EurekAlert! News by Subject: Chemistry & Physics - News by Subject: Chemistry & Physics

Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Aug-2025 07:10 ET (21-Aug-2025 11:10 GMT/UTC)

Researchers synthesize a new allotrope of carbon

University of Oxford
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Chemists have demonstrated the synthesis of a new molecular form of carbon.

The new molecule – cyclo[48]carbon, made up of 48 carbon atoms in an alternating single/triple bond pattern – is stable enough to be studied in liquid solution form at room temperature.

The study – only the second example of a new type of molecular carbon allotrope that can be studied under normal laboratory conditions – has been published today (14 August) in Science.

Journal: Science

Scientists hack microbes to identify environmental sources of methane

University of California - Berkeley
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Roughly two-thirds of all atmospheric methane, a potent greenhouse gas, comes from methanogens. Tracking down which methanogens in which environment produce methane with a specific isotope signature is difficult, however. UC Berkeley researchers have for the first time CRISPRed the key enzyme involved in microbial methane production to understand the unique isotopic fingerprints of different environments to better understand Earth's methane budget.

Journal: Science
Funder: European Molecular Biology Organization, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Scientists reengineer enzyme to study diseases via sugar patterns on the surface of cells

University at Buffalo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new technology, presented by University at Buffalo scientists in a study published in Nature Communications, centers on a pig enzyme called ST3Gal1. Researchers retrained it to bind to glycans instead of building them. This new glycan-binding enzyme, which scientists named sCore2, could help analyze and treat diseases via sugar patterns found on the surface of cells.

Journal: Nature Communications

Ocular adverse events with semaglutide

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that semaglutide was not associated with an increased risk of eye disorders or diabetic retinopathy. Despite the fact that an association between semaglutide treatment and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) was found, current evidence remains insufficient to establish definitive conclusions regarding its association with NAION. Further studies with larger sample sizes and adequate evaluation of NAION are warranted to clarify this potential risk.

Journal: JAMA Ophthalmology

SwRI develops chemistry LLM called GAMES for faster drug discovery

Southwest Research Institute
Business Announcement

SAN ANTONIO — August 14, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute scientists and engineers have developed a custom large language model (LLM) to accelerate drug design and discovery.

New method upgrades liquid crystals with better recall

Ohio State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have developed a novel way for liquid crystals to retain information about their movement, suggests a new study.

Journal: Nature Physics

Researchers mimic a mystery of nature to make ice move on its own

Virginia Tech
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Inspired by the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, the research team in Jonathan Boryeko's lab built a metal surface for the fastest ice on earth — and it could be a future energy solution.

Journal: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

10
11
12
13
14