Quantum tunnelling could aid life's chemistry in the coldest places
New research has revealed that chemical reactions previously thought to be 'impossible' in space actually occur 'with vigour,' a discovery that could ultimately change our understanding of how alcohols...
View ArticleProbing methane's secrets: From diamonds to Neptune
Hydrocarbons from the Earth make up the oil and gas that heat our homes and fuel our cars. The study of the various phases of molecules formed from carbon and hydrogen under high pressures and...
View ArticleAtmospheric oxygenation three billion years ago
Oxygen appeared in the atmosphere up to 700 million years earlier than we previously thought, according to research published today in the journal Nature, raising new questions about the evolution of...
View ArticleOrganic chemistry: Carbon dioxide tamed
Carbon dioxide has become notorious as a troublesome greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels. Now, this gas could also offer a cheap, abundant and nontoxic source of carbon for the chemical...
View ArticleDiamond defect boosts quantum technology
New research shows that a remarkable defect in synthetic diamond produced by chemical vapor deposition allows researchers to measure, witness, and potentially manipulate electrons in a manner that...
View ArticleCassini sheds light on Titan's second largest lake, Ligeia Mare
Saturn's second largest moon, Titan, is known for its dense, planet-like atmosphere and large lakes most likely made of methane and ethane. It has been suggested that Titan's atmosphere and surface is...
View ArticleNew insight into photosynthesis
The way that algae and plants respond to light has been reinterpreted based on results from experiments studying real-time structural changes in green algae. Under particular lighting conditions during...
View ArticleTransforming hydrogen into liquid fuel using atmospheric CO2
Swiss scientists have completed their solution for transforming hydrogen gas into a less flammable liquid fuel that can be safely stored and transported. Another possible application of their...
View ArticleTrinity geologists re-write Earth's evolutionary history books
Geologists from Trinity College Dublin have rewritten the evolutionary history books by finding that oxygen-producing life forms were present on Earth some 3 billion years ago – a full 60 million years...
View ArticleChemists observe key reaction for producing 'atmosphere's detergent'
Earth's atmosphere is a complicated dance of molecules. The chemical output of plants, animals and human industry rise into the air and pair off in sequences of chemical reactions. Such processes help...
View ArticleNew technology tracks tiniest pollutants in real time
Researchers may soon have a better idea of how tiny particles of pollution are formed in the atmosphere. These particles, called aerosols, or particulate matter (PM), are hazardous to human health and...
View ArticleHow the complexity of interfacial chemistry translates into atmospheric changes
Environmental Science and Technology, a journal of the American Chemical Society, recently published research by University of Kentucky chemistry Assistant Professor Marcelo Guzman, graduate student...
View ArticleHow sea spray particles evolve in the atmosphere
When ocean waves make bursting whitecaps or crash against the shores, tiny particles of sea spray enter the atmosphere. Once airborne, the particles are quickly coated by carbon-rich or organic...
View ArticleWhy are cacti so juicy? The secret strategy of succulents
Sunlight, harnessed by plants in the process of photosynthesis, powers almost all life on earth. Special adaptations allow certain plants to store up a battery of carbon dioxide overnight for use in...
View ArticleNew study finds natural oil dispersion mechanism for deep-ocean blowout
A first-of-its-kind study observed how oil droplets are formed and measured their size under high pressure. They further simulated how the atomized oil spewing from the Macondo well reached the ocean's...
View ArticleCuriosity rover finds biologically useful nitrogen on Mars
A team using the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite aboard NASA's Curiosity rover has made the first detection of nitrogen on the surface of Mars from release during heating of Martian...
View ArticleExamining how terrestrial life's building blocks may have first formed
How did life begin? This is one of the most fundamental questions scientists puzzle over. To address it, they have to look not just back to the primordial Earth, but out into space. Now, scientists...
View ArticleForging a brand-new chemical bond using the pressure of the Mars core
When it comes to making chemical bonds, some elements go together like peanut butter and jelly; but for others, it's more like oil and water. Scientists can combat this elemental antipathy using...
View ArticleResearchers uncover the origin of atmospheric particles
In a study led by the University of Leeds, scientists have solved one of the most challenging and long-standing problems in atmospheric science: to understand how particles are formed in the atmosphere.
View ArticleCarbon dioxide conversion process may be adapted for biofuel synthesis
Using a novel approach involving a key enzyme that helps regulate global nitrogen, University of California, Irvine molecular biologists have discovered an effective way to convert carbon dioxide (CO2)...
View ArticleWeathering of rocks a poor regulator of global temperatures
A new University of Washington study shows that the textbook understanding of global chemical weathering—in which rocks are dissolved, washed down rivers and eventually end up on the ocean floor to...
View ArticleLink identified between continental breakup, volcanic carbon emissions and...
Researchers have found that the formation and breakup of supercontinents over hundreds of millions of years controls volcanic carbon emissions. The results, reported in the journal Science, could lead...
View ArticleChemical weathering could alleviate some climate change effects
There could be some good news on the horizon as scientists try to understand the effects and processes related to climate change.
View ArticleBenefits of advanced wood-burning stoves greater than thought
A recent study from North Carolina State University finds that advanced wood-burning stoves designed for use in the developing world can reduce air pollution more than anticipated, because gaseous...
View ArticleResearchers discover new class of chemical reaction
August 14, 2017—A new study led by Michael P. Burke, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has identified the significance of a new class of chemical reactions...
View ArticleStudy reveals new threat to the ozone layer
"Ozone depletion is a well-known phenomenon and, thanks to the success of the Montreal Protocol, is widely perceived as a problem solved," says University of East Anglia's David Oram. But an...
View ArticleAtmospheric beacons guide NASA scientists in search for life
Some exoplanets shine brighter than others in the search for life beyond the solar system. New NASA research proposes a novel approach to sniffing out exoplanet atmospheres. It takes advantage of...
View ArticleNASA's TSIS-1 keeps an eye on sun's power over ozone
High in the atmosphere, above weather systems, is a layer of ozone gas. Ozone is Earth's natural sunscreen, absorbing the sun's most harmful ultraviolet radiation and protecting living things below....
View ArticleThe molecular structure of a forest aroma deconstructed
The fresh, unmistakable scent of a pine forest comes from a medley of chemicals produced by its trees. Researchers have now, for the first time, accurately determined the chemical structure of one of...
View ArticleStudy sheds new light on production of hydroxyl radicals, which help break...
Residents in some areas of the developing world are currently coping with dangerous levels of air pollution. Recent research, co-led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National...
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