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Phys.org / PFAS contamination in Pawcatuck River traced back to old textile mill ponds

A study led by University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography alumnus Jarod Snook, Ph.D., identified a long-term source of PFAS, or "forever chemicals," entering the Pawcatuck River from two historically contaminated ...

Jan 23, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Bionic LiDAR system achieves beyond-retinal resolution through adaptive focusing

In a recent study, researchers from China have developed a chip-scale LiDAR system that mimics the human eye's foveation by dynamically concentrating high-resolution sensing on regions of interest (ROIs) while maintaining ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Physics
Phys.org / Conservation may not be enough to sustain water supplies, researchers find

As temperatures rise and water supplies drop, public policy could bolster municipal water provisions under pressure. But one policy prescription—pushing conservation—will likely be insufficient as a standalone fix to ...

Jan 23, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / Florida reefs offer multimillion-dollar flood protection—if they survive

It's no secret that Florida's iconic coral reefs are in trouble. Repeated body blows from hurricanes, pollution, disease, climate change—and a near-knockout punch from a 2023 marine heat wave—has effectively wiped several ...

Jan 23, 2026 in Earth
Phys.org / It started with a cat: How 100 years of quantum weirdness powers today's tech

A hundred years ago, quantum mechanics was a radical theory that baffled even the brightest minds. Today, it's the backbone of technologies that shape our lives, from lasers and microchips to quantum computers and secure ...

Jan 20, 2026 in Physics
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
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 / Hubble tension: Primordial magnetic fields could resolve one of cosmology's biggest questions

A Simon Fraser University cosmologist believes his team's new research may bring them a step closer to cracking one of science's biggest questions—the Hubble tension.

Jan 20, 2026 in Astronomy & Space
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 / 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 / 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 / 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