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Light can now be shaped in empty space, and it could simplify sensing and boost data links

Scientists at the University of East Anglia have uncovered a hidden property of light that allows it to twist, spin and behave differently—without mirrors, materials or special lenses. In a breakthrough that could transform medical testing, data transmission and future quantum technologies, researchers from the UK and South Africa have shown that light can be “programmed” simply by exploiting its natural geometry.

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Hidden stripe pattern lets microscopes auto-focus across 400 times deeper range

Anyone who has ever used a microscope knows that it takes time to bring a sample into sharp focus. Each time you move the slide, the image blurs, and you have to stop and carefully turn a knob to bring everything back into clear view. For scientists and clinicians, even if the motion is semi-automated, that time quickly adds up as they work with dozens or hundreds of samples.

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Investigating the disordered heart of glass

Recent research led by the University of Trento reveals that fundamental atomic vibrations remain unchanged also in ultra-stable glasses. This discovery advances the decade-long debate on the physics of disorder and opens the way to new applications, from electronics to pharmaceuticals. The research work was carried out by the Department of Physics in collaboration with other European research institutions and published in Physical Review X.

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RECENT: Property owner sees tall dark creature fleeing through woods 3 miles north of Westlake (Report 80099)

Class A; April 2026; Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish

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NASA fires up powerful lithium-fed thruster for trips to Mars

A technology that could propel crewed missions to Mars and robotic spacecraft throughout the solar system was recently put to the test at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. On Feb. 24, for the first time in years and at power levels exceeding any previous test in the United States, a team fired up an electromagnetic thruster that runs on lithium metal vapor.

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BWC: Ala. man bites K-9 while fighting officers working to arrest him

The man “inserted himself” into an investigation he was not involved in, yelling at Florence officers; when they tried to arrest him for suspected DUI, he resisted, eventually biting the dog

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A mechanical blue LED: Stretching GaN shifts light from UV to blue without changing chemistry

A research team from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has successfully used mechanical stretching technology to dynamically control the emission color of gallium nitride (GaN) material from ultraviolet (UV) to blue light. This technological breakthrough provides a new semiconductor material control solution for future advanced power transistors, optoelectronic components, radio frequency components, and micro-LED displays.

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Houston officer fired for racist rant, DA reviewing criminal cases she was involved in

Ashley Gonzalez was fired after HPD officials connected her with videos where she said she used her role as an officer to target Black people

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Suspect in fatal shooting of Chicago officer allegedly pulled gun from hospital blanket during treatment

Alphanso Talley has been charged with murder and attempted murder in the shooting that killed Officer John Bartholomew and severely wounded another officer

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BWC: Rifle-wielding man fatally shoots Calif. officer in OIS standoff

Baldwin Park Police responded after a victim was fatally shot; Officer Samuel Riveros was shot by the suspect during a standoff while working to warn bystanders of the danger

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Image: Fiery fall color in southern Chile

The bright whites of mountain snow, muted browns of the arid plains, and gem-like blues and teals of glacial lakes typically dominate the Patagonian color palette. But for a short time in the austral autumn, temperate deciduous forests add splashes of warm tones. On April 12, 2026, a break in the clouds allowed the Landsat 9 satellite to capture an image of reddish hillsides in the Magallanes region of southern Chile.

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Why do high-speed particles bounce higher in wet collisions?

Researchers have uncovered a counterintuitive phenomenon in collision dynamics: high-speed particles bounce back from wet walls much more strongly than expected. Integrating experimental observations with advanced numerical simulations revealed that increasing the impact speed induces a morphological transition in the post-collision liquid film, shifting it from a bridge to a dome shape. Further, it clarified the relevance of cavitation to such a dramatic change and to the stronger bounce.

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Astronomers release massive set of ‘virtual universes’ for global research

Understanding the universe as a whole requires simulations on cosmic scales. An international team of astrophysicists, with a leading role for researchers at Leiden University, Netherlands, has now released one of the largest cosmological simulation datasets ever produced. The dataset contains more than 2.5 petabytes of simulation data—roughly equivalent to half a million HD movies.

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ALMA reveals giant molecular clouds across Needle galaxy’s full disk

An international team of astronomers has employed the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to perform high-resolution observations of the Needle galaxy. Results of the new observational campaign, presented April 15 on the arXiv preprint server, provide more insights into the properties of molecular gas in this galaxy.

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AI slashes the time needed to design better heat-harvesting devices

From wearable technology to industrial heat recovery, thermoelectric generators which convert waste heat into electricity have an enormous range of potential applications. So far, however, designing high-performing versions of these devices has remained a painstaking task.

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