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Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 27-Oct-2026 12:16 ET (27-Oct-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)

SPIE awards $351,000 in scholarships to 85 students shaping the future of optics and photonics

SPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics
Grant and Award Announcement

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, announced awarding $351,000 in scholarships that will provide support to 85 SPIE Student Members studying optics, photonics, or a related field. The scholarships range from $3,000 to $11,000 and awardees are selected by the SPIE Scholarship Committee from a roster of applicants.

Ultrafast microscopy method for optical processes

Heidelberg University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An extremely fast microscopy method to research the interaction of light and matter makes it possible to study optical processes on very short timescales. To this end, a German-Italian research team is combining holographic imaging with ultrafast spectroscopy in an innovative way. In this manner, even extremely short-lived electronic and magnetic phenomena – which play a major role in the development and application of novel energy materials – can be observed. The research was conducted as part of an international collaboration between scientists from the Institute for Physical Chemistry at Heidelberg University, the Polytechnic University of Milan, and the Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies in Milan (Italy).

Journal: Nature Photonics
Funder: European Union, European Research Council

A glimpse at the origins of life through a deceptive mirror

Weizmann Institute of Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers found that an electron experiences a magnetic field of different strength when traveling through each mirror-image form. This asymmetric behavior not only challenges conventional assumptions but also lends support to a theory about how life began on Earth.

Journal: Science Advances

Quantum Physics: A Matter of Bonding

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Peer-Reviewed Publication

LMU physicists develop a new framework for understanding chemical bonding through quantum entanglement.

Journal: Nature Communications

Lanzhou Jiaotong University researchers develop sustainable wastewater-powered electricity generator system

Editorial Office of Journal of Environmental Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technology can harvest low-frequency and low-power energy. However, there is limited research on harvesting energy from secondary effluents using TENG. Now, researchers have developed a droplet-based electricity generator system capable of harvesting energy from treated municipal wastewater. Using TENG technology, the system converts low-frequency energy from secondary effluents into usable electricity while simultaneously supporting wastewater treatment processes. The findings highlight a promising low-carbon pathway for sustainable wastewater resource recovery and energy utilization.

Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences
Funder: Gansu Province University Youth Doctoral Support Project, Department of Education of Gansu Province, Science and Technology Program of Gansu Province

Genetic engineering of cyanobacteria for the production of sulfated polysaccharide

Institute of Science Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Genetically engineered cyanobacteria developed at Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), Japan, produce sulfated polysaccharides using sunlight and carbon dioxide. By transferring an entire gene cluster responsible for the production of a sulfated polysaccharide, the researchers enabled a non-producing cyanobacterial strain to produce such a polysaccharide. The research demonstrates a sustainable route for manufacturing biomaterials using photosynthesis, expanding the possibilities for synthetic biology and green chemistry applications.

Journal: Scientific Reports
Funder: Japan Science and Technology Agency, NODAI Genome Research Center

International project targets future coastal defence standards

University of East London
Business Announcement

An international research collaboration led by the University of East London will explore how engineering and nature-based coastal defences could better protect vulnerable communities from storm surges, tsunamis and climate-driven flooding. Working with partners in the UK, USA and Japan, the project aims to help shape future engineering standards and policy guidance for coastal infrastructure resilience.

Sensitivity of Antarctic ice to climate change sharply increased after Ice Age shift 1 million years ago

Institute for Basic Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience [1] by researchers at the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea shows that the Antarctic ice sheet became more sensitive to climate forcing following a major shift in Earth’s ice age cycles about one million years ago, providing new insight into how ice sheets respond to long-term climate change.

Journal: Nature Geoscience
Funder: Institute for Basic Science

Soil vapor transport improves soil moisture simulations in drylands

Advances in Atmospheric Sciences & Partner Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

This study introduced a simplified soil vapor transport scheme into the Community Land Model version 5 (CLM5). Under extremely dry surface conditions, upward liquid water movement becomes very weak or nearly ceases. As a result, near-surface soil layers may dry too slowly in models, leading to unrealistic wet biases.

Journal: Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters