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Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid analgesic (pain reliever) that resembles morphine in its action. However, its drug potency is approximately 50 to 100 times more powerful than that of morphine, leading to high rates of both addiction and overdose…

Photosynthesis is a key natural process utilized by plants and is necessary for proper plant growth. Specifically, photosynthesis uses light to manufacture chemical compounds, including organic compounds—primarily carbohydrates—that are derived from…

Progress continues in the attempt to master nuclear fusion—the phenomenon that powers the stars, including our Sun—for energy production here on Earth. Recent research has identified a previously unknown kind of heat burst that causes…

Although international shipping is critical to global trade, cargo ships are a major source of air pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions. At present, atmospheric emissions from fuel oil-powered marine ships include sulfur oxides (SOx),…

Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina (United States) have developed a test for distinguishing lead isotopes found in coal fly ash from lead isotopes found in other lead-containing sources, such as paint. Fly ash is a fine particulate…

Researchers have produced carbon chips from waste plastic bags for use in making anodes for lithium-ion batteries, according to a report in ACS Omega (December 2018). For the most part, it is very difficult to break down (depolymerize) plastics into…

New research from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) predicts that the next decade will be a favorable period for human exploration due to lower risks of inclement "space weather"—a term that refers to radiation conditions…

Physicists have discovered a new state of matter described as a Cooper pair metal. Similar to an ordinary metal, this newfound state of matter conducts electricity with some resistance. However, the carriers of electric charge in this new state are…

Pesticides—including insecticides and herbicides—are chemical products used to control, reduce, or eliminate organisms that are harmful to cultivated plants. However, the use of pesticides on plants that provide foods for human consumption is often…

Reusable sponge-like (foam) sorbent materials for cleaning up oil spills may soon become available, as a result of promising research from multiple groups. Oil spills damage ecosystems and habitats, harm and kill wildlife and plants, contaminate…