Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Researchers detail how disorder alters quantum spin liquids, forming a new phase of matter      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Physicists begin to shed light on one of the most important questions regarding quantum spin liquids, and they do so by introducing a new phase of matter.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Researchers discover iron-targeting approaches to halt proliferation of cancer cells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers discovered a new class of iron-targeting compounds that hamper the proliferation of cultured malignant cells in a laboratory setting.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Important connectivity of metal oxides with hydrogen      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A recent article proposes a new way to understand how materials interact with hydrogen.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New ionic materials boost hydrogen fuel cell efficiency!      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has made a groundbreaking advancement in improving the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells, which are gaining significant attention as eco-friendly next-generation energy sources.

Ecology: Invasive Species Geoscience: Geography
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Invasive red fire ants spreading in Europe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

One of the most invasive species in the world is Solenopsis invicta, a red fire ant species with a painful sting. Native to South America, the ant has established itself across the globe. A group of ant experts confirm that the species has made its way to Sicily -- the ant's first official sighting in Europe. The ants could soon spread all over the continent, the researchers warn, which could cause major environmental, health, and economic problems in Italy and beyond.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Polymer that can be adapted to high and low temperature extremes created      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed two closely related polymers that respond differently to high and low temperature thresholds, despite their similar design. The polymer pair could be used in applications in medicine, protein synthesis, protective coatings and other fields.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New bio-based glues form adhesive bonds that grow stronger in water      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Patent-pending adhesive formulations developed from fully sustainable, bio-based components establish bonds that grow stronger when underwater or exposed to wet conditions.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Extending the playing field for organosulfurs: a new way to synthesize sulfinate esters      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Sulfinate esters, a type of organosulfur compounds, are typically synthesized using thiols. However, these substances are difficult to work with due to their unpleasant smell and oxidizability in air. Now, a research team has found a way to produce sulfinate esters through the direct oxidation of thioesters, which are easily accessible and stable. Their findings will help expand the field of organosulfur chemistry and hopefully lead to new applications in pharmaceuticals.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Chemists devise a method for C-H activation of alcohols      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Chemists have extended a powerful molecule-building method -- called C-H activation -- to the broad class of chemicals known as alcohols.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

How pulsating pumping can lead to energy savings      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Pumping liquids may seem like a solved problem but optimizing the process is still an area of active research. Any pumping application -- from industrial scales to heating systems at home -- would benefit from a reduction in energy demands. Researchers now showed how pulsed pumping can reduce both friction from and energy consumption of pumping. For this, they took inspiration from a pumping system intimately familiar to everyone: the human heart.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: General
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Pioneering beyond-silicon technology via residue-free field effect transistors      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Beyond-silicon technology demands ultra-high-performance field-effect transistors (FETs). Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) provide an ideal material platform, but the device performances such as contact resistance, on/off ratio, and mobility are often limited by the presence of interfacial residues caused by transfer procedures. We show an ideal residue-free transfer approach using polypropylene carbonate (PPC) with a negligible residue for monolayer MoS2. By incorporating bismuth semimetal contact with atomically clean monolayer MoS2-FET on h-BN substrate, we obtain an ultralow Ohmic contact resistance approaching the quantum limit and a record-high on/off ratio of ~1011 at 15 K. Such an ultraclean fabrication approach could be the ideal platform for high-performance electrical devices using large-area semiconducting TMDs.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Large herbivores keep invasive plants at bay      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Elephants, buffaloes and other heavy herbivores are effective against invasive plants. This is the conclusion of a new study that used Indian data, including data from the world's largest survey of wildlife based on camera traps. But smaller animals can do the same: you don't need elephants to get the same effect, the researchers point out.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Extreme El Niño weather saw South America's forest carbon sink switch off      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tropical forests in South America lose their ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere when conditions become exceptionally hot and dry, according to new research. For a long time, tropical forests have acted as a carbon sink, taking more carbon out of the air than they release into it, a process that has moderated the impact of climate change. But new research found that in 2015 -- 2016, when an El Niño climate event resulted in drought and the hottest temperatures ever recorded, South American forests were unable to function as a carbon sink.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Encryption Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Energy: Technology Mathematics: Puzzles Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Better cybersecurity with new material      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Digital information exchange can be safer, cheaper and more environmentally friendly with the help of a new type of random number generator for encryption. The researchers behind the study believe that the new technology paves the way for a new type of quantum communication.

Biology: Botany Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Invasive spotted lanternfly may not damage hardwood trees as previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In 2012, when the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) arrived in the U.S. from its home in China, scientists, land managers, and growers were understandably concerned that the sap-feeding insect would damage native and commercial trees. New long-term research has discovered that hardwood trees, such as maple, willow and birch, may be less vulnerable than initially thought.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Striking gold with molecular mystery solution for potential clean energy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Hydrogen spillover is exactly what it sounds like. Small metal nanoparticles anchored on a thermally stable oxide, like silica, comprise a major class of catalysts, which are substances used to accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed themselves. The catalytic reaction usually occurs on the reactive -- and expensive -- metal, but on some catalysts, hydrogen atom-like equivalents literally spill from the metal to the oxide. These hydrogen-on-oxide species are called 'hydrogen spillover.'

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: Optics
Published

Peering into nanofluidic mysteries one photon at a time      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have revealed an innovative approach to track individual molecule dynamics within nanofluidic structures, illuminating their response to molecules in ways never before possible.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published

A step closer to digitizing the sense of smell: Model describes odors better than human panelists      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A main crux of neuroscience is learning how our senses translate light into sight, sound into hearing, food into taste, and texture into touch. Smell is where these sensory relationships get more complex and perplexing. To address this question, a research team are investigating how airborne chemicals connect to odor perception in the brain. They discovered that a machine-learning model has achieved human-level proficiency at describing, in words, what chemicals smell like.