Researchers at the University of Oxford, together with colleagues at the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and at several other laboratories, have announced results from a new search at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (European XFEL) Facility at Hamburg for a hypothetical particle that may make up the dark matter of the Universe. The experiment is described in a study published in Physical Review Letters.

An improvement in freshwater biodiversity in England’s rivers was linked to reductions in pollution of zinc and copper, largely due to the decline of coal burning and heavy industry, say researchers.

Invertebrates are used as an important measure of a river’s biodiversity and health, and Environment Agency data show there was a widespread, significant increase in species richness across England in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, there has been little significant further improvement since then.

Therefore, a team of scientists led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) looked for the possible reasons for this, using statistical modelling to investigate a wide range of different chemical and physical factors, such as temperature, river flow and landscape.

Lithium is an important raw material for new energy vehicles, and ensuring its supply is of great significance for global green sustainable development. Salt lake brine is the main lithium resource, but the separation of Li⁺ from coexisting metals poses a major challenge. The Authors designed a lithium-storage metal oxide SnO₂ nanoparticle island-modified LiMn₂O₄ electrode material with higher lithium extraction capacity and cycle stability. Their work is published in the journal Industrial Chemistry & Materials on 31 Jan 2025.