Snow, monsoons and oceans shift Earth’s center of mass each year, satellite tracking shows

Seasonal changes redistribute enough water around Earth to shift the planet’s center of mass back and forth by fractions of an inch relative to its geometric center. NASA scientists are on the case, tracking the oscillations because Earth’s center of mass is a crucial reference point for satellite navigation and elevation measurements.

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Roll waves emerge as uniform water flow destabilizes on steep slopes, equations show

When it rains, traveling waves appear on steep asphalt pavement, slowly making their way down the slope. Because these so-called “roll waves” propagate without deforming and are typically characterized by abrupt discontinuities, they play an important role in hydraulic engineering. Understanding unsteady flows like roll waves is crucial for the design, management and safety of […]

Newfound ‘baby’ planet smashes record for youngest known world

Astronomers have confirmed a world less than a million years old as the youngest known planet, using data from archives. Called Elias 2-24 b, the baby planet is still whirling in its natal disk of dust and gas.

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Muon rings enable precise calibration of telescopes at the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

Research initiated as part of a bachelor’s thesis in physics at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has culminated in a new analytical description of the muon-based calibration of dual-mirror Cherenkov telescopes. The work solves a problem that had remained open for more than 30 years because of the geometric complexity of these optical systems: […]

Circular Rydberg atoms set three records, staying stable for 11 milliseconds

Rydberg atoms are considered promising building blocks for quantum computers and their precursors, quantum simulators. Researchers at the 5th Institute of Physics of the University of Stuttgart have achieved record values for the lifetime, size, and storage time of circular Rydberg atoms, a special form of Rydberg atom in which electrons move in a stable […]

BWC: Man rams cruisers, tries to run down Okla. officers before OIS

The man fled a stop in his truck, but turned around and tried to hit Oklahoma City officers; he surrendered after being wounded in an officer-involved shooting

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Sliding droplets point to charging mechanism beyond mobile ions

Whether on a windowpane at home or during the industrial cleaning of computer chips: droplets sliding over solid surfaces become electrically charged. Yet the physical mechanism behind this charging remains a subject of debate. This charging is usually attributed to the exchange of charged particles (ions) at the interface between the droplet and the surface. […]

From 10 to 22 years: The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s mission has just been extended

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope hasn’t yet reached its Sun–Earth L2 orbit, and it already has some good news. NASA has announced that the mission has enough fuel to potentially double its mission length. Though initially scheduled for five years of observations, followed by a five-year extended mission, the entire mission could now reach […]

Video: Canadian officer sneaks up behind motorcycle suspect, makes ‘beautiful form tackle’

The suspect, who appeared to be waiting to “taunt” York Regional Police officers into a pursuit, apparently never saw the officer coming before being tackled from behind

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How some cyclists paradoxically start ‘from rest’ with a non-zero velocity

Some track cyclists appear to break the rules of physics, but a new study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, has created a model explaining the illusion. The results suggest that a quick succession of well-timed moves can help cyclists get a head start without actually breaking the rules of the race or […]

Video: Mo. undercover officer dragged by suspect vehicle before police fire shots

Security footage from the gas station where the incident took place shows a stopped driver reversing with his door open, dragging a Florissant Police officer along the ground

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Dual findings reveal how to control coherence in plasmonic nanolasers

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have uncovered two complementary mechanisms that govern coherence in miniaturized lasers composed of metallic nanoparticle arrays incorporated into an optical gain material, also known as plasmonic lattice lasers.

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Fla. sheriffs, firefighters slam property tax amendment as a ‘train wreck’

Amendment 3 would expand homestead exemptions while reducing a major source of revenue used by local governments to fund law enforcement and fire services

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Heating mica to 200°C reveals friction independent of sliding speed

Through joint research with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Tokyo, NIMS for the first time experimentally demonstrated friction completely independent of sliding velocity—an ideal that had never been realized—by heating mica, a layered oxide also used as a lubricant material, to 200°C (392°F). NIMS also clarified that this is caused by the […]

A 16-minute train delay shows how a solar storm disrupted Victorian technology

A 178-year-old mystery surrounding one of the earliest recorded examples of space weather affecting technology has been solved by an international team led by Lancaster University.

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