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. For decades, families in communities around Johannesburg have been living close to huge gold mining waste dumps. For many residents, the dust that is released there is just part of everyday life—but it can contain natural uranium compounds that come to the surface with the mined rock. A new study in the journal Environmental Geochemistry and Health reveals how this exposure is reflected in children's hair. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-legacy-uranium-fingerprint-children-hair.html Earth Sciences Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:40:01 EST news688912555 Research led by Institut de Paléontologie Humaine is providing a finite minimum age for a nearly complete cranium from Petralona Cave in Greece that has perplexed researchers since its discovery in 1960. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-mystery-greek-hominin-skull-dated.html Archaeology Wed, 20 Aug 2025 10:10:01 EDT news674903229 Uranium is found in minerals in the soil, dissolves in mining water and ends up in the fields together with phosphate fertilizer. In Germany, the heavy metal uranium is particularly common in Saxony and Thuringia, although it also occurs in Southern Germany. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-diatoms-uranium-food-chain.html Environment Thu, 07 Aug 2025 10:43:53 EDT news673782228 Ammonia (NH3) is vital for agriculture, as it is the basis for fertilizers that are needed to feed the world's population. Currently, ammonia is mostly produced by the Haber-Bosch process, which turns nitrogen gas (N2) from the air into ammonia. The problem is that this process requires enormous amounts of energy while generating significant gas emissions. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-uranium-based-catalyst-air-nitrogen.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 16 Jul 2025 07:02:34 EDT news671868150 A new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology and led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health identifies the hidden geological mechanisms behind widespread uranium contamination in Eastern Karnataka, India, where 78% of tested groundwater exceeds safe drinking limits for uranium, and some groundwater uranium contamination reaches levels 75 times the U.S. EPA limit. Uranium exposure can affect the kidneys, bones, and the liver, yet contamination often goes undetected. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-uncover-uranium-groundwater-contamination.html Environment Thu, 26 Jun 2025 16:40:16 EDT news670174802 Late last week, Israel targeted three of Iran's key nuclear facilities—Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, killing several Iranian nuclear scientists. The facilities are heavily fortified and largely underground, and there are conflicting reports of how much damage has been done. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-uranium-enrichment-nuclear-scientist.html General Physics Mon, 16 Jun 2025 10:20:02 EDT news669287919 Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) has stood as a promising potential alternative propulsion technology for decades. Chemical rockets have begun to reach their theoretical maximum efficiency, and their developers have switched their focus to making them cheaper rather than more efficient. NTP should answer that by offering high thrust and specific impulse. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-nuclear-rocket-technology.html Space Exploration Wed, 28 May 2025 09:16:04 EDT news667642562 The oceans hold an enormous amount of very diluted uranium that could potentially serve as a sustainable fuel source for nuclear power. But how can uranium be extracted quickly and efficiently from seawater? https://phys.org/news/2025-03-biomimetic-adsorbent-efficiently-uranium-seawater.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 27 Mar 2025 14:50:03 EDT news662305801 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 huge underground water resource the size of Austria, the Stampriet Transboundary Aquifer System, stretches for 87,000km² across Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. It supplies 50,000 people in several towns with water pure enough to drink, and is their only source of water. But the Namibian government has awarded uranium prospecting licenses to several mining companies across the aquifer system. Other mining companies already have the right to prospect for rare earth metals in the aquifer. Surina Esterhuyse and Anton Lukas are groundwater scientists and mining specialists. They say if mining goes ahead, the groundwater may become contaminated by metals that can cause cancer, kidney damage, bone fragility, cardiovascular issues and respiratory problems. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-giant-freshwater-aquifer-southern-africa.html Environment Mon, 13 Jan 2025 13:40:01 EST news655997540 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 A University of Michigan study of a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo finds that the necessary process of decarbonization is repeating and recreating colonial inequalities. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-ripples-colonialism-decarbonization-strategies-perpetuate.html Environment Fri, 25 Oct 2024 13:20:10 EDT news649081201 Scientists and engineers at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) have reached a new milestone in isotope studies. They accelerated a high-power beam of uranium ions and delivered a record 10.4 kilowatts of continuous beam power to a target. The work is published in the journal Physical Review Accelerators and Beams. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-scientists-uranium-power.html General Physics Thu, 10 Oct 2024 10:23:39 EDT news647774617 A research team led by researchers at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has synthesized a new plutonium isotope, plutonium-227. Their study is published in Physical Review C. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-isotope-plutonium.html General Physics Thu, 10 Oct 2024 09:21:03 EDT news647770862 Combining two techniques, analytical chemists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have become the first to detect fluorine and different isotopes of uranium in a single particle at the same time. Because fluorine is essential for converting uranium into a form suitable for enrichment, spotting both elements together may help inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, determine the intended use of a nuclear material. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-simultaneous-uranium-isotopes-fluorine-advances.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 26 Sep 2024 15:46:04 EDT news646584361 The heavy metal uranium is, besides its radioactive reputation, known for its intricate chemistry and diverse bonding behaviors. Now, an international team of scientists have utilized synchrotron light at the Rossendorf Beamline (ROBL) to explore the unique properties of low-valent uranium compounds, as the researchers report in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-probing-depths-complex-electron-shells.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:15:03 EDT news644753701 To achieve carbon reduction goals, reducing emissions is crucial, and nuclear power plays a key role in providing reliable, low-carbon electricity, aiding carbon neutrality. However, the nuclear industry faces the significant challenge of managing uranium-containing wastewater, a byproduct of fuel production, nuclear plant operations, and facility decommissioning. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-sol-gel-transition-effect-based.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:08:07 EDT news643993685 About 183 million years ago, volcanic activity in modern South Africa unleashed an estimated 20,500 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the ocean–atmosphere system over a period of 300 to 500 thousand years. Known as the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE), the lack of oxygen, or anoxia, in the water during this time caused a mass extinction of marine species. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-sediments-reveal-ancient-ocean-mass.html Earth Sciences Tue, 25 Jun 2024 08:10:06 EDT news638521799 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 A new research paper published recently in Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, coordinated by scientists from The University of New Mexico and collaborating institutions, addresses the complex nature and societal importance of Grand Canyon's springs and groundwater. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-grand-canyon-threats-uranium.html Environment Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:52:39 EDT news630589953 Electronics are based on electrical charges being transported from one place to another. Electrons move, current flows, and signals are transmitted by applying an electrical voltage. However, there is also another way to manipulate electronic currents and signals: using the properties of the spin—the intrinsic magnetic moment of the electron. This is called "spintronics," and it has become an increasingly important field in contemporary electronic research. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-spintronics-magnetic-state-materials-surface.html Condensed Matter Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:45:03 EST news627662701 Oxidation is the process where atoms lose electrons during a chemical reaction. Among the radioactive elements, neptunium and plutonium are much harder to oxidize than uranium. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-radioactive-neptunium-plutonium-chemistry.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 20 Nov 2023 10:17:18 EST news619697835 The shells of turtles, tortoises, and sea turtles keep growing as long as the animals live—and some of them live a remarkably long time. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-uranium-signatures-turtles-tortoises-nuclear.html Plants & Animals Wed, 23 Aug 2023 04:55:55 EDT news611985350 A research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed an innovative adsorbent known as plasma light amidoxime cellulose (PLAOC) to efficiently extract uranium from seawater. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-plasma-enhanced-adsorbent-uranium-seawater.html Materials Science Thu, 13 Jul 2023 14:49:36 EDT news608478568 The Biden administration has agreed to provide Ukraine with depleted uranium shells to equip M1A1 Abrams tanks that the U.S. is sending there. Britain has already delivered tanks to Ukraine equipped with depleted-uranium shells. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-opinion-depleted-uranium-munitions-ukrainedespite.html Environment Fri, 16 Jun 2023 12:37:04 EDT news606137821 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 Eight years ago, the data was sound but only suggestive, the evidence strong but circumstantial. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-nitrate-uranium-groundwater.html Earth Sciences Tue, 21 Mar 2023 10:55:03 EDT news598614901 The loss of a capsule of caesium-137, measuring 6mm by 8mm, dominated the news late last month. The capsule was found in the Western Australian outback on February 1, but in terms of losing radioactive material, we have been here before. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-wa-radioactive-capsule-kilograms-uranium.html Other Tue, 07 Feb 2023 14:20:02 EST news594998677