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JWST hunts for an ‘Earth-moon’ twin in a habitable zone, but the star has other plans

The moon has played a huge role in the development of Earth. It stabilizes the planet, tempers dramatic climate swings, and possibly even provides the tidal heating that might have led to the first life forms. So it’s natural we would want to find a similar Earth/Luna system somewhere else in the cosmos. But astronomers […]

This ultracold quantum device turns electricity into something far stranger that could unlock sound-based lasers

Researchers at McGill University have developed a novel device that generates sound-like particles known as phonons at extremely cold temperatures. The technology could be used to create phonon lasers, with possible applications in communications and medical diagnostics.

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Fragile no more, nickelates get an upgrade that changes how superconductivity endures

Discovered in 2019, the material known as nickelates has intrigued researchers for its potential to become a superconductor at elevated temperatures—a property that could significantly advance such fields as quantum science and energy transmission. However, it’s a very unstable material and difficult to work with. But the lab of Professor Charles Ahn has developed a […]

Ex-con sentenced to 115 years to life for killing NYPD officer

The sentence came after a three-week trial which ended with a jury acquitting Guy Rivera of first-degree murder, but convicting him of manslaughter, attempted murder and gun charges

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Breaking connections helps ideas spread farther, says physics-based study

Sticking with the same people might feel safe and comfortable. But a new Northwestern University study suggests it can actually trap new ideas and behaviors inside tight echo chambers. By contrast, the research, published in Communications Physics, shows that when interactions shift away from familiar contacts—and toward new ones—activity can spread more widely.

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Machine learning offers faster, more reliable analysis of Fermi surfaces in search of spintronic materials

The search for next-generation electronic materials often starts with studying the Fermi surface, which serves as a map of a material’s electronic structure. Its shape varies with crystal structure, composition, and electronic band arrangement, directly impacting properties such as carrier density, magnetic behavior, and spin polarization. This makes it a crucial tool for understanding and […]

‘We’re losing the reality of policing’: PIO produces show documenting Michigan police responses

“The Shift,” from Red Watch Productions documents calls for service from Michigan law enforcement agencies; the series is available to watch on YouTube

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Why stars spin down, or up, before they die

From birth to death, stars generally slow by 100 to 1,000 times their initial rotation rates; in other words, they “spin down.” The sun’s total angular momentum has declined as material is gradually blown off at the surface as solar wind. By observing this, astronomers have theorized the interaction between magnetic fields and plasma flow […]

Single X-ray photons reveal hidden light-matter interactions in 50-nanometer double slits

A rainbow reveals with colors what otherwise remains hidden: light is “refracted” by transparent matter, in this case water droplets. This same physical effect underlies many everyday technologies, like LCD screens and broadband connections based on fiber-optic cables. Light refraction is caused by an interaction between light and the atoms of matter. This brings the […]

Better volcano eruption predictions on Earth—and Venus—thanks to Mauna Loa study

When Mauna Loa erupted in 2022, the largest lava flow headed on a path headed directly toward Daniel K. Inouye State Highway 200, also known as Saddle Road, a critical route that carries many residents from their homes on one side to their jobs on the other.

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Neural network speeds tuning of attosecond light pulses for physics experiments

Researchers from Skoltech and the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics have developed an approach that helps optimize the parameters of a laser-plasma source of attosecond pulses—ultrashort flashes of light used in physics experiments. Instead of relying on a large number of time-consuming calculations, the team trained a neural network to quickly identify promising […]

Potential signs of life on distant planets sound exciting, but confirmation can take years

Astronomers can use telescopes to find specific molecules in the atmospheres of neighboring planets, in nebulae—clouds of interstellar dust and gas—hundreds or thousands of light-years away, or in galaxies beyond the far reaches of the Milky Way.

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Synchrotron safety monitoring sheds light on dark photons

A scientist from Tokyo Metropolitan University has proposed using safety monitoring at synchrotron facilities to study the properties of dark photons, hypothetical particles proposed to explain dark matter. Calculations show that the X-ray source at these sites and a Geiger-Muller counter behind safety shielding could be used to propose limits on how strongly dark photons […]

Two suns are better than one—planets thrive around binary stars

Planets may actually form more easily around double stars than around single stars like our sun, according to new research from astrophysicists at the University of Lancashire. Binary stars are common in our galaxy, yet for a long time astronomers believed that the gravitational tug-of-war between two stars would make it harder for circumbinary planets, […]

Mining the solar system to build a new world

I watched Armageddon again fairly recently with Bruce Willis, oil drillers in space and an asteroid the size of Texas bearing down on Earth. Buried beneath the Hollywood chaos is a genuinely interesting question: What exactly could we do with an asteroid if we got our hands on one? As it turns out, the answer […]