Fine particles from aircraft exhaust become more harmful over time - chemeurope.com

Battist Utinger is studying the oxidative potential of fine particulate matter in the laboratory. A device developed at the University of Basel can measure how much these particles can trigger harmful oxidative reactions. Fine particulate matter consists of tiny particles with diameters in the nanometer range. They are produced, for example, by fuel combustion, remain suspended in the air and can penetrate deep into the respiratory tract. There, they can trigger oxidative stress, a process that promotes inflammation and, over the long term, can lead to serious health problems such as respiratory or cardiovascular diseases.

Glimpses of the "gallium anomaly" were first seen in the mid-1990s, but it was first clearly discovered and stated in 2007 by neutrino physicist Carlo Giunti of Italy. The problem is simple to state but potentially very important: about 20% fewer electron neutrinos were seen to be captured by gallium nuclei than expected.

Researchers led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University have discovered a protein that may allow harmful aging cells to escape detection by the immune system. By helping these cells remain in the body instead of being cleared away, the protein could contribute to their accumulation and the development of health problems associated with aging. The discovery, published in Cell Metabolism, identifies PD-L2 as a potential target for therapies aimed at eliminating harmful aging cells. Scientists also believe the protein could serve as a blood marker, providing a way to detect and monitor these cells.

Belgian physicist worked to build Antarctic observatory that tracks neutrinos from deep space. Belgian physicist Francis Halzen has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for creating a giant detector in Antarctica that captures neutrinos, the so-called “ghost particles” from space that scientists believe offer clues to how the universe evolved. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the prestigious award in Stockholm on Tuesday, crediting Halzen with a central role in building the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Is there life on another planet? Scientists find the strongest evidence yetlist 2 of 3Have scientists discovered a dark matter particle?list 3 of 3Nobel medicine prize honours US and German scientists for optogenetics workend of listThe neutrino interactions collected by the observatory provide information about how high-energy neutrinos are created and may even reveal previously unknown phenomena, the Academy said. “It was a great surprise, and I obviously didn’t expect it,” Halzen said, speaking to the committee by phone from Italy, in a call broadcast at the news conference to announce the winner.

A thick haze of aerosols—mostly from anthropogenic sources like vehicles and industry—hangs over eastern China in this image captured by NASA's satellite-mounted Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in October 2024. Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC Aerosols are small particles suspended in our atmosphere. They come in many flavors: Wildfire smoke, pollen, desert dust, sea salt lofted by powerful storms, volcanic sulfates and emissions from engines and industrial processes are all examples.