News
New biodegradable material gets stronger in water and could one day replace plastics
8+ hour, 33+ min ago (528+ words) Javier G. Fern'ndez (left) and Akshayakumar Kompa (right) holding a sample of the material at the IBEC laboratories. (CREDIT: Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)) That trait, which makes a coffee lid or a fishing float so useful, also turns plastic…...
JWST finds a surprise flood of organic molecules in a hidden galaxy
1+ week, 4+ day ago (989+ words) JWST spots benzene, methane and more in a dust-buried galaxy core, hinting cosmic rays drive rich organic chemistry. (CREDIT: Center for Astrobiology (CAB), CSIC-INTA) Deep inside a nearby galaxy, a black hole sits behind a thick wall of dust. Almost…...
Methane-eating microbes turn greenhouse gas into fuel, food, and bioplastics
2+ week, 1+ day ago (784+ words) Tiny methane-eating microbes could fight climate change and produce fuels, protein, and biodegradable plastics from waste gas. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, warming the planet far faster than carbon dioxide over the short term....
Powerful catalyst could make mixed plastic recycling a reality
2+ week, 1+ day ago (863+ words) A new nickel-based catalyst can break down mixed plastic waste into useful oils, cutting sorting costs and boosting recycling efficiency. (CREIDT: Shutterstock) "One of the biggest hurdles in plastic recycling has always been the necessity of meticulously sorting plastic waste…...
Largest sulfur-bearing molecule ever found in space links interstellar chemistry to life
2+ week, 4+ day ago (880+ words) Astronomers detect the largest sulfur-bearing molecule in space, revealing early chemistry linked to life's origins. (CREDIT: ESO/L. Cal'ada/T. M'ller (MPIA/HdA) (CC BY 4.0)) Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany and the Centro de Astrobiolog'a, part…...
Chemists convert plastic waste into a powerful new tool to capture carbon dioxide
2+ week, 5+ day ago (1136+ words) Scientists turn discarded plastic into a powerful material that captures carbon dioxide and helps fight climate change. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) Carbon dioxide levels keep climbing, even after years of promises to cut emissions. At the same time, plastic waste pours into…...
Edison may have unknowingly created graphene with his 1879 light bulb
2+ week, 6+ day ago (538+ words) New research suggests Thomas Edison's early light bulbs may have unknowingly produced graphene more than a century ago. (CREDIT: Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0) According to new research from Rice University, while Edison's goal was simply to create a longer-lasting electric lamp,…...
New gold nanospheres capture nearly the full spectrum of solar energy
3+ week, 1+ day ago (893+ words) Gold supraballs absorb most sunlight, boosting thermoelectric output and pointing to simpler, high-efficiency solar coatings. (CREDIT: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces / color modification from grey scale to gold scale) Sunlight carries more energy than most solar devices can catch. That gap…...
Scientists convert cigarette butts into new material for fast, durable energy storage
1+ mon, 1+ day ago (840+ words) Billions of cigarette butts end up on sidewalks, beaches, and gutters each year. They are small, easy to ignore, and hard to clean up. Over time, they can also leak toxic chemicals into soil and water. A new study suggests…...
Scientists develop a shelf-stable 'smart' plastic that hardens only when you trigger it
1+ mon, 3+ day ago (859+ words) Chemists built the on-off switch into plastic building blocks, enabling shelf-stable liquids that harden only when triggered by light or heat. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) A bucket of liquid plastic that never hardens sounds like a fantasy in a factory. It is…...