Science
The latest in science news, from the depths of space to the quantum realm.
Camera captures the world as animals see it, with up to 99% accuracy
January 25, 2024
It’s easy to forget that most animals don’t see the world the way humans do. In fact, many perceive colors that are invisible to us. But now, for the first time, scientists have found a way to capture footage as seen by animals, and it's mesmerizing.
Energy
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'Drinking bird' toys upgraded to generate clean energy from water
March 15, 2024Scientists have converted a children's "drinking bird" toy into a tool that generates usable amounts of electricity. The generator could one day be utilized to power a wide variety of small electronic devices, both indoors and outside. -
World's largest tidal barrage energy project proposed in the UK
March 12, 2024A plan to build a barrier across the Mersey is starting to take shape. If it goes ahead, the ambitious project would becomes the largest tidal range facility in the world, while also offering pedestrians and cyclists safe passage across the river. -
Giant 'sand battery' holds a week's heat for a whole town
March 12, 2024A new industrial-scale “sand battery” has been announced for Finland, packing 1 MW of power and a capacity of up to 100 MWh of thermal energy for use during those cold polar winters. The new battery will be 10 times bigger than a prior pilot plant.
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Medical
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First sleep apnea drug reduces severity in 70% of trial cases
March 17, 2024Obstructive sleep apnea hugely impacts health and well-being, but as those with the condition know, treatment is very limited. Now, a new nasal spray has shown promise in alleviating the symptoms of the most common sleep-related breathing disorder. -
Microbes stomp daffodils in creating valuable anti-Alzheimer's drug
March 15, 2024Using an AI-based approach, researchers found a better way to create the drug galantamine, commonly prescribed to people suffering from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The fermentation-based technique could boost the drug's availability. -
Licorice, even in small amounts, can raise blood pressure
March 14, 2024Eating small amounts of licorice, in keeping with the suggested daily intake, may still cause high blood pressure in healthy young people, a new study has found. The findings highlight the need for caution when consuming the sweet black treat.
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Space
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Gibberish download may save Voyager 1 deep space probe
March 17, 2024NASA's Voyager 1 deep space probe may get a new lease on life thanks to an unexpected download from one of its onboard computers. After months of sending back gibberish instead of collected data, the craft may have provided a clue to its salvation. -
Starship successfully makes orbit – but the FAA has grounded it anyway
March 14, 2024Third time's the charm! SpaceX's Starship roared into orbit today from the company's Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas. Larger and more powerful than the venerable Saturn V, the giant rocket lifted off into the history books at 8:25 am CDT. -
Newly found monster Martian volcano might be hiding an icy secret
March 14, 2024A massive volcano has been hiding in plain sight on Mars, says new research. Not only is its sheer size noteworthy, but the team believes it might also harbor glacial ice that could be critical for further exploration and Martian settlements.
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Materials
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Common bug's tiny balls inspire UV shields and invisibility cloaking
March 18, 2024In many cases nature has better versions of our tech. The newest example comes from a common insect in your backyard, which makes nanoscale soccer balls that hide it from predators – inspiring new, better UV protection and maybe even cloaking tech. -
Phase-change concrete melts snow and ice without salt or shovels
March 18, 2024Incorporating a phase-change material into concrete, this self-heating material can melt snow and ice for up to 10 hours without any help. The novel product could reduce the need for plowing and salting and help preserve the integrity of road surfaces. -
Electroadhesive 'meat magnet' drops chops when the power stops
March 14, 2024Imagine if a hard metal implant could be bonded to soft biological tissue without using any adhesive, then easily removed when no longer needed. That and other nifty things could soon be possible, thanks to a new understanding of electroadhesion.
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Biology
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Middle-age obesity linked to shape-shifting brain neurons
March 13, 2024A change in shape to a particular structure of neurons was found to have a significant impact on obesity in rats. Researchers believe the finding will translate to humans and could help us fight our own middle-aged bulges one day. -
Resurrecting the mammoth: Elephant breakthrough gets us a step closer
March 12, 2024We’re edging closer to seeing a live mammoth for the first time. Colossal Biosciences, a company dedicated to the controversial-but-unquestionably-cool goal of resurrecting extinct species, has made a breakthrough in creating elephant stem cells. -
Video: 3D images of over 13,000 museum specimens now free to everyone
March 10, 2024The openVertebrate project is a significant milestone for natural history museums, researchers, educators, students, and the public, creating the first digital library to offer free access to stunning 3D images of over 13,000 vertebrates.
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Environment
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Rock on the Richter scale: Seismologists rank the top concert-quakes
March 14, 2024With Taylor Swift fans linked to recent seismic activity during her current worldwide 'Eras' concert tour, we thought we’d investigate how other musical artists' fans stacked up in terms of their stadium-shaking abilities. The results may surprise you. -
Sounds appealing – reef recordings entice coral larvae to start building
March 14, 2024Scientists have discovered that audio recordings of healthy coral reefs may help attract free-swimming coral larvae to damaged ones. The finding could be a major step toward preserving the world's coral reefs. -
The secret to saving our reefs may lie in the sea cucumber
March 13, 2024Although the humble sea cucumber may not look like much, it could soon be recruited to help save the world's coral reefs. The bottom-dwelling animals have been found to play a vital role in protecting corals from harmful bacteria.
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Physics
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Bizarre time crystal oscillates for an unprecedented 40 minutes
March 04, 2024Time crystals are a strange state of matter with properties that sound impossible, but they have been created. Now, German scientists have made one that lasts 10 million times longer than in previous experiments. -
Fundamental physics rule violated as same-charge particles attract
March 03, 2024It’s a fundamental principle of physics that particles with opposite charges attract each other, while those with the same charge repel. Scientists have now discovered that under certain conditions, particles can attract those of the same charge. -
General Atomics is working on a "small, commercial particle accelerator"
March 02, 2024Using off-the-shelf industrial parts, a team of researchers from the public and private sectors has created a prototype of a small particle accelerator that could have a big impact bringing the technology forward for commercial applications.
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Electronics
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AI synthesizer bridges technology and creativity in music composition
February 15, 2024SPIN challenges conventional notions of music creation by inviting users to collaborate with an AI language model called MusicGen. With its distinctive blend of a turntable and a drum machine, SPIN offers users a creative music composition tool. -
Eye-tracking window tech tells sightseers about what they're looking at
January 05, 2024If you're on a sightseeing tour in a bus, you really don't want to be looking away from the passing attractions to Google them on your smartphone. The AR Interactive Vehicle Display is intended to help, by showing relevant information on the vehicle's window glass. -
Diamond data storage breakthrough writes and rewrites down to single atom
December 05, 2023Diamond is a promising material for data storage, and now scientists have demonstrated a new way to cram more data onto it, down to a single atom. The technique bypasses a physical limit by writing data to the same spots in different-colored light.
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Quantum Computing
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Diamond-stretching technique makes qubits more stable and controllable
November 30, 2023Researchers are claiming a breakthrough in quantum communications, thanks to a new diamond-stretching technique they say greatly increases the temperatures at which qubits remain entangled, while also making them microwave-controllable. -
Perovskite LED unlocks next-level quantum random number generation
September 05, 2023Random numbers are critical to encryption algorithms, but they're nigh-on impossible for computers to generate. Now, Swedish researchers say they've created a new, super-secure quantum random number generator using cheap perovskite LEDs. -
Silicon quantum computing surpasses 99% accuracy in three studies
January 19, 2022Three teams of scientists have achieved a major milestone in quantum computing. All three groups demonstrated better than 99 percent accuracy in silicon-based quantum devices, paving the way for practical, scalable, error-free quantum computers.
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