Latest News

New theory unravels magnetic instability

Reconnection, the merging of magnetic field lines of opposite polarity near the surface of the sun, Earth and some black holes, is believed to be the root cause of many spectacular astronomical events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, but the reason for this is not well understood. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory now have a new theory that may explain the instability and advance the understanding of these phenomena.

Theorists Giovanni Lapenta of Los Alamos Nati

Stung by success: Intensive farming may suppress pollinating bees

Study shows native bee species provide valuable services when allowed to flourish

Intensive, industrial-scale farming may be damaging one of the very natural resources that successful crops require: pollinating bees. A study by Princeton scientists found that native bee populations decline dramatically as agricultural intensity goes up.
In farms studied in and around the Sacramento Valley in California, concentrated farming appeared to reduce bee populations by eliminating natura

More Sun-like stars may have planetary systems than currently thought

Study of planetary disks around T Tauri stars

If David Weintraub and Jeff Bary are right, there may be a lot more planets circling stars like the Sun than current models of star and planet formation predict.
The associate professor of astronomy at Vanderbilt and his graduate student are taking a critical look at T Tauri stars. These are stellar adolescents, less than 10 million years old, which are destined to become stars similar to the Sun as they age.

Classical T Taur

On chip separation: large molecules pass the speed camera first

What molecule or particle passes the finishline first? A good way to split a fluid sample into its separate parts is: organize a contest in a micro-channel. The largest parts will pass the optical detector first, the smaller ones follow at short distance. This principle of ‘hydrodynamic chromatography’ is now also possible on a chip. ‘On-chip’ separation is faster, needs tiny samples and uses minimum of harmful solvents. Marko Blom developed this separation chip within the MESA+ research institute of

New methods for brain research

Novel methods of measuring magnetic fields outside the head give further insights to the functioning of the human brain. In his doctoral thesis “Estimating Neural Currents from Neuromagnetic Measurements”, Kimmo Uutela developed new methods for finding electrical activity of the brain, which enable easier identification of different brain areas. The Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers (TEK) and the Engineering Society in Finland (TFiF) honoured Uutela’s work with their joint doctoral thesis awa

North Atlantic Oscillation part of the global picture

An especially cold winter in Europe, lots of snow in Scandinavia or lots of rain in the Mediterranean are all symptoms of what meteorologists call the North Atlantic Oscillation, but a group of Penn State researchers has gone beyond the symptoms to try to decipher the dynamics of this atmospheric pattern.

“Some scientists argue that the impact of the NAO on global climate is comparable to El Nino,” says Dr. Sukyoung Lee, associate professor of meteorology. “However, most of the scientific co

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Physics and Astronomy

Mysterious ‘Red Monster’ galaxies in the early Universe discovered

An international team that includes the University of Bath has discovered three ultra-massive galaxies (‘Red Monsters’) in the early Universe forming at unexpected speeds, challenging current models of galaxy formation….

Flaw in physics models of massive stars and supernovae identified

An international team of researchers led by scientists from the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams uncovered evidence that astrophysics models of massive stars and supernovae are inconsistent with observational gamma-ray…

Breakthrough in photonic time crystals

… could change how we use and control light. The new discovery could dramatically enhance technologies like lasers, sensors and optical computing in the near future. An international research team…

Life Sciences and Chemistry

‘Game changer’ in lithium extraction

Rice researchers develop novel electrochemical reactor. A team of Rice University researchers led by Lisa Biswal and Haotian Wang has developed an innovative electrochemical reactor to extract lithium from natural…

The blue-green sustainable proteins of seaweed

… may soon be on your plate. The protein in sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a promising complement to both meat and other current alternative protein sources. Seaweed…

Linking data on genetics, traits and environment

…gives crop breeders a wider lens. Understanding how both environmental conditions and genetic makeup affect crops is essential to developing varieties that are more resilient and productive. But the intricate…

Materials Sciences

Bringing Quantum Mechanics to Life

New ISTA assistant professor Julian Léonard makes abstract quantum properties visible. From the realm of the abstract to the tangible, the new assistant professor at the Institute of Science and…

Carpet fibers stop concrete cracking

Engineers in Australia have found a way to make stronger and crack-resistant concrete with scrap carpet fibres, rolling out the red carpet for sustainability in the construction sector. The research…

New material to make next generation of electronics faster and more efficient

With the increase of new technology and artificial intelligence, the demand for efficient and powerful semiconductors continues to grow. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have achieved a new material…

Information Technology

Future AR/VR controllers could be the palm of your hand

Carnegie Mellon University’s EgoTouch creates simple interfaces for virtual and augmented reality. The new generation of augmented and virtual reality controllers may not just fit in the palm of your…

Storm in a laser beam

Physicists create “light hurricanes” that could transport huge amounts of data. Much of modern life depends on the coding of information onto means of delivering it. A common method is…

Flexible beam-shaping platform optimizes LPBF processes

A new approach to beam shaping will soon make additive manufacturing more flexible and efficient: Fraunhofer ILT has developed a new platform that can be used to individually optimize laser…