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2025

Новости за 21.05.2025

Phys.org 

Data-driven approach identifies promising CO₂ conversion catalysts

A research team has developed a unified theoretical framework to better predict the performance of single-atom catalysts (SACs) for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO₂RR). Their model incorporates both pH and interfacial electric field effects—two critical factors that have often been overlooked or oversimplified in conventional catalyst studies.

Phys.org 

SWOT satellite spots large-scale river waves for first time

In a first, researchers from NASA and Virginia Tech have used satellite data to measure the height and speed of potentially hazardous flood waves traveling down U.S. rivers. The three waves they tracked were likely caused by extreme rainfall and by a loosened ice jam.

Phys.org 

Extreme weather cycles change underwater light at Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is experiencing large-scale shifts in ultraviolet radiation (UV) as climate change intensifies wet and dry extremes in the region. That is according to a study led by the University of California, Davis's Tahoe Environmental Research Center and co-leading collaborator Miami University in Ohio.

Phys.org 

Archaeologist sailing like a Viking makes unexpected discoveries

Archaeologist Greer Jarrett at Lund University in Sweden has been sailing in the footsteps of Vikings for three years. He can now show that the Vikings sailed farther away from Scandinavia and took routes farther from land than was previously believed to have been possible. In his latest study, he has found evidence of a decentralized network of ports, located on islands and peninsulas, which probably played a central role in trade and travel in the Viking era.

Phys.org 

Los Angeles smog: Higher-than-expected ammonium nitrate levels found

The Los Angeles region has some of the most polluted air in the United States, failing to meet standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency for the last decade. Now, Caltech researchers have quantified the levels of a component of smog called ammonium nitrate, a molecule that has been notoriously difficult to measure, and have found that there is much more of it than previously calculated, especially on the most polluted days.

Phys.org 

Building a giant catcher's mitt on the moon

Members of the space exploration community are always coming up with novel ideas to solve problems that they view as holding back humanity's expansion into the cosmos. One such problem that has become more noticeable of late, due to the failure of several powered lunar landers, is the difficulty of landing on the moon.

Phys.org 

Transparent hydrogen boride nanosheets show antimicrobial properties against multiple pathogens

The global fight against infectious diseases faces two major challenges: the threat of new pandemic outbreaks and the alarming rise of antimicrobial resistance driven by the excessive use of antibiotics. As pathogens continue to evolve and spread, researchers are urgently seeking innovative technologies that can effectively combat viruses, bacteria, and fungi conveniently in everyday settings.

Phys.org 

Chip-scale soliton microcombs reach femtosecond precision

Laser frequency combs are light sources that produce evenly spaced, sharp lines across the spectrum, resembling the teeth of a comb. They serve as precise rulers for measuring time and frequency, and have become essential tools in applications such as lidar, high-speed optical communications, and space navigation. Traditional frequency combs rely on large, lab-based lasers. However, recent advancements have led to the development of chip-scale soliton microcombs, which generate ultrashort pulses of light within microresonators.

Phys.org 

Novel AI methodology improves gully erosion prediction and interpretation

Gully erosion is the most severe form of soil erosion, and it can seriously impact agricultural fields, contributing to sediment loss and severe nutrient runoff into waterways. Gullies can be triggered suddenly by a single heavy rainfall event, creating deep channels that are difficult to rehabilitate even with heavy machinery. Accurately predicting where gully erosion is likely to occur allows agricultural producers and land managers to target their conservation efforts more effectively.

Phys.org 

Study finds sand lizards feel at home on railway tracks

As a strictly protected species, sand lizards are dependent on the preservation of their habitats—especially in view of declining populations in Germany. Sand lizards sometimes find ideal living conditions along railway lines—as a new study published in the journal Salamandra by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin shows.

Phys.org 

Wind-related hurricane losses for homeowners in the southeastern US could be nearly 76% higher by 2060

Hurricane winds are a major contributor to storm-related losses for people living in the southeastern coastal states. As the global temperature continues to rise, scientists predict that hurricanes will get more destructive—packing higher winds and torrential rainfall. A new study, published in the journal Risk Analysis, projects that wind losses for homeowners in the Southeastern coastal states could be 76% higher by the year 2060 and 102% higher by 2100.

Phys.org 

How deep-Earth carbon movements shape continents and diamonds

A new study published in Science Advances by researchers from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIG-CAS), along with international collaborators, reveals that deeply subducted carbonates can cause significant variations in the redox states of Earth's mantle. This process influences the formation of sublithospheric diamonds and plays a role in the long-term evolution of cratons—ancient stable parts of the continental lithosphere.

Phys.org 

Natural algal communities can inhibit aquaculture pathogens

A new study by Danish researchers has demonstrated that it is possible to develop a consortium of bacteria that can inhibit bacterial pathogens in aquaculture. This could potentially reduce the use of antibiotics in aquaculture and possibly other applications. The study was published in Microbiology Spectrum.