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Phys.org / Compact electron accelerator offers new approach for treating PFAS-contaminated water

So-called forever chemicals or PFAS compounds are a growing environmental problem. An innovative approach to treating PFAS‐contaminated water and soil now comes from accelerator physics: high‐energy electrons can break ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Earth
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.

Jan 22, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / How much of 'us' is really 'us'?

Some time around 1683, amateur Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek scraped the plaque from between his teeth and peered at it through a home-made microscope.

Jan 20, 2026 in Biology
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
Phys.org / Snow is vital for the Pyrenees, and it's disappearing fast

Snow is a defining feature of mountain ranges, and of winter itself for much of the world. But beyond its scenic value, snow plays a vital role in mountain ecosystems, as well as a range of human socioeconomic activity, and ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Western governors called to Washington as Colorado River impasse drags on

With western states deadlocked in negotiations over how to cut water use along the Colorado River, the Trump administration has called in the governors of seven states to Washington to try to hash out a consensus.

Jan 23, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Innovative catalyst enables CO₂-free production of hydrogen and formate from waste byproduct glycerol

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a method that gives access to the valuable raw materials formate and hydrogen from the waste product glycerol. Formates are the salts of formic acid ...

Jan 25, 2026 in Chemistry
Medical Xpress / Cancer tumors may protect against Alzheimer's by cleaning out protein clumps

Cancer and Alzheimer's are two of the most common chronic diseases associated with aging. For years, doctors have known about a curious aspect of these two conditions: people who survive cancers are significantly less likely ...

Phys.org / Bacteria use wrapping flagella to tunnel through microscopic passages, research reveals

Researchers have discovered how bacteria break through spaces barely larger than themselves, by wrapping their flagella around their bodies and moving forward. Using a microfluidic device that mimics insect gut channels, ...

Jan 25, 2026 in Biology
Phys.org / Novel biosensor enables real-time tracking of iron (II) in living cells

Iron is an essential trace element in biological cells. The concentration of the element and its so-called redox state—it can exist either in a doubly ionized state as iron (II) (Fe2+) or a triply ionized state as iron ...

Jan 25, 2026 in Chemistry
Phys.org / A new three-way single step rearrangement enables precise ring editing

A new three-way bond-breaking and making mechanism makes the synthesis of five-membered rings easier than before.

Jan 24, 2026 in Chemistry
Tech Xplore / Three-in-one process recycles spent lithium batteries, captures CO₂ and generates catalysts—all at room temperature

Scientists from China have developed a new way to recycle lithium batteries that is a triple win for the planet. It not only extracts nearly all the lithium for reuse but also traps carbon dioxide and converts the remaining ...

Jan 24, 2026 in Engineering