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. How was iron produced 2,000 years ago in Senegal? A recent study at the Didé West 1 archaeological site, in the Falémé Valley in eastern Senegal, sheds light on an ancient iron production technique. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-senegal-2000yearold-iron-workshop.html Archaeology Sun, 31 May 2026 14:00:01 EDT news699019390 A new race to the moon is emerging between the United States and China. Unlike fifty years ago, the goal is no longer just about landing and leaving, but establishing a base that allows for a sustainable presence and extended stays on the surface of our natural satellite. The objective is now to use the moon as a testing ground for technologies that will enable us to travel further, particularly to Mars. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-oxygen-lunar-soil-future-space.html Space Exploration Sat, 30 May 2026 20:30:03 EDT news699019383 In a major advance, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have devised a method to grow high-quality 2D magnetic materials (2D-MMs) over centimeter-scale wafers. Earlier approaches in the field were limited to growing micrometer-sized flakes. This advance paves the way for their integration into next-generation electronics and spintronics materials used in hard drives and sensors. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-wafer-scale-2d-magnetic-emerge.html Nanomaterials Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:00:09 EDT news695573455 The world's appetite for propene (propylene) is growing faster than the chemical industry can keep up. This petrochemical product powers the production of acrylonitrile, propylene oxide, high-velocity fuels, and, most importantly, polypropylene plastic—used in everyday food packaging and textiles, as well as in essential medical equipment. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hollow-sphere-catalyst-enables-greener.html Polymers Sun, 19 Apr 2026 11:00:01 EDT news695476121 Biodiesel is a renewable fuel and offers a sustainable and potentially carbon-neutral alternative to petroleum products. Yet production costs remain a hurdle to its widespread use. Now, researchers have developed an inexpensive way to make biodiesel from materials found along the banks of their Louisiana bayou: algae and oyster shells. The researchers will present their results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS Spring 2026), held in Atlanta from March 22 to 26. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-combining-algae-oyster-shells-biodiesel.html Biochemistry Wed, 25 Mar 2026 05:00:04 EDT news693564757 Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges in the present times. Increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere are a major factor contributing to this phenomenon. Activities such as the burning of fossil fuels for daily use, like electricity and transportation, and industrial applications, release significant amounts of CO2, trapping the heat at excessive levels and contributing to global warming. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-cow-dung-sustainable-carbon-dioxide.html Environment Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:30:04 EDT news692985061 Graphene is often described as a wonder material. It is strong, electrically conductive, thermally efficient, and remarkably versatile. Yet despite more than a decade of excitement, many graphene-based technologies still struggle to move beyond the laboratory. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-sustainability-functionalized-graphene-materials.html Nanomaterials Thu, 25 Dec 2025 11:00:01 EST news685623283 When we think of Venetian glass, our minds leap to the blazing furnaces of Murano, to delicate filigree and the vivid colors of the Renaissance. This iconic and universally recognized image tells only part of the story. For centuries, the earlier chapter—its Early Medieval origins—remained in the shadows, considered merely a prelude to Murano's later greatness. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-8th-century-glass-reveals-earliest.html Archaeology Thu, 18 Dec 2025 10:12:17 EST news685275121 Chinese researchers have developed a new carbon nanotube insulator that can withstand high temperatures up to 2,600°C, outperforming all other materials used for extreme-temperature applications. This breakthrough could be used for heat shields on hypersonic vehicles and spacecraft during re-entry into the atmosphere and in other high-temperature environments. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-breakthrough-carbon-nanotube-material-thermal.html Nanomaterials Sat, 06 Sep 2025 08:30:01 EDT news676297062 Two-dimensional nanomaterials only a few atoms thick are being explored for a range of critical applications in biomedicine, electronics, nanodevices, energy storage and other areas, especially to enhance performance in extreme environments and ultra-demanding conditions. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-2d-nanomaterials-metals-extreme-conditions.html Nanomaterials Fri, 05 Sep 2025 13:19:04 EDT news676297138 A research team from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Seoul National University has developed a new method to activate water-splitting catalysts at an oven temperature of just 300°C—much lower than the conventional furnace temperature of 800°C. This low-temperature process also boosts the catalyst's oxygen evolution efficiency by nearly sixfold. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-temperature-boosts-catalyst-sixfold.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 04 Aug 2025 11:21:10 EDT news673525261 Many modern devices—from cellphones and computers to electric vehicles and wind turbines—rely on strong magnets made from types of minerals called rare earths. As the systems and infrastructure used in daily life have turned digital and the United States has moved toward renewable energy, accessing these minerals has become critical—and the markets for these elements have grown rapidly. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-glass-steel-rare-earth-metals.html Materials Science Thu, 03 Jul 2025 11:53:05 EDT news670762381 Companies building next-generation products and breakthrough technologies are often limited by the physical constraints of traditional materials. In aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial tooling, pushing those constraints introduces possible failure points into the system, but companies don't have better options, given that producing new materials at scale involves multiyear timelines and huge expenses. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-platform-advanced-metals-scale.html Materials Science Thu, 03 Jul 2025 08:47:00 EDT news670751214 MIT physicists have demonstrated a new form of magnetism that could one day be harnessed to build faster, denser, and less power-hungry "spintronic" memory chips. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-physicists-magnetism.html Condensed Matter Thu, 05 Jun 2025 09:12:04 EDT news668333521 When the heat arrives this week, air quality may be dropping. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-wildfire-hazy-skies-massachusetts-air.html Environment Tue, 03 Jun 2025 11:40:04 EDT news668168174 A team from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, joined by university students, recently traveled to The Ohio State University Research Reactor to conduct a novel experiment on nuclear thermal rocket fuel coatings—one that could help propel NASA's astronauts to Mars faster and more efficiently. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-nuclear-rocket-fuel-nasa-mars.html Materials Science Wed, 02 Apr 2025 14:30:04 EDT news662823002 A University of Missouri researcher has discovered a new method to remove so-called "forever chemicals" from our drinking water. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-material-household-aquariums-simple-solution.html Environment Wed, 05 Feb 2025 12:22:04 EST news657980522 A new study documents the dramatic change in America's material diet from 1900 to 2020—ongoing shifts in US commodity consumption patterns with profound environmental, economic, and geopolitical implications. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-commodity-trends-decoupling-economic-growth.html Economics & Business Thu, 16 Jan 2025 09:20:49 EST news656241636 Materials that conduct electricity well, like metals, also tend to conduct heat. For instance, a metal spoon left in a hot cup of tea will get hot, while the ceramic mug remains cool. This is because good electrical conductors are usually good heat conductors too. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-thin-coating-mxene-material-thick.html Nanophysics Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:37:04 EST news652621021 A research team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has recently developed a Pt-based high-entropy-alloy (HEA) catalyst that significantly enhances the efficiency of propane dehydrogenation (PDH), a critical process for producing propylene, which is a major chemical building block. The study was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-high-entropy-alloy-catalyst-boosts.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 26 Nov 2024 12:34:08 EST news651846845 When California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed suit against Exxon Mobil and accused the oil giant of misleading the public about the effectiveness of plastic recycling, many of the allegations surrounded the company's marketing of a process called "advanced recycling." https://phys.org/news/2024-09-exxon-mobil-advanced-recycling-plastic.html Environment Mon, 30 Sep 2024 07:40:02 EDT news646899865 A mysterious type of iron-rich magma entombed within extinct volcanoes is likely abundant with rare earth elements and could offer a new way to source these in-demand metals, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-extinct-volcanoes-rich-source-rare.html Earth Sciences Tue, 24 Sep 2024 10:00:01 EDT news646385101 In 1971, English mathematical physicist and Nobel-prize winner Roger Penrose proposed how energy could be extracted from a rotating black hole. He argued that this could be done by building a harness around the black hole's accretion disk, where infalling matter is accelerated to close to the speed of light, triggering the release of energy in multiple wavelengths. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-professor-black-hole-orbit-planet.html Astronomy Fri, 23 Aug 2024 11:44:03 EDT news643632241 The financial crisis of 2008 showed just how much the world depends on banks being well run. Since then, regulators have been given new powers to keep some of the biggest institutions on a much shorter leash to stamp out risk, greed and corruption. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-extraordinary-vietnam-fraud-case-exposes.html Economics & Business Thu, 25 Apr 2024 14:20:01 EDT news633266234 With every new particle accelerator built for research, scientists have an opportunity to push the limits of discovery. But this is only true if new particle accelerators deliver the desired performance—no small feat in a world where each new machine is a first of its particular kind. At each project opportunity, researchers try to refine the preparation methods of key components so as to get a "better bang for the buck." https://phys.org/news/2024-04-smoother-surfaces.html General Physics Thu, 18 Apr 2024 16:03:04 EDT news632674981 An Oregon State University researcher who made color history in 2009 with a vivid blue pigment has developed durable, reddish magentas inspired by lunar mineralogy and ancient Egyptian chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-advance-pigment-chemistry-moon-reddish.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 16 Apr 2024 12:05:48 EDT news632487946 The upper-stage helium tank of the Ariane 3 that was launched in 1985 was recovered in Uganda in 2002 after re-entry. Molten aluminum splashes were discovered on the tank, which have been identified as deposits from local fixings. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-simulating-ejecta-titanium-spacecraft-surfaces.html Space Exploration Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:08:03 EDT news631375682 China, the world's top steel producer, is at a crossroads due to its iron and steel industry's heavy CO2 emissions and pollution contribution, spotlighting the urgent need for greener practices. This necessity stems from the industry's impact on air quality and global climate change, driving the push towards adopting sustainable and low-emission technologies to ensure environmental protection and adherence to international climate commitments. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-eco-friendly-steel-china-blueprint.html Environment Wed, 07 Feb 2024 14:46:03 EST news626539561 Large commercial and residential buildings in Seattle will need to phase out the use of fossil fuels and other greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades under a new city law passed this week. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-seattle-law-phases-emissions-large.html Environment Fri, 15 Dec 2023 12:10:07 EST news621864602 Researchers who have been working for years to understand electron arrangement and magnetism in certain semimetals have been frustrated by the fact that the materials only display magnetic properties if they are cooled to just a few degrees above absolute zero. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-topology-magnetism-higher-temperatures.html General Physics Tue, 10 Oct 2023 13:13:22 EDT news616162397