EurekAlert! News by Subject: Chemistry & Physics - News by Subject: Chemistry & Physics

Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 4-Nov-2025 11:11 ET (4-Nov-2025 16:11 GMT/UTC)

Halogens reveal the secrets of the lunar crust

University of Münster
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The distribution of halogens like chlorine reveals much about the formation of the lunar crust. An international research team has now shown in laboratory experiments that rocks with surprisingly high chlorine content formed on the near-side of the Moon. The results were published in "Nature Communications".

Journal: Nature Communications

SPINNING project results highlight the enormous potential of spin-photon-based quantum computers

Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics
Reports and Proceedings

The BMFTR-funded SPINNING project has successfully demonstrated that hybrid-integrable, scalable, and near-room-temperature solid-state quantum components represent a robust and energy-efficient alternative to established quantum computing hardware platforms. The developed spin qubits in diamond outperform comparable commercially available superconducting systems in terms of longer operation times and lower error rates. Photonic coupling over distances of more than 20 meters promises to serve as a foundation for more powerful distributed quantum computers.

A Journal of Environmental Sciences study reveals that metal-organic frameworks may be toxic

Editorial Office of Journal of Environmental Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are popular nanomaterials with applications in drug delivery, catalysis and sensor-based technologies. However, in a new study researchers from China identified that pulmonary exposure to MOFs (MIL-100 and NH₂-MIL-125) disrupts the production of blood and immune cells in mice. Flow cytometry studies revealed tissue-specific alterations in the bone marrow, spleen and lungs—posing potential biosafety risks. The study calls for stricter risk assessments to ensure safe deployment of MOFs.

Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences

When rain, snow, and soil align: The triple threat behind 2024's deadly central Asian floods

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team of scientists led by Dr Zhang Wenxia at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP/CAS), unravel the driving mechanisms underlying the record-breaking flood event from the end of March to April 2024 impacting large areas of Kazakhstan and neighboring southwestern Russia.

Journal: Advances in Atmospheric Sciences

Rice recruits biophysicist to boost cancer research efforts

Rice University
Grant and Award Announcement

Rice University’s Department of Chemistry will soon welcome Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede, who will enhance the university’s research efforts in biophysics when she joins the faculty as a professor July 1, backed by a $6 million recruitment grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

Funder: Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Study finds early signs of widespread coastal marsh decline

Colorado State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have revealed the declining health of coastal marshes several years before visible signs of decline, providing an early warning and opportunity to protect an ecosystem that serves as the first line of defense against coastal flooding.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Parker Solar Probe team receives Collier Trophy for record-breaking solar encounter

Naval Research Laboratory
Grant and Award Announcement

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Parker Solar Probe science and engineering team, a collaboration of scientists from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), NASA, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), and more than 40 other partner organizations, received the 2024 Robert J. Collier Trophy, awarded by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), on June 12.