Phys.org news
Phys.org / Nanoplastics become more harmful after being outdoors, study finds
When cutlery, insulation, packaging and other items made of polystyrene plastic break down, they can form nanoplastics up to 100 times thinner than the average human hair—small enough to be inhaled into the lungs. For the ...
Phys.org / Jamming bacterial communications, instead of killing the microbes, might provide long-lasting treatment
Every minute, nearly 500 antibiotic prescriptions are written in the U.S. Many of these drugs succeed, but more are being outmaneuvered by resistant bacteria. This can lead to tragic results, like the death of one Nevada ...
Phys.org / Diamonds are not a geoengineer's best friend: Carbon impurities provide a reality check
The field of solar geoengineering revolves around the idea of cooling the globe via the injection of aerosols to reflect sunlight or to thin clouds. One such strategy, stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), aims to mimic ...
Phys.org / Frustrated Lewis pair chemistry enables dual atom insertion to build bioactive molecules
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a boron-catalyzed method to transform oxetanes, which are small four-membered ring molecules, into larger, medicinally relevant 1,3-oxazinanes by ...
Phys.org / Mining a methane-degrading bioreactor for protein rubies
Scientists have found a new type of iron-storing protein in a mixture of microbes containing methane-degraders. This discovery underscores the importance of characterizing proteins from microbes that cannot be isolated, thereby ...
Phys.org / Decoding sugars one bond at a time—without labels
Researchers at National Taiwan University have developed a tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy platform that can identify tiny structural differences in oligosaccharides without fluorescent labels. The method can distinguish ...
Phys.org / Green clay courts serve up environmental solutions by absorbing carbon dioxide
Green clay tennis courts are able to absorb massive amounts of carbon dioxide via enhanced rock weathering, according to a new study in Applied Geochemistry. Enhanced rock weathering—the process of using silicate rocks like ...
Phys.org / Field-portable assays help scientists study and explore caves
A new study has demonstrated that we now have the tools to study the incredibly complex ecosystems of caves in near real-time with field-portable assays. The study was published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Phys.org / Altered colony chemistry reveals a process that destroys termite societies
Several insect species, including ants, honeybees and termites, live in highly organized societies, also known as social insect colonies. Insects living in these colonies can take on different roles, such as reproducing, ...
Phys.org / A Hall 'rectenna' can detect signals over a 100 GHz frequency range
Many current wireless communication, imaging and sensing technologies rely on components that convert oscillating electric and magnetic fields (i.e., electromagnetic waves) into electrical signals. Some of the most used components ...
Phys.org / Novel approach allows studying the DNA of otters without disturbing them
Studying endangered animal species without disturbing them and disrupting their natural habitat could be highly advantageous, as it would contribute to their protection and prevent unnecessary stress. Conventional methods ...
Phys.org / China's earliest Bronze Age meteoritic iron artifact unearthed at Sanxingdui sacrificial site
In a study published in Archaeological Research in Asia, Dr. Haichao Li and a team of researchers analyzed the earliest Bronze Age meteoritic iron artifact from southwestern China, the largest found to date in the country. ...
