Scientists have introduced a new method to detect pharmaceutical toxins in water, addressing the environmental and public health threats posed by the release of active pharmaceutical ingredients and other chemicals into the environment through manufacturing, use, and disposal. The traditional methods for treating these chemicals are often insufficient, leading to direct and indirect threats to human health and the environment, such as increased antibacterial resistance when antibiotics enter waterways.
Researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology have developed a new lab-based method to detect traces of PFAS, or "forever chemicals," in food packaging material, water, and soil samples in just three minutes or less. The method, called paper spray mass spectrometry, is 10–100 times more sensitive than the current standard technique for PFAS testing and could significantly speed up efforts to study and address the bioaccumulation of PFAS in the environment. The researchers believe their approach could have a swift impact on monitoring consumer products and air quality, in addition to water and soil contamination.
Scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a new method to detect hidden "dark photons," a potential candidate for dark matter. Dark matter, which makes up around 85% of the matter in the universe, remains invisible due to its weak or nonexistent interaction with light. Dark photons, theorized to possess mass, could explain the heating of the early universe and the structure of the cosmic web. The researchers used quantum-limited amplifiers and conducted their search at extremely low temperatures, setting new constraints on the characteristics of dark photons. Although no dark photons were detected, this approach could aid in future dark matter searches.
