Within a second after the Big Bang, particle interactions may have created black holes, boson stars and cannibal stars

Before atomic elements came together, less than a second after the Big Bang, if particles condensed into halos of matter, these halos may then have collapsed, creating the first black holes, boson stars, and so-called cannibal stars. This is the conclusion of a new study just published in Physical Review D, conducted by a team […]

Developers and expert users benchmark three leading open-source thermal conductivity calculation packages

Mechanical Engineering Professor Alan McGaughey of Carnegie Mellon University recently coordinated the Phonon Olympics, bringing together developers and expert users to benchmark three leading open-source thermal conductivity calculation packages.

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Harnessing intricate, self-organized plasma patterns to destroy PFAS

Increasing the surface area when plasma and water interact could help scale up a technology that destroys contaminants such as PFAS, detergents and microbial contaminants in drinking water, new research from the University of Michigan shows.

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Stable molecule trapped with deep ultraviolet light for the first time

Researchers from the Department of Molecular Physics at the Fritz Haber Institute have demonstrated the first magneto-optical trap of a stable “closed-shell” molecule: aluminum monofluoride (AlF). They were able to cool AlF with lasers and selectively trap it in three different rotational quantum levels—breaking new ground in ultracold physics.

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Watch: Suspect barricaded in attic falls through ceiling and into the laps of Fla. SWAT officers

A suspect fled into a home after he was caught with a stolen pickup truck; Indian River County SWAT officers took the man into custody after he fell through the ceiling

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South Africa’s flagship telescope at 20: An eye on the sky and on the community

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) celebrates 20 years of observing the sky. SALT is the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere. It’s been steadily revealing new science knowledge, ranging from the discovery of planets outside our solar system to understanding the unusual physics around black holes. It’s also 20 years of doing science […]

The archaeologist’s guide to colonizing other worlds

Models help scientists understand everything from the particles that make up the universe to massive superstructures of galaxies at the beginning of time. But sometimes they model more mundane, though perhaps even more complex, features—including the course of human civilization. A new paper by Thomas Leppard of the International Archaeological Research Institute and his co-authors, […]

How a medieval Oxford friar used light and color to find out what stars and planets are made of

During the 1240s, Richard Fishacre, a Dominican friar at Oxford University, used his knowledge of light and color to show that the stars and planets are made of the same elements found here on Earth. In so doing, he challenged the scientific orthodoxy of his day and preempted the methods and discoveries of the 21st-century […]

Do interstellar objects pose a threat to Earth?

We know of three interstellar objects (ISO) that have visited our inner solar system. Oumuamua was the first one, and it came and went in 2017. 2l/Borisov, an interstellar comet, was next, appearing in 2019. And right now, the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas is enjoying a visit to the sun-warmed inner solar system.

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7 N.M. cops win $1M in nepotism case after being penalized for reporting cadet’s misconduct

Seven Albuquerque PD Academy instructors were removed from their positions after they punished a cadet who had connections with department leadership for lying

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Former NYPD cop imprisoned for helping China stalk an expat pardoned by Trump

Michael McMahon was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in “a campaign of transnational repression;” McMahon said he was “unwittingly used” by the Chinese government

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‘Impossible’ merger of two massive black holes explained

In 2023, astronomers detected a huge collision. Two unprecedentedly massive black holes had crashed an estimated 7 billion light-years away. The enormous masses and extreme spins of the black holes puzzled astronomers. Black holes like these were not supposed to exist.

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Euclid has eight extra years of fuel—a scientist has a brilliant plan to use it

It’s almost become expected that many space telescopes and probes can have “extended missions.” Both Voyagers are still sending data back 40+ years after their five-year primary mission ended. But figuring out what to do with those spacecraft after their primary mission takes some negotiation. One such craft that will reach its end-of-mission in 2030 […]

X-ray techniques map and measure the invisible properties of altermagnets

The new big thing in magnetics is altermagnetism, a form of magnetism that promises to power the next generation of electronics. Unlike ferromagnets, like a fridge magnet, where all internal atomic spins align to create a strong magnetic field, altermagnets have no net magnetic pull (strongly magnetic on the inside, but appears non-magnetic on the […]

Turning the faint quantum ‘glow’ of empty space into a measurable flash

Researchers from Stockholm University and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali have reported a practical way to spot one of physics’ strangest predictions: the Unruh effect, which says that an object speeding up (accelerating) would perceive empty space as faintly warm. But, trying to heat something up by accelerating it unimaginably […]