Antibiotic residues in agricultural soils are an emerging environmental concern, with potential impacts on soil health, crop safety, and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. A new study published in Biochar reports a promising solution: an iron-modified biochar that helps soil use its own oxygen and iron chemistry to break down sulfamethoxazole, a commonly detected antibiotic pollutant.

Depression, anxiety and sleep disorders are among the conditions often treated with antidepressant drugs. Yet, up to 90% of these drugs pass through the body into wastewater. They’re also difficult to remove during water treatment, presenting a possible risk of environmental contamination and threats to ecological and human health. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology found some antidepressant drugs at levels that could be harmful to aquatic wildlife in North Carolina waterways. 

Researchers at the University of Tokyo and Yokohama City University have discovered an unexpected transport principle in artificial nanoscale molecular gates. Using self-assembled nanocubes with dynamic pores, they found that linear hydrocarbon molecules pass through the gates faster as the molecules become longer—opposite to ordinary macroscopic intuition. The study reveals that molecular transport is controlled not only by pore size but also by pore fluctuations and transient interactions at the outer surface of the gate.

Florida State University research published today in Science Advances demonstrates a new framework for predicting the motion of kilometer-scale underwater waves that complicate satellite readings of the ocean.

A new Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI) funded by the U.S. Army Research Office aims to unlock the mysteries of the brain’s hidden half. Multidisciplinary teams of scientists will investigate astrocytes and their potential as models for next-generation AI systems. The MURI is led by University of Maryland Physics Professor Wolfgang Losert, Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor John Fourkas, Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Sahil Shah and Associate Professor Behtash Babadi; and Claremont Colleges Associate Professor of Physics Sarah Marzen.

researchers at Virginia Tech have developed an “acoustic atom” — a chip-scale device that traps and controls sound waves in ways that mimic the behavior of real atoms. Long term, these advances could influence technologies connected to quantum artificial intelligence (AI), telecommunication, medical imaging, GPS, and more.

Using a novel cross-linking molecule, MIT chemists showed they can double the strength of common polymers, including polystyrene and a type of rubber used to make shoe soles.