India's energy ministry has scrapped a proposed 4,000 MW coal plant in Gujarat, citing sufficient existing capacity and a new focus on renewables. The decision aligns with the country's Paris climate commitments and its goal of boosting solar power, which has become cheaper than fossil fuels.
Physicists led by Juan Yin at the Science and Technology University of China used the Micius satellite to distribute entangled photons between two ground stations 1,203 kilometers apart, more than ten times the previous 100-kilometer record. The result, published in Science, supports long-distance quantum communication and testing of quantum physics.
An international research team has observed heat moving from a cooler nucleus to a warmer one in a lab experiment using trichloromethane, a finding that challenges common assumptions about the second law of thermodynamics. The effect occurred only when the atoms were correlated, a state distinct from quantum entanglement. The work, posted on arXiv, suggests the law has exceptions not previously accounted for.
Neutrinos, the universe's most abundant yet elusive particles, hold keys to cosmic creation and structure. Recent experiments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have achieved first-ever observations of neutrino interactions, advancing physics without massive detectors. Understanding neutrinos could unlock dark matter secrets and the universe's expansion.
Astronomers used a 36-antenna array in Chile to pinpoint the origin of a one-millisecond radio burst that traveled 4 billion years, locating it in the outskirts of a distant galaxy. The precision technique could aid in mapping the universe's structure.
A star roughly the size of our Sun was torn apart by a black hole 215 million light-years away, in a process astronomers call spaghettification. New observations detail how the star's material was pulled in and ejected in powerful jets. The findings offer a rare glimpse into the violent mechanics of these cosmic events.
Astronomers have detected a rare type of blazar in a galaxy seen as it was 1.7 billion years after the Big Bang, challenging the established sequence of black hole evolution. The finding, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggests that current models of how galaxies and their central black holes change over time may need revision.
Oxford physicist Vlatko Vedral argues that the act of observation doesn't create reality, but rather every interaction splits the universe into parallel versions, each with a different 'you.' His recent commentary in Popular Mechanics challenges popular misconceptions about quantum mechanics, suggesting that our choices and identities are shaped by countless quantum branches.
Optalysys, a Cambridge spin-off, has secured a $350,000 DARPA grant for Project EQUATE to advance optical co-processing technology. The 13-month project targets complex equations in weather and aerodynamic simulations, aiming for exaFLOP-scale performance with reduced energy use.
An international team led by the University of Basel and Empa has shown that graphene nanoribbons slide across gold with almost no friction, potentially enabling ultra-thin coatings that reduce energy loss in machinery. The findings, published in Science, combine experiments and computations to reveal the material's superlubric properties on a nanometer scale.
Indiana University researchers modified a virus to encapsulate a fragile enzyme, creating a biomaterial called P22-Hyd that produces hydrogen 150 times more efficiently than the unaltered enzyme. The material, made at room temperature via fermentation, could offer a renewable alternative to platinum catalysts for hydrogen fuel cells.
An Italian company has deployed the world's largest 3D printer, BigDelta, to construct affordable homes using mud, clay, and dirt. The 12-meter-tall machine, part of the WASP project, aims to address the global need for 100,000 new housing units daily. The first house is nearing completion, though the printer builds slowly.
MIT and Beihang University researchers have engineered a stretchable nanofiber yarn that keeps living cells viable when stretched, potentially enabling patients to move during muscle and tendon healing. The coil structure shelters cells from mechanical stress, offering a new approach to tissue repair that could eliminate the need for restrictive boots or casts.
Killifish in Virginia's Elizabeth River and other Superfund sites have evolved genetic mutations to survive pollution levels 8,000 times the lethal limit. Scientists say this rapid adaptation highlights both the severity of human environmental impact and the potential for species resilience.
A new computer-modeling study reveals that Therizinosaurus, a 40-foot dinosaur with three-foot claws, likely used its talons for display or grooming rather than fighting. The findings challenge popular depictions of the creature as a fierce predator, suggesting its oversized claws were a product of sexual selection.
Wall Street faces mounting hurdles as community resistance and utility warnings slow AI data center construction. A Morgan Stanley executive says expectations are being realigned, with billions in planned spending at risk.
New data reveals 2017 was the hottest year without an El Niño influence, surpassing 2014 by 0.17°C. A study in Nature Climate Change suggests human behavior could alter temperature projections by 2100, offering both hope and warning.
A researcher from the University of the West of England has published a study in Royal Society Open Science suggesting that electrical impulses in mushrooms may constitute a form of communication. The study, which involved four mushroom species, found patterns that could be interpreted as a 'language' of up to 50 words, though the scientist remains open to alternative explanations.
A powerful south swell described as 'historic' by forecasters slammed Hawaii's shores, sending waves over two-story condos, flooding homes, and prompting hundreds of lifeguard rescues. Video captured by residents shows the ocean's force, while officials warn of continued danger and link the event to sea-level rise.
July 2023 was the hottest month in NOAA's 174-year record, exceeding any previous July by more than a third of a degree Fahrenheit, according to a joint NOAA and NASA report. The month also recorded the fourth consecutive month of record-high global ocean surface temperatures and the third straight month of record-low Antarctic sea ice.