Turning car exhausts into power: New method transforms carbon nanoparticles from emissions into renewable energy catalysts

We have developed a breakthrough method to convert carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) from vehicular emissions into high-performance electrocatalysts. This innovation provides a sustainable approach to pollution management and energy production by repurposing harmful particulate matter into valuable materials for renewable energy applications. Our work, published in Carbon Neutralization, addresses both environmental challenges and the growing demand Read more about Turning car exhausts into power: New method transforms carbon nanoparticles from emissions into renewable energy catalysts[…]

“Cool” years are now hotter than the “warm” years of the past: tracking global temperatures through El Niño and La Niña

Temperatures, as defined by “climate”, are based on temperatures over longer periods of time — typically 20-to-30-year averages — rather than single-year data points. But even when based on longer-term averages, the world has still warmed by around 1.3°C.3 But you’ll also notice, in the chart, that temperatures haven’t increased linearly. There are spikes and Read more about “Cool” years are now hotter than the “warm” years of the past: tracking global temperatures through El Niño and La Niña[…]

A Nasal Spray for Concussions Shows Early Promise

The best treatment for a hard knock on the head might someday involve a quick sniff of a nasal spray. Researchers have found early evidence in mice that an antibody-based treatment delivered up the nose can reduce the brain damage caused by concussions and more serious traumatic injuries. Scientists at Mass General Brigham conducted the Read more about A Nasal Spray for Concussions Shows Early Promise[…]

Ultrathin films are revolutionizing electrical conductivity

What if your electronic devices could adapt on the fly to temperature, pressure, or impact? Thanks to a new breakthrough in downsizing quantum materials, that idea is becoming a reality. In an article published this month in Applied Physics Express, a multi-institutional research team led by Osaka University announced that they have successfully synthesized an Read more about Ultrathin films are revolutionizing electrical conductivity[…]

Robotic exoskeleton can train expert pianists to play faster

A robotic hand exoskeleton can help expert pianists learn to play even faster by moving their fingers for them. Robotic exoskeletons have long been used to rehabilitate people who can no longer use their hands due to an injury or medical condition, but using them to improve the abilities of able-bodied people has been less Read more about Robotic exoskeleton can train expert pianists to play faster[…]

Robot arm developed that allows sense of touch

You can probably complete an amazing number of tasks with your hands without looking at them. But if you put on gloves that muffle your sense of touch, many of those simple tasks become frustrating. Take away proprioception — your ability to sense your body’s relative position and movement — and you might even end Read more about Robot arm developed that allows sense of touch[…]

Scientists find ‘spooky’ quantum entanglement within individual protons

Scientists have used high-energy particle collisions to peer inside protons, the particles that sit inside the nuclei of all atoms. This has revealed for the first time that quarks and gluons, the building blocks of protons, experience the phenomenon of quantum entanglement. […] despite Einstein’s skepticism about entanglement, this “spooky” phenomenon has been verified over Read more about Scientists find ‘spooky’ quantum entanglement within individual protons[…]

The Real Reason People Don’t Trust in Science: They buy propaganda lies

[…] contemplating November’s annual Pew Research Center survey of public confidence in science. The Pew survey found 76 percent of respondents voicing “a great deal or fair amount of confidence in scientists to act in the public’s best interests.” That’s up a bit from last year, but still down from prepandemic measures, to suggest that Read more about The Real Reason People Don’t Trust in Science: They buy propaganda lies[…]

A new way to entangle Particles from a distance

[…] Traditionally, entanglement is achieved through local interactions or via entanglement swapping, where entanglement at a distance is generated through previously established entanglement and Bell-state measurements. However, the precise requirements enabling the generation of quantum entanglement without traditional local interactions remain less explored. Here, we demonstrate that independent particles can be entangled without the need Read more about A new way to entangle Particles from a distance[…]

Scientists Built a Tiny DNA ‘Hand’ That Grabs Viruses to Stop Infections

Imagine if scientists could grab virus particles the same way we pick up a tennis ball or a clementine, and prevent them from infecting cells. Well, scientists in Illinois have built a microscopic four-fingered hand to do just that. A team of scientists, led by Xing Wang of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has created Read more about Scientists Built a Tiny DNA ‘Hand’ That Grabs Viruses to Stop Infections[…]

Snowfall in the Alps is a third less than a hundred years ago, meteorologists find

From 23% less in the northern Alps to a decrease of almost 50% on the southwestern slopes: Between 1920 and 2020, snowfall across the entirety of the Alps has decreased on average by a significant 34%. The results come from a study coordinated by Eurac Research and were published in the International Journal of Climatology. Read more about Snowfall in the Alps is a third less than a hundred years ago, meteorologists find[…]

Is ‘bypassing’ a better way to battle misinformation? Researchers say new approach has advantages over the standard

Misinformation can lead to socially detrimental behavior, which makes finding ways to combat its effects a matter of crucial public concern. A new paper by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General explores an innovative approach to countering the impact of factually incorrect information called “bypassing,” and Read more about Is ‘bypassing’ a better way to battle misinformation? Researchers say new approach has advantages over the standard[…]

Plastic pollution is changing entire Earth system, scientists find

[…] In 2022 at least 506m tonnes of plastics were produced worldwide, but only 9% gets recycled globally. The rest is burned, landfilled or dumped where it can leach into the environment. Microplastics are now everywhere, from the top of Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on earth. The new study of Read more about Plastic pollution is changing entire Earth system, scientists find[…]

Using mathematics to better understand cause and effect

Consider an example from climate science. Experts studying large atmospheric circulation patterns and their impacts on global weather would like to know how these systems might change with warming climates. Here, many variables come into play: ocean and air temperatures and pressures, ocean currents and depths, and even details of the earth’s rotation over time. Read more about Using mathematics to better understand cause and effect[…]

Researchers unlock a new way to grow quantum dots

The type of semiconductive nanocrystals known as quantum dots are both expanding the forefront of pure science and also hard at work in practical applications including lasers, quantum QLED televisions and displays, solar cells, medical devices, and other electronics. A new technique for growing these microscopic crystals, published this week in Science, has not only Read more about Researchers unlock a new way to grow quantum dots[…]

New 3 point graph mining algorithm finds patterns in complex networks

University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science professor Nikolaos Sidiropoulos has introduced a breakthrough in graph mining with the development of a new computational algorithm. Graph mining, a method of analyzing networks like social media connections or biological systems, helps researchers discover meaningful patterns in how different elements interact. The new algorithm addresses Read more about New 3 point graph mining algorithm finds patterns in complex networks[…]

A simple experiment revealed the complex ‘thoughts’ of fungi – yes vegans and vegetarians: plants also really live and think.

Fungi are fascinating lifeforms that defy conventional notions of animal intelligence. They don’t have brains, yet display clear signs of decision making and communication. But just how complex are these organisms and what can they tell us about other forms of awareness? To begin investigating these mysteries, researchers at Japan’s Tohoku University and Nagaoka College Read more about A simple experiment revealed the complex ‘thoughts’ of fungi – yes vegans and vegetarians: plants also really live and think.[…]

It could take over 40 years for PFAS to leave groundwater

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, known commonly as PFAS, could take over 40 years to flush out of contaminated groundwater in North Carolina’s Cumberland and Bladen counties, according to a new study from North Carolina State University. The study used a novel combination of data on PFAS, groundwater age-dating tracers, and groundwater flux to forecast PFAS Read more about It could take over 40 years for PFAS to leave groundwater[…]

How personal care products affect indoor air quality

The personal care products we use on a daily basis significantly affect indoor air quality, according to new research by a team at EPFL. When used indoors, these products release a cocktail of more than 200 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, and when those VOCs come into contact with ozone, the chemical reactions Read more about How personal care products affect indoor air quality[…]

‘Writing’ with atoms could transform materials fabrication for quantum devices

[…]A research team at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has created a novel advanced microscopy tool to “write” with atoms, placing those atoms exactly where they are needed to give a material new properties. “By working at the atomic scale, we also work at the scale where quantum properties naturally emerge and Read more about ‘Writing’ with atoms could transform materials fabrication for quantum devices[…]

Scientists Detect Invisible Electric Field Around Earth For First Time

An invisible, weak energy field wrapped around our planet Earth has finally been detected and measured. It’s called the ambipolar field, an electric field first hypothesized more than 60 years ago […] “Any planet with an atmosphere should have an ambipolar field,” says astronomer Glyn Collinson of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “Now that we’ve Read more about Scientists Detect Invisible Electric Field Around Earth For First Time[…]

Doughnut-shaped region found inside Earth’s core deepens understanding of planet’s magnetic field

A doughnut-shaped region thousands of kilometers beneath our feet within Earth’s liquid core has been discovered by scientists from The Australian National University (ANU), providing new clues about the dynamics of our planet’s magnetic field. The structure within Earth’s liquid core is found only at low latitudes and sits parallel to the equator. According to Read more about Doughnut-shaped region found inside Earth’s core deepens understanding of planet’s magnetic field[…]

String Theorists Accidentally Find a New Formula for Pi

[…] most recently in January 2024, when physicists Arnab Priya Saha and Aninda Sinha of the Indian Institute of Science presented a completely new formula for calculating it, which they later published in Physical Review Letters. Saha and Sinha are not mathematicians. They were not even looking for a novel pi equation. Rather, these two Read more about String Theorists Accidentally Find a New Formula for Pi[…]

Researchers figure out how to keep clocks on the Earth, Moon in sync

[…] Our communications and GPS networks all depend on keeping careful track of the precise timing of signals—including accounting for the effects of relativity. The deeper into a gravitational well you go, the slower time moves, and we’ve reached the point where we can detect differences in altitude of a single millimeter. Time literally flows Read more about Researchers figure out how to keep clocks on the Earth, Moon in sync[…]

Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

A new antibiotic that works by disrupting two different cellular targets would make it 100 million times more difficult for bacteria to evolve resistance, according to new research from the University of Illinois Chicago. For a new paper in Nature Chemical Biology, researchers probed how a class of synthetic drugs called macrolones disrupt bacterial cell Read more about Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible[…]