EurekAlert! News by Subject: Chemistry & Physics

Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-Jun-2026 08:15 ET (19-Jun-2026 12:15 GMT/UTC)

4-Jun-2026

Boston University joins National Science Foundation institute pushing frontiers of physics and AI

Boston University
Grant and Award Announcement

Boston University is joining the NSF AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI), which aims to use AI to inform physics breakthroughs—and vice versa.

4-Jun-2026

UC San Diego team pairs AI with tiny optical device to correct distorted light for sharper imaging

University of California - San Diego
Peer-Reviewed Publication

UC San Diego engineers have created a tiny optical device that pairs with AI to spot and correct distorted light from a single image, a breakthrough that could sharpen imaging in fields from biology to manufacturing.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

4-Jun-2026

Are you sleep deprived? Your spit may hold the answer

American Chemical Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Sleep loss dulls alertness and coordination, and it can produce effects similar to severe intoxication, making actions like driving incredibly risky. But there’s no clinical test for determining when someone is dangerously sleep deprived. Now, researchers report a step toward a non-invasive test for sleep deprivation in ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research. In a study of 20 men, they identified molecular differences in saliva after a full night’s rest and 24 hours without sleep.

Journal: Journal of Proteome Research

4-Jun-2026

New sensory evaluation method reveals how polyphenol structures shape taste perception

Shibaura Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A pilot study has developed a new sensory evaluation method that links the chemical structures of polyphenols with their distinct taste properties. Using trained human panelists, researchers showed that different polyphenols produce unique sensory effects, including bitterness, acidity, and astringency. The findings may help improve functional food design and food processing technologies while advancing understanding of how taste-related sensory pathways contribute to digestion, metabolism, and health-related responses.

Journal: Foods
Funder: JSPS KAKENHI

4-Jun-2026

Physics-trained digital ‘super-brain’ speeds up technology development

Chalmers University of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Studying physics can be very useful – even when it comes to machine learning. A digital ‘super-brain’ with built-in knowledge of the fundamental laws of nature can speed up the development of optical components for everything from quantum computers to eyeglass or camera lenses according to a new study from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

“When we fed the super-brain information about the laws of physics, it immediately got much smarter. Our calculations now take one tenth of the time previously required,” says Philippe Tassin, professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Chalmers University of Technology.

Journal: Laser & Photonics Review
Funder: the Knut och Alice Wallenberg Stiftelse, Swedish Research Council, Excellence Center META-PIX, Chalmers' area of advance Nano

4-Jun-2026

New gold-palladium catalysis mechanism could advance bio-based chemical manufacturing

Lehigh University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study led by Lehigh University researchers reveals a new way that gold and palladium catalysts interact, separating key reaction steps to improve efficiency and stability. Published in Nature Catalysis, the work uncovers a previously unknown reaction mechanism and could help guide the development of more effective catalysts for renewable chemical manufacturing.

Journal: Nature Catalysis

4-Jun-2026

Commonwealth Fusion Systems builds on learnings from SPARC to publish five peer-reviewed papers validating the physics of the ARC fusion power plant

Cambridge University Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the global leader in fusion energy, today announced the publishing of five peer-reviewed physics basis papers on the company’s ARC fusion power plant in a special edition of Journal of Plasma Physics, published by Cambridge University Press.

Journal: Journal of Plasma Physics
Funder: Commonwealth Fusion Systems

4-Jun-2026

Teaching AI to design optical surfaces using real-world imperfections

Singapore University of Technology and Design
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study co-led by an SUTD researcher has developed an AI-powered deep-learning framework trained on experimental data rather than simulations, enabling faster and more accurate design of light-controlling nanostructures.

Journal: PhotoniX

4-Jun-2026

Predicting physics without parameter tuning: A faster computational approach

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Numerical simulations in physics often require estimating a multitude of parameters, making the process computationally expensive and complex. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have introduced a new method called the multiparameter eigenvalue-problem emulator, enabling reliable predictions based directly on relationships among known data by eliminating the need for parameter estimation. This innovation considerably reduces computational costs and enables systematic quantification of predictive uncertainty.

Journal: Physical Review Letters