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

Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-Dec-2025 18:12 ET (17-Dec-2025 23:12 GMT/UTC)

17-Dec-2025

Deep ocean earthquakes drive Southern Ocean’s massive phytoplankton blooms, study finds

Stanford University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have discovered wintertime seismic activity in the ocean around Antarctica controls summer growth of phytoplankton, tiny organisms that fuel the marine food web and sequester huge amounts of carbon from Earth’s atmosphere.

Journal: Nature Geoscience
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, NASA

17-Dec-2025

Saturn’s biggest moon might not have an ocean after all

University of Washington
Peer-Reviewed Publication

More than a decade ago, data from the Cassini Mission to Saturn suggested that the planet's largest moon, Titan, had a vast ocean of liquid water below its frozen surface. In a new study, UW researchers teamed up with NASA scientists to show that the interior is likely composed of slushy layers instead.

Journal: Nature

17-Dec-2025

Large language models unleash AI’s potential for autonomous and explainable materials discovery

Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo has developed MatAgent, an AI system powered by a large language model. By reasoning in natural language, using memory, and learning from feedback, MatAgent explores new inorganic materials with a human-like process while explaining each step it takes.

Journal: Cell Reports Physical Science

17-Dec-2025

Breaking barriers in attoscience with the shortest light pulse ever created

ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

ICFO researchers have set a new record by generating the shortest soft X-ray pulse to date –just 19.2 attoseconds long. This is the fastest flash of light, faster than the atomic unit of time (24.2 attoseconds), which is the time it takes the electron to orbit once around the hydrogen atom – the “atomic year”. This enables it to capture how matter behaves and interacts at atomic and subatomic scales with unprecedented temporal resolution.

Journal: Ultrafast Science

17-Dec-2025

PolyU develops ultra-stable, mucus-inspired hydrogel to boost gastrointestinal wound healing

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed an acid-resistant “ultra-stable mucus-inspired hydrogel” (UMIH), marking a breakthrough in the field of gastrointestinal medicine. Traditional hydrogels—gelatin-like materials that absorb and retain water—are widely used to aid wound healing and extend drug release. However, they usually break down in acidic environments like the stomach. Inspired by the natural properties of gastric mucus, a PolyU research team has developed UMIH, a hydrogel that adheres 15 times more strongly than conventional gastric mucosal protectants, showing considerable potential for wound repair and targeted drug delivery and promising large‑scale commercialisation.

Journal: Cell Reports Physical Science

17-Dec-2025

Health experts release policy roadmap to alleviate the burden of high energy bills

Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Reports and Proceedings

A new policy brief, “Powering Up for Health: Policy Options to Address Energy Insecurity in New York City,” authored by public health experts from academia, government, and the nonprofit sector, outlines policy options for local and state governments to address energy insecurity and its related health risks.

Funder: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Vital Strategies

17-Dec-2025

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prizes 2026

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Grant and Award Announcement

Germany’s most important research funding prize is presented to ten researchers / Prize money of €2.5 million each / Award ceremony to be held in Berlin on 18 March