Phys.org news

Phys.org / Engineered material uses light to destroy PFAS and other contaminants in water

Materials scientists at Rice University and collaborators have developed a material that uses light to break down a range of pollutants in water, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, the "forever chemicals" ...

Dec 15, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / 3D-printed helixes show promise as THz optical materials

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have optimized and 3D-printed helix structures as optical materials for terahertz (THz) frequencies, a potential way to address a technology gap for next-generation ...

Dec 15, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / New biomolecular technique uncovers millet in medieval Ukrainian dental calculus

A study has, for the first time, identified minute traces of broomcorn millet consumption directly from human dental calculus, offering an unprecedented window into medieval diets and expanding the toolkit available to archaeologists ...

Dec 15, 2025 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Scientists create stable, switchable vortex knots inside liquid crystals

The knots in your shoelaces are familiar, but can you imagine knots made from light, water, or from the structured fluids that make LCD screens shine?

Dec 15, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Study uncovers new drug target for huge class of viruses

A study from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), published in Nature Communications, reveals how enteroviruses—including pathogens that cause polio, encephalitis, myocarditis, and the common cold—initiate ...

Dec 15, 2025 in Chemistry
Phys.org / AI helps solve decades-old maze in frustrated magnet physics

By partnering with artificial intelligence (AI), a researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has solved a long-standing physics problem and uncovered the mathematical trickery that ...

Dec 15, 2025 in Physics
Phys.org / Order from chaos: The emergence of photon 'swirling' in disordered nanometric systems

An international research team reports the discovery of "hidden order" in systems that are disordered in space and time. The paper is published in the journal Nature Materials.

Dec 15, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Portable optical scanner reveals hidden ozone damage in plant leaves

Escalating pollution and contamination of water and soil are emerging as serious threats to plant growth and its overall health. Plants are exposed to environmental pollutants for extended periods and exhibit changes in their ...

Dec 15, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Molecules as switches for sustainable light-driven technologies

Metal nanostructures can concentrate light so strongly that they can trigger chemical reactions. The key players in this process are plasmons—collective oscillations of free electrons in the metal that confine energy to ...

Dec 15, 2025 in Nanotechnology
Phys.org / Deep-learning model predicts how fruit flies form, cell by cell

During early development, tissues and organs begin to bloom through the shifting, splitting, and growing of many thousands of cells.

Dec 15, 2025 in Biology
Phys.org / Climate change can affect human diseases in widespread and varied ways

As the planet edges towards 1.5°C of global warming, a new study led by the Natural History Museum, London has revealed that scientists still have only a limited understanding of how climate change is reshaping the risk ...

Dec 15, 2025 in Earth
Phys.org / Iron minerals' hidden chemistry explains how soils trap carbon

While scientists have long known that iron oxide minerals help lock away enormous amounts of carbon—sequestering it from the atmosphere—a new Northwestern University study now reveals exactly why these minerals are such ...

Dec 15, 2025 in Earth