actions to be measured as they are occurring, one high-speed frame at a time. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-molecular-movie-technology-reveals-thwart.html Biochemistry Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:20:07 EDT news699543767 Southern California is emerging from yet another round of wildfires just as the wildfire season gets underway. It's been less than 18 months since catastrophic wildfires hit the communities of Altadena and Pacific Palisades. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-la-trees-lessons-future.html Environment Tue, 26 May 2026 16:20:01 EDT news699019470 When you hear the word "epoxide," what do you think? If anything, likely "glue." But epoxides are quite common in our everyday lives. You might be sitting on a foam seat cushion made from epoxides. There is a good chance the synthetic textiles in your clothing involve epoxides in their production. The same is true of the paint on your car and the printed circuit boards in your electronic devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electrified-route-epoxides-pollution-common.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 13 May 2026 11:37:32 EDT news697890970 The vast, deserted South Pacific is considered unspoiled nature. But this ocean is not as unspoiled as we would like to think. A new study by a group of researchers from ETH Zurich and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel sheds light on this premise. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-remote-ocean-contaminated-zinc-human.html Earth Sciences Wed, 06 May 2026 14:20:04 EDT news697288441 In chemical processes for producing pharmaceuticals, catalysts are a core technology that determines production speed and cost. However, until now, there has been a trade-off between "precise but disposable catalysts" and "reusable catalysts." A KAIST research team has developed an eco-friendly catalytic technology that combines these two types, operating solely with light and air. This opens a pathway to producing pharmaceutical ingredients more cheaply and cleanly, with expected reductions in carbon emissions and environmental pollution. The study is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-cyclic-catalysts-sunlight-air-regenerate.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:40:06 EDT news694099741 Nitrile and latex gloves that scientists wear while they are measuring microplastics may lead to a potential overestimation of the tiny pollutants, according to a University of Michigan study, published in Analytical Methods. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nitrile-latex-gloves-overestimation-microplastics.html Polymers Thu, 26 Mar 2026 05:00:01 EDT news693656221 An international research team has successfully synthesized oriented belt-shaped vanadium dioxide (VO2(B)) single crystals via a hydrothermal reduction method, using one-dimensional vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanofibers as the starting material. This work, published in the journal ACS Sensors, provides a new material platform and design guidelines for the development of next-generation low-power gas sensors capable of operating at room temperature. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-belt-vob-crystals-high-sensitivity.html Nanomaterials Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:20:02 EDT news693581401 Ice cores taken from glaciers reveal the air pollution of the past, using atmospheric particles incorporated in snow that fell on the glacier and became ice. Now, scientists have extracted a record of thousands of years' worth of air pollution from 9.5 meters of ice at the Weißseespitze glacier, close to the border between Austria and Italy. But this ice is under threat from global warming, and scientists warn that it is now a race against time to capture critical climate information locked in these glaciers before it's gone forever. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-alpine-ice-cores-medieval-volcanoes.html Earth Sciences Fri, 13 Mar 2026 01:00:01 EDT news692538181 Although plastic particles in the air are increasingly coming into focus, knowledge about their distribution and effects is still limited. Chemical analyses from Leipzig now provide details from Germany for the first time: Around 4% of the particulate matter consists of plastic. Around two-thirds of this comes from tire abrasion. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-microplastics-nanoplastics-urban-air-abrasion.html Environment Mon, 02 Mar 2026 15:20:02 EST news691686310 UNSW engineers have tackled a longstanding problem at the heart of global agriculture: how to make urea for fertilizer without the intensity of emissions associated with fossil-fuel-powered factories. The solution is outlined in a study published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-high-emissions-fertilizer-catalyst-boosts.html Biochemistry Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:20:01 EST news691072201 A University of Michigan study has found that people in Ghana and across the Global South who recycle electronic waste face a difficult paradox: earning livelihoods to ensure survival comes at the cost of severe long-term exposure to toxicity and dramatic environmental pollution. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-recycling-ghana-exposes-workers-toxic.html Environment Thu, 04 Dec 2025 11:50:06 EST news684071221 Nitrogen is a crucial component of proteins and nucleic acids, the fundamental building blocks of all living things, and thus is essential to life on Earth. Gaseous N2 from the atmosphere can be fixed by soil bacteria capable of converting N2 to ammonia or nitrates (NO3). https://phys.org/news/2025-12-chance-discovery-toxic-nitric-oxide.html Biochemistry Tue, 02 Dec 2025 14:42:18 EST news683908921 Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). https://phys.org/news/2025-10-sticky-ammonia-tricky-field-method.html Environment Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:30:01 EDT news679138127 Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their development of new molecular structures that can trap vast quantities of gas inside, laying the groundwork to potentially suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere or harvest moisture from desert environments. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-scientists-nobel-prize-chemistry-metal.html Materials Science Wed, 08 Oct 2025 05:55:01 EDT news679121691 As city dwellers may know, escaping to the beach can provide a much-needed change of scenery or a mental reset. Historically, some doctors even prescribed trips to the sea to treat diseases. And now, research published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters provides another reason to visit the coast. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-pathogenic-yeast-strains-urban-air.html Environment Wed, 01 Oct 2025 08:00:04 EDT news678445618 Endotoxin, a toxic chemical found in bacteria, makes up only 0.0001% of PM2.5 fine particles but packs a serious punch when it comes to its bioactivity. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-bacterial-endotoxins-high-potency-mass.html Environment Mon, 29 Sep 2025 13:10:04 EDT news678368503 The growing global demand for clean energy and rising concerns over climate change have intensified the search for sustainable alternatives. Hydrogen emerges as a promising solution due to its high energy density and zero-carbon emissions. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-chloride-resistant-ru-nanocatalysts-sustainable.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:28:04 EDT news677428082 The urban heat island effect describes the way urban areas get significantly warmer than the surrounding rural or suburban areas. There are a number of reasons why this occurs, although it can mostly be boiled down to the fact that there are fewer green spaces containing plants that cool off the surrounding air by evapotranspiration and more buildings and roads, which all have a tendency to hold more heat from the sun and keep the city warmer. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-cars-cities-significantly-contributing-urban.html Environment Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:00:01 EDT news675428278 An international research team from Washington State University, University of North Dakota, National Taiwan University, and partner institutions has discovered a way to supercharge platinum–ceria catalysts using a tiny but powerful ingredient—single-atom zirconium (Zr). This innovation could make pollution control systems more energy-efficient and cost-effective, while reducing the need for precious metals. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-atom-zirconium-powers-temperature-pollution.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 18 Aug 2025 11:42:03 EDT news674736121 A new breakthrough in the field of physics led by doctoral student Yueming Yan could allow for the creation of small, thin, low-power optical devices to be used in both medical imaging and environmental sensing. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ultrathin-metal-semiconductor-emit-multicolor.html Nanophysics Fri, 08 Aug 2025 09:14:03 EDT news673863241 One of Earth's most common nanomaterials is facilitating breakthroughs in tackling climate change: clay. In a new study, researchers at Purdue University, in collaboration with experts from Sandia National Laboratories, have potentially uncovered a game-changing method for using clay to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air to help mitigate climate change. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-clay-based-nanomaterials-solution-capture.html Nanomaterials Wed, 04 Jun 2025 14:06:04 EDT news668264761 Using advanced electron crystallography techniques, researchers at Stockholm University have succeeded in determining the structure of the historically significant red pigment carmine. It turns out that the substance, used today in products such as candy and paint, has a complex porous structure. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-red-pigment-carmine-complex-porous.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 03 Jun 2025 15:56:03 EDT news668184961 While laws to limit pollution have been around for decades, heavy metal pollutants like lead remain a problem in many areas. Lead and other metals in the soil or air can move through urban ecosystems, impacting the health of humans, plants and animals. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-butterflies-pollution-problem-twin-cities.html Environment Tue, 20 May 2025 13:08:04 EDT news666965282