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. Throwing something away that is urgently needed, expensive and difficult to source sounds crazy. Yet of the 60 metals contained in old electronic devices such as phones, screens and washing machines, only a few are recycled. That includes precious metals such as gold and silver and other metals such as aluminum and copper. The rest are effectively single-use metals, used once and then lost during collection or through incineration. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-europe-ewaste-valuable-resource.html Environment Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:20:01 EDT news708684002 Plastic is a wonder material that has molded itself to fit a wide variety of applications. But it comes with a host of drawbacks that aren't fully considered. That's why the United Nations has convened to hammer out a treaty to address plastic pollution. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-solution-plastic-pollution-scientists-urge.html Environment Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:00:10 EDT news707740441 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 A sea of corrugated metal roofs stretches into the distance across an informal settlement in Makassar, Indonesia. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-cities-extreme.html Environment Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:00:07 EDT news706535338 University of Birmingham scientists who used green chemistry to make a next-generation metal-organic framework (MOF) for capturing heavy metals from wastewater have shown that it is cheaper and more resource-efficient to produce than a similar MOF processed conventionally. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-greener-material-decontamination.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:40:04 EDT news705771481 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 If you're in an urban area with strong winds, chances are you are breathing in more than a little dust. You could be exposed to metals from cars, construction sites or pesticides used decades ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hidden-metals-city-streets.html Environment Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news705056882 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 new review led by the University of East London (UEL) has uncovered a major blind spot in air pollution research. Despite domestic gardens covering vast areas of Britain's towns and cities, researchers found no direct evidence showing whether they reduce pollution levels or improve the air people breathe at home. There is a huge gap in understanding the role of domestic gardens in air quality. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-lack-evidence-homes-pollution.html Environment Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 EDT news704115782 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 Bumblebees collect up to seven times the amount of toxic heavy metals as honeybees even when foraging in the same environment, new research from the University of Cambridge has found. Exposure to these metals can affect everything from their ability to forage for food to their ability to reproduce. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bumblebees-exposed-toxic-metal-honeybees.html Plants & Animals Tue, 07 Jul 2026 07:40:09 EDT news702621602 In May, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to double the capacity of Canada's electricity grid by 2050, using natural gas in the name of "powering Canada strong." Almost all Canadian natural gas these days is derived from hydraulic fracturing—known as fracking—an industrial process involving large amounts of water laced with chemicals pumped long distances underground. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bc-alberta-fall-fracking-safety.html Environment Sat, 04 Jul 2026 13:00:05 EDT news702290166 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 Long-term conservation policies may help restore freshwater ecosystems and prevent extreme species loss, new research suggests. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ecosystems-environmental-biodiversity-loss.html Ecology Fri, 26 Jun 2026 13:00:03 EDT news701685362 Picture a pile of trash the size of Manhattan and taller than one and a half Empire State Buildings. That's how much plastic waste the world is predicted to be generating every year by 2050 if nothing is done to change course. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lot-recycled-plastic-overseas-widespread.html Environment Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:20:04 EDT news699700442 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 people think about wildfires, they usually think about flames, smoke and evacuations. However, for many communities, some of the most important damage begins after the fire has passed. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-flames-wildfires-pollute-years.html Environment Sat, 23 May 2026 16:00:01 EDT news698414368 When fire tore through Los Angeles County in January 2025, westerly winds blew most of the smoke and ash over the Pacific, keeping the main measure of air quality, total mass of particles smaller than 2.5 microns, at or near normal levels. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-neighborhoods-soot.html Environment Thu, 21 May 2026 18:20:05 EDT news698602321 You skip the pesticides, you remove weeds by hand, you choose heirloom seeds. Organic methods give you comfort in knowing that your vegetables are grown without excessive chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-urban-gardens-hidden-health.html Ecology Tue, 19 May 2026 14:20:03 EDT news698411821 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 Perched in a tower atop a hill, Matthew Douglas climbs a staircase and emerges from a hatch on the roof, where a heavy glass ball in a metal cradle has burned a thin streak into a strip of paper, recording the previous day's sunlight. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-america-oldest-weather-observatories-people.html Environment Thu, 30 Apr 2026 02:00:01 EDT news696685852 There is a troubling contradiction at the heart of the global transition to a cleaner, greener, tech-driven future: Modern technologies—everything from AI to wind turbines, as well as cellphones, electric vehicles and defense systems—depend on critical minerals. But many of the communities where those minerals are mined end up with polluted water and poorer health because of the mining. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-critical-materials-sacrifice-zones-health.html Environment Wed, 29 Apr 2026 22:40:03 EDT news696680969 Every time you go for a swim, some of your sunscreen gets left behind. An estimated 25% of applied sunscreen washes off during recreational water activities, releasing some 5,000 tons annually in reef areas alone, according to a study in Environmental Health Perspectives. That's equivalent to the weight of about 1,000 elephants, and many of those chemicals are toxic to corals. Some researchers argue that may be a low estimate, noting the experiment did not replicate the friction caused by swimming, which could cause more sunscreen to rub off. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-sunscreens-corals.html Ecology Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:20:01 EDT news696588304 Shrinking water levels at the Great Salt Lake are not just about Utah's water supply—they may pose a serious risk to public health. New research from a team at Utah State University and the University of Utah documents the ways metal-laden dust from the drying lakebed may find its way into human bodies—directly through ingestion and indirectly through food systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-toxins-great-salt-lake-absorbed.html Environment Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:20:02 EDT news695992415 The Environmental Protection Agency is reconsidering whether facilities that recycle plastic chemically should be held to the same strict air pollution standards as incinerators. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-epa-ease-chemical-plastic-recycling.html Environment Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:40:03 EDT news695464497 After hours spent in the thick pollution-choking parts of northern Thailand, Pon Doikam gets home and blows her burning nose to find blood clots spattered across the tissue. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-blood-clots-eyes-pollution-north.html Environment Fri, 03 Apr 2026 05:00:02 EDT news694409925