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Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 2-Nov-2026 04:16 ET (2-Nov-2026 09:16 GMT/UTC)

No current, no problem: Wireless electric field steers immune cells but stuns cancer cells

Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have long known that electric fields can guide cell movement by a process called electrotaxis.

Journal: Microsystems & Nanoengineering

Heart attacks can dramatically reshape how the brain functions

University of Ottawa
Peer-Reviewed Publication

- A heart attack not only damages the cardiovascular system but can trigger toxic chain reaction linked to depression & anxiety - Identification of methylglyoxal (MG) molecule build up in certain parts of brain following heart attack can be linked to mood and cognition. - Research team has developed a peptide therapeutic that can trap MG to prevent it from damaging cells.

Journal: Advanced Science
Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Frontiers in Science Deep Dive webinar series | Soil science: how AI could help scientists secure a vital global resource

Frontiers
Meeting Announcement

Explore how AI tools can revolutionize soil science, helping researchers better understand and adapt soils—and the systems they nurture—to a changing climate.

Improved omnidirectional small moving object detection with an enhanced YOLO model

Shibaura Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

While omnidirectional cameras can provide a 360-degree field of view, they often struggle to detect small moving objects, as important visual details are lost due to distortion and low resolution, even when distortion reduction methods are applied. A new study addresses this problem by building an annotated training dataset and refining a You Only Look Once (YOLO)-based detection model through transfer learning. The method substantially outperformed standard YOLO models, especially for small and distant objects.

Journal: IEEE Open Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems

Imaging ellipsometry for process control of thin-film devices

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A German–Israeli research team led by Dr. Andreas Furchner has demonstrated how imaging ellipsometry enables non-destructive characterisation and quality control of microstructured MXene thin films during device fabrication. The authors used two complementary ellipsometry approaches for precise, multi-scale access to key material properties. The work positions imaging ellipsometry as a powerful platform for monitoring thin-film uniformity, device integrity, and functionality throughout processing, including critical lithographic steps. The study was published in Applied Physics Letters and selected as an Editor’s Pick.

Journal: Applied Physics Letters

One simple printing change could improve fit of 3D-printed dental crowns

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers found that a small change in 3D-printing settings can help produce better-fitting permanent dental crowns. Crowns printed at moderate angles performed best overall. Thinner layers improved accuracy and fit, while thicker layers produced more consistent results across repeated prints.

Funder: Shaanxi Laboratory of Advanced Materials Project, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Regional Cooperation Project of Shanxi Province, New Technology and New Business Projects of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University

Sustainable chemistry: iron substitutes noble metals in catalytic reactions

Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The production of many products used in everyday life and in industry, such as pharmaceuticals, plastics, and coatings, requires chemical catalysts, often expensive noble metals with limited availability. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are now presenting the first air stable iron compound, which enables the direct use of iron(I) for catalysis and, unlike previous methods, does not require strong reducing agents. A first test yielded active iron catalysts. The results have been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c01660)

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society

The Global Ocean Observing System is more fragile than we thought

Advances in Atmospheric Sciences & Partner Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new international study quantifies, for the first time, how data losses in ocean monitoring would severely degrade the ocean heat estimates that underpin weather prediction, El Niño forecasting, and fisheries management.

Journal: Nature Climate Change

Global rice paddy greenhouse gas emissions have doubled during the past six decades

Boston College
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Since the 1960s, greenhouse gas emissions from rice paddies have doubled to the approximate equivalent of 1.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, a team led by Boston College researchers reports today in the journal Nature Food. But practical changes in farming practices around the world could reduce methane emissions and support global climate targets without sacrificing food production.

Journal: Nature Food