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Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Jun-2026 03:16 ET (18-Jun-2026 07:16 GMT/UTC)

Crack-resistant, ultra-stretchable ionic hydrogel for high-performance wearable physiological sensors

Chinese Journal of Polymer Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A tough and notch-insensitive conductive hydrogel is developed by introducing L-arginine-regulated polyoxometalatenano-crosslinking domains. The hydrogel exhibits high stretchability, robust ionic conductivity, and sensitive strain sens-ing, enabling stable electrocardiogram (ECG) and electromyography (EMG) signal monitoring for wearable bioelectronics.

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Science Research Project of the Hebei Education Department

How a telescope’s mirror stability makes or breaks exoplanet detection

SPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Imaging planets orbiting nearby stars is a key goal of NASA’s planned Habitable Worlds Observatory. Detecting these faint worlds requires processing techniques that remove the overwhelming glare of their host stars. Now, researchers have investigated how small optical changes in the telescope affect the performance of these methods. Their simulations show even tiny shifts between mirror segments can make planets difficult to detect, providing important guidance for the design of future telescope structures and instruments.

Biochar benefits may fade faster than expected, 8-year field study finds

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Biochar is often promoted as a long-lasting solution for improving soil fertility, raising soil pH, storing carbon, and helping crops access nutrients. But a new 8-year field study published in Biochar suggests that its benefits may be more temporary than many farmers and land managers expect.

Journal: Biochar

New field study finds practical way to cut nitrogen pollution from tea plantations

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A two-year tea field experiment in subtropical China shows that combining nitrogen transformation inhibitors with biochar can reduce harmful nitrogen gas emissions while supporting tea productivity.

Journal: Biochar

Machine-learning how to overcome antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea

Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard
Peer-Reviewed Publication

With tens of millions of annual cases, gonorrhea is the second most frequently reported sexually transmitted infection (STI). Alone in the U.S., over 600,000 cases are reported each year. If left untreated, gonorrhea can result in a plethora of serious health issues. The major challenge in more effectively controlling the disease lies in the ability of the responsible pathogen to rapidly develop resistance against newly available antibiotics.

Now, a new study published in Science Translational Medicine led by Wyss Institute Core Faculty member James Collins, Ph.D. at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, MIT, and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard offers an exciting new AI-enabled strategy to identify new chemical compounds that could be further developed into antibiotic therapies for N. gonorrhoeae.

Journal: Science Translational Medicine

Shanghai and China's coastal waters might be especially vulnerable to this century's predicted sea level rise, especially in the context of local land subsidence, river water discharge, and marine currents, per new analysis

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Shanghai and China's coastal waters might be especially vulnerable to this century's predicted sea level rise, especially in the context of local land subsidence, river water discharge, and marine currents, per new analysis

Journal: PLOS One

Everyday chemical exposures linked to preterm birth, lower birthweight

UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the Stanford University School of Medicine has found that pregnant women are exposed to dozens of everyday chemicals, many of which can impact how early a child is born or a child’s weight at birth. These outcomes influence a child’s health throughout their life.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

New quantum experiment overcomes major obstacle in search for dark matter and gravitational waves

Imperial College London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Results from a UK collaboration mark a major step towards building large-scale quantum sensors.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Royal Society, Research Councils UK, University of Cambridge, Generalitat de Catalunya, Ministerio de Universidades

Four-stage pathway proposed for global energy system transformation toward carbon neutrality

Higher Education Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new commentary in Engineering presents a clear four-stage roadmap for shifting the global energy system toward carbon neutrality. Unlike past energy transitions, this transformation demands joint advances in technology, policy, and society. It also introduces the T-ESGO framework to integrate energy, material, carbon, and information flows, stressing innovation, cross-disciplinary work, and global cooperation to drive practical, sustainable progress.

Journal: Engineering

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