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Phys.org / Tungsten carbide phase control: Engineering a low-cost alternative catalyst for producing sustainable petrochemicals

Important everyday products—from plastics to detergents—are made through chemical reactions that mostly use precious metals such as platinum as catalysts. Scientists have been searching for more sustainable, low-cost ...

9 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Molecular surgery: 'Deleting' a single atom from a molecule

Inserting, removing or swapping individual atoms from the core of a molecule is a long-standing challenge in chemistry. This process, called skeletal editing, can dramatically speed up drug discovery or be applied for upcycling ...

10 hours ago in Chemistry
Phys.org / Plastics everywhere, and the myth that made it possible

If there's one material that defines modern life more than any other, it's plastic: present from the moment we're born in newborn stool, in product packaging, in the soil beneath our feet and the air we breathe.

22 hours ago in Earth
Phys.org / World on track to breach 1.5°C target by 2030

Global average temperature increases could pass the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold outlined in the Paris Agreement by the end of the decade, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, putting the world at greater ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Earth
Tech Xplore / New heat-shrinking method integrates electronic circuits on irregular shapes

Most electronics are built on flat, stiff boards, which makes it incredibly difficult to fit them onto curved and irregular shapes we find in the real world, such as human limbs or curved aircraft wings. While flexible electronics ...

Phys.org / Ultrafast light switches use atomically thin semiconductors for rapid optical control

A nanostructure made of silver and an atomically thin semiconductor layer can be turned into an ultrafast switching mirror device that may function as an optical transistor—with a switching speed around 10,000 times faster ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / By stoking the Greenland debate, the United States may actually be harming itself

As the US administration led by Donald Trump has continued to reassert its interest in owning Greenland, Europe has become more and more concerned about the security situation in the Arctic.

Jan 20, 2026 in Other Sciences
Medical Xpress / Polymer cables for MRI applications: No place for metal

Anyone who has ever had to get a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan knows that magnetic and highly conductive materials are a no-go in the tube-shaped scanners. However, for complex diagnoses and medical research, this ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Radiology & Imaging
Phys.org / Seawater microbes offer new, non-invasive way to detect coral disease

Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), in collaboration with the University of the Virgin Islands have discovered that microorganisms in seawater surrounding corals provide a powerful indicator of ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology
Medical Xpress / Qatari genetic map reveals over 150,000 structural variants

Research co-led by King's College London and Sidra Medicine, Qatar, has produced the most detailed map to date of large-scale genetic differences in the Qatari population, providing a clearer picture of the genetic diversity ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Genetics
Phys.org / New synthesis method for metal-single atom catalysts dramatically boost electrolysis-based hydrogen production

Among clean energy sources, hydrogen (H2) has emerged as the preferred energy carrier, boasting a high calorific value and net zero carbon emissions. Proton-exchange-membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is a promising, clean ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / New quantum boundary discovered: Spin size determines how the Kondo effect behaves

Collective behavior is an unusual phenomenon in condensed-matter physics. When quantum spins interact together as a system, they produce unique effects not seen in individual particles. Understanding how quantum spins interact ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Physics