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. New research from Monash University revealed that microscopic life is actively breaking down decades-old mining waste in South Australia, turning stable radioactive and toxic metals into mobile nanoparticles that can easily travel through the environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-invisible-microbes-toxic-flinders-ranges.html Environment Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:40:01 EDT news703836601 Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), together with Wismut GmbH and scientists from the University of Granada in Spain, have demonstrated for the first time that bacteria can convert uranium dissolved in water into a stable chemical compound when they have access to glycerol as a food source. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bacteria-dissolved-uranium-stable-compound.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:20:10 EDT news702888774 The bottom sediment of water bodies is an archive of all human activity. It is a reservoir of nutrients but also of harmful substances—and it can also turn into a source of emissions. "Most lakes tend to be remediated due to eutrophication. Water bodies have also been remediated due to the presence of harmful substances, but clearly less frequently," says Research Director Jarkko Akkanen from the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-contaminated-aquatic-sediments-remediated-site.html Environment Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:20:01 EDT news693652807 In 1989, the Soviet nuclear-powered attack submarine Komsomolets sank to the bottom of the Norwegian Sea, along with its nuclear reactor and two nuclear warheads onboard. Komsomolets was constructed with a titanium alloy exterior that allowed it to reach far greater depths than any other submarine at the time. Now, it has stayed at these depths for over 30 years, slowly leaking radioactive materials and creating ongoing concerns about radioactive contamination. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-sunken-soviet-submarine-ongoing-radioactive.html Environment Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:40:06 EDT news693569329 With demand for critical minerals on the rise, mining activity in Northern Canada is only going to increase. That will require new solutions for treating water that becomes contaminated from mining—either from the chemicals used to extract minerals or elements that occur naturally underground. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-natural-filter-material-contaminated-colder.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 13 Aug 2025 14:43:04 EDT news674314981 A research team led by Prof. Luan Fubo from the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has uncovered a novel mechanism involving a ternary surface complex on titanium dioxide (TiO₂) that improves the simultaneous removal of arsenic (As) and uranium (U) from contaminated groundwater. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-tio-nanoparticles-simultaneous-arsenic-uranium.html Nanomaterials Tue, 25 Mar 2025 10:32:03 EDT news662117522 A research team led by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has discovered "berkelocene," the first organometallic molecule to be characterized containing the heavy element berkelium. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-scientists-heavy-metal-molecule-berkelocene.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:09:04 EDT news660913741 As the climate warms and Arctic permafrost thaws, some of the toxic elements locked away in it are starting to emerge and could contaminate the water supplies that many northern communities rely on. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-northern-toxic-metals-permafrost.html Earth Sciences Wed, 30 Oct 2024 16:26:15 EDT news649524364 The Niger Delta, in southern Nigeria, is one of the most significant oil-producing regions in the world. It spans over 70,000 square kilometers and is also an area of great biodiversity, including mangroves, swamps and rainforests. However, the region has been plagued by severe environmental pollution for decades, primarily due to extensive oil exploration and production activities. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-nigeria-niger-delta-biohazards-high.html Environment Sat, 17 Aug 2024 11:20:01 EDT news643021877 For 140 years, gold mines in Johannesburg, South Africa have been leaking wastewater contaminated with heavy metals. The acid mine drainage from Johannesburg's estimated 278 abandoned mines and 200 mine dumps includes uranium (a radioactive metal), toxic arsenic, copper, cobalt, nickel, lead and zinc. Acid mine drainage can pollute land and water sources up to 20 kilometers away from a mine unless it is remediated by mining companies. The contamination cascades through food webs and poisons river water, plants and animals. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-south-africa-gold-pollution-poisoning.html Environment Fri, 24 May 2024 11:16:04 EDT news635768161 An international team of scientists has uncovered toxic metals in mineral phosphate fertilizers worldwide by using a new tool to identify the spread and impact of such contaminants on soil, water resources, and food supply. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-scientists-geochemical-fingerprint-contaminants-fertilizer.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 17 May 2024 14:10:08 EDT news635173801 A new technique developed by researchers in Germany can measure ionization states of this element more precisely than before, with implications for its detection and remediation in radioactive waste. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-probing-neptunium-atomic-laser-spectroscopy.html General Physics Thu, 09 May 2024 10:13:56 EDT news634468432 Nuclear energy has long been regarded as a next-generation energy source, and major countries around the world are competing to secure cutting-edge technologies by leveraging the high economic efficiency and sustainability of nuclear power. However, uranium, which is essential for nuclear power generation, has serious implications for both soil ecosystems and human health. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-discovery-uranium-contaminated-soil-purification.html Nanomaterials Tue, 30 Apr 2024 16:30:32 EDT news633713427 When designing repositories for high-level radioactive waste in deep geological layers, various factors must be carefully considered to ensure their long-term safety. Among other things, natural communities of microorganisms can influence the behavior of the waste, especially when it comes into contact with water. The microorganisms interact with released radionuclides and influence their mobility. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-uranium-immobilizing-bacteria-clay-exploring.html Earth Sciences Tue, 16 Apr 2024 15:26:24 EDT news632499982 Jeri Fry was six years old when she toured the uranium mill outside town where her dad worked. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-years-colorado-longest-running-superfund-sites.html Environment Thu, 26 Oct 2023 09:10:01 EDT news617528063 A research team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has managed to purify water containing uranium using a special kind of bacteria known as magnetotactic bacteria. The name derives from their ability to react to magnetic fields. They can accumulate dissolved heavy metal in their cell walls. These research findings also shed new light on the interaction between uranium and bioligands. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-magnetic-bacteria-microorganisms-dangerous-heavy.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 09 May 2023 09:53:17 EDT news602844794 A new research study describes a previously unknown chemical process for removal of uranium from groundwater. Deep down in the bedrock, in an oxygen-free environment, microbes assist in the process of turning uranium "into rock." This finding might be an important tool for inhibiting the spread of toxic uranium in groundwater. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-subsurface-microbes-capture-toxic-uranium.html Earth Sciences Fri, 21 Apr 2023 09:55:48 EDT news601289743 Certain species of microbes have evolved to survive in harsh environments, even those that were previously thought to be too extreme to support life. These include environments, such as mines and industrial sewage, that are rich in heavy metals. On the other hand, human exposure to toxic levels of metals, like cadmium and mercury, is known to lead to health risks, including cancer and damage to multiple organ systems. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-metallophiles-bioremediation-applications.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 17 Apr 2023 11:10:08 EDT news600948601 Among domestic mushroom pickers in Germany it goes without saying that many edible mushrooms in our forests are still contaminated with radionuclides as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Less well known is that mushrooms can also accumulate other heavy metals. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-mushrooms-alike-fine-underground-braids.html Plants & Animals Wed, 21 Dec 2022 15:19:51 EST news590858388 As companies that drill for oil and natural gas using hydraulic fracturing consider recycling and reusing wastewater that surfaces from wells during the fracking process, chemists at The University of Toledo discovered that the new and unexplored waste contains many environmental contaminants including organic chemicals and metallic elements. https://phys.org/news/2022-02-chemists-range-environmental-contaminants-fracking.html Earth Sciences Thu, 17 Feb 2022 10:06:45 EST news564314802 A team of scientists at the Tufts University School of Engineering has developed a new filtering technology. Inspired by biology, it could help curb a drinking water-related disease that affects tens of millions of people worldwide and potentially improve environmental remediation, industrial and chemical production, and mining, among other processes. https://phys.org/news/2021-09-filtering-method-safer-industrial-production.html Polymers Mon, 06 Sep 2021 15:00:06 EDT news550148258 For decades, scientists suspected that bacteria known as Geobacter could clean up radioactive uranium waste, but it wasn't clear how the microbes did it. https://phys.org/news/2021-08-sponge-bacteria-geobacter-uranium.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 12 Aug 2021 07:25:58 EDT news547971949 Some kinds of water pollution, such as algal blooms and plastics that foul rivers, lakes, and marine environments, lie in plain sight. But other contaminants are not so readily apparent, which makes their impact potentially more dangerous. Among these invisible substances is uranium. Leaching into water resources from mining operations, nuclear waste sites, or from natural subterranean deposits, the element can now be found flowing out of taps worldwide. https://phys.org/news/2021-08-graphene-foam-filter-toxins.html Materials Science Wed, 04 Aug 2021 15:35:16 EDT news547310111 A team of researchers from Sandia, Lawrence Berkeley and Pacific Northwest national laboratories tested a "sponge-like" mineral that can "soak up" uranium at a former uranium mill near Rifle, Colorado. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-mineral-sponge-uranium.html Materials Science Wed, 09 Jun 2021 09:52:38 EDT news542451153 Uranium contamination of soils and groundwater in the United States represents a significant health risk and will require multiple remediation approaches. https://phys.org/news/2021-05-environmental-microbes-uranium-groundwater.html Earth Sciences Thu, 06 May 2021 08:22:17 EDT news539508134 A new U.S. Geological Survey study provides an updated, statewide estimate of high levels of naturally occurring arsenic and uranium in private well water across Connecticut. This research builds on a USGS report published in 2017, with the new study including additional groundwater samples and focusing on previously underrepresented areas. https://phys.org/news/2021-04-high-arsenic-uranium-wells.html Environment Tue, 06 Apr 2021 15:11:28 EDT news536940683 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have developed a new method for 3-D printing living microbes in controlled patterns, expanding the potential for using engineered bacteria to recover rare-earth metals, clean wastewater, detect uranium and more. https://phys.org/news/2021-02-lab-d-microbes-biomaterials.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 04 Feb 2021 08:58:48 EST news531651524 While studying legacy contaminated soil samples from the Plutonium Finishing Plant waste crib at the Hanford Site (Richland, WA), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers located and extracted tiny crystals containing plutonium. How, they wondered, had the crystals formed? https://phys.org/news/2020-10-crystal-reveals-nuclear-materials.html Materials Science Thu, 22 Oct 2020 08:02:43 EDT news522572559 New research by University of Alberta scientists on the risks for metal contamination at an inactive mining site in northwestern Saskatchewan could help inform a strategy for a safe long-term reclamation of the site. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-metal-contamination-inactive-reclamation-efforts.html Earth Sciences Thu, 17 Sep 2020 08:00:02 EDT news519548219 Most people are familiar with uranium as a fuel for nuclear power plants. And while that's the most common application, this element is also used in many other fields, such as dyes, medical devices, and weapons. Scientists at EPFL's Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML) have recently made an important discovery about uranium that could have major implications for soil and groundwater remediation as well as radioactive waste management. Their research has just been published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-uranium-reveals-true-nature.html Materials Science Fri, 14 Aug 2020 08:27:06 EDT news516612423