Phys.org news
Phys.org / Edison's 1879 bulb experiments may have unintentionally produced graphene
What do Thomas Edison and 2010 Nobel Prize in physics winners Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim have in common? According to a recent publication from the lab of Rice University's James Tour in ACS Nano, it could be graphene—an ...
Phys.org / Cleaner air is (inadvertently) harming the Great Barrier Reef
Air pollution is now recognized as one of the greatest threats to human health, contributing to an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths in 2019, according to the World Health Organization.
Phys.org / A year after undermining Bredt's rule, scientists make cage-shaped, double-bonded molecules that defy expectations
Organic chemistry is packed with rules about structure and reactivity, especially when it comes to making and breaking chemical bonds. The rules governing how these bonds, which hold atoms together in molecules, form and ...
Phys.org / Saturday Citations: A weird, extinct life form; cholesterol hacking; interspecies prosociality of whales
It's Saturday! This week, in an eminently practical analysis of the Boltzmann brain conjecture, physicists put constraints on the idea that memories could arise from random fluctuations in entropy rather than reflecting the ...
Phys.org / Microplastics in the atmosphere: Higher emissions come from land areas than from the ocean, study finds
The atmosphere is an important transport medium that carries microplastics to even the most remote parts of the world. These microplastics can be inhaled and pose a health risk to humans and animals. They can also settle ...
Dialog / Using amino acids as fuels to make conductive graphene
Graphene has drawn attention as a scientific curiosity owing to its record conductivities, strength and thermal properties. But now, it's starting to make its way into a number of real-world applications, from batteries to ...
Phys.org / Rats demonstrate ability to replay episodic memories in complex experimental settings
In a new study Indiana University researchers observed episodic memory in rats to a degree never documented before, suggesting that rats can serve as a model for complex cognitive processes often considered exclusively human. ...
Phys.org / Adoption of electric vehicles tied to real-world reductions in air pollution
When California neighborhoods increased their number of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) between 2019 and 2023, they also experienced a reduction in air pollution. For every 200 vehicles added, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Phys.org / Particle permutation task can be tackled by quantum but not classical computers, study finds
Quantum computers, systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, are expected to outperform classical computers on some complex tasks. Over the past few decades, many physicists and quantum engineers ...
