Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) and collaborators at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) have used quantum mechanical simulations to reveal how tiny imperfections in ice's crystal structure dramatically alter how ice absorbs and emits light. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.  –  Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), working with Florida International University’s (FIU) Global Forensic and Justice Center, have demonstrated a new method for detecting trace levels of fentanyl using a silicon nanowire (SiNW) array that concentrates chemical vapors for handheld detection instruments. The breakthrough offers first responders a faster, safer way to identify fentanyl and related synthetic opioids without direct contact with the drug.

The SETI Institute is pleased to open the call for applications for the 2026 Mino Postdoctoral Fellowship. This research program offers an exceptional opportunity for talented early-career scientists worldwide to contribute significant advances in the following fields:

- Origins of life and prebiotic chemistry

- Biophysics and the nature of life

- Planetary habitability and environmental limits on life

- Coevolution of life and planetary environments across spatiotemporal scales

- Modeling and theory of life-environment systems

- Comparative studies of Earth, solar system worlds, and exoplanets

- AI/ML applied to origins, nature of life, and habitability research

A new study led by Iowa State University ecologists found the base rate of organic carbon decomposition in soil across the U.S. can vary by as much as tenfold, in part due to geochemical and microbial factors often underrepresented in current Earth system models.  

By sampling and analyzing sewage in and around Burlington, NC, researchers traced "forever chemicals" to a local textile manufacturing plant, whose emissions had remained hidden for years because the facility was releasing solid nanoparticle PFAS “precursors” that degrade into the chemicals that current tests are designed to detect. The findings provide both a warning and playbook for others worried about the worldwide spread of these forever chemicals.

AIP and the National Society of Black Physicists give the Joseph A. Johnson Award to early-career scientists who demonstrate scientific ingenuity and passion for mentorship and service, and this year they congratulate Stacyann Nelson as the winner of the 2025 Award and Christian Aganze as an Honorable Mention. They are honoring Nelson for the study of gluon dynamics in gold nuclei and for instilling confidence in her students to aspire to become leaders in physics research and Aganze for his dark matter research and community outreach.