Physicists have solved a long-standing problem involving systems that appear to violate Newton’s third law, such as bird flocks and bacterial swarms。 By adding carefully designed “imaginary partners” to their models, they can now simulate these complex systems with unprecedented accuracy
Scientists have uncovered unexpected quantum complexity inside cobalt, a metal long thought to be fully understood。 Advanced measurements revealed a dense network of topological electronic states that remain robust at room temperature。 These states enable extremely fast electron behavior and can be switched or controlled using magnetism
Despite continued benefits, anti-vaccine rhetoric has driven down vaccination
New studies suggest consciousness can't be judged solely by behavior, whether it's a chatbot discussing philosophy or a bee searching for nectar。 Researchers are increasingly focusing on the internal mechanisms of brains and computers, concluding that today's AI is likely not conscious while leaving open the possibility for both conscious insects a
JWST has revealed dramatic differences between the dawn and dusk regions of the scorching exoplanet WASP-121 b。 Fierce winds appear to carry heat from the planet’s permanent dayside, making the evening side hotter and more expanded。 Scientists also found signs that water is being broken apart by extreme temperatures and that mysterious mineral clou
A clever nanoscale redesign may have solved one of superconductivity’s biggest problems。 Researchers in Sweden discovered that by subtly sculpting the surface beneath an ultrathin superconducting material, they could make it stay superconducting at higher temperatures and under much stronger magnetic fields
Humans evolved to pay close attention to danger, but today that instinct is being overwhelmed by an endless supply of bad news from around the world。 Researchers say the answer isn’t to stop following current events—it’s to build healthier habits around how, when, and where we get our news
Scientists have proposed a new method for finding tightly bound supermassive black hole pairs by searching for stars that flash repeatedly as their light is magnified by the black holes’ gravity。 The timing and brightness of these bursts could provide a unique fingerprint of black holes slowly spiraling toward a future collision
MIT researchers have shown that one fuel can power both chemical and electric spacecraft thrusters, potentially transforming what small satellites can do。 The approach combines quick bursts of speed with highly efficient long-range propulsion in a single compact system。 A NASA-supported CubeSat mission will soon test the technology in orbit
A new catalyst design could significantly improve the conversion of CO2 into methanol, an important fuel and chemical feedstock。 Researchers separated key reaction steps across different catalyst sites, avoiding a long-standing trade-off between speed and efficiency。 The result was about three times more methanol production than standard commercial
A new technique could solve one of the biggest challenges in making future computer chips from ultrathin materials。 Researchers found that coating molybdenum disulfide with oxygen or fluorine lets manufacturers remove just the top layer of atoms much more safely during plasma processing。 The result is a cleaner, more controlled path toward smaller
What if some black holes aren’t black holes at all。 A new theoretical study suggests that when a massive star collapses, it might not form a singularity hidden behind an event horizon。 Instead, the collapse could trigger the birth of a tiny new universe inside the dying star
A bold claim that the universe’s accelerating expansion was an illusion has been put to the test—and failed。 Researchers found that the study behind the controversy made key mistakes when analyzing supernova data。 After revisiting the evidence, astronomers concluded that cosmic acceleration remains as strong as ever
Isar Aerospace is not hurting for money, but it is sorely lacking in the currency of flight experience
Astronomers have spent years searching for a possible hidden giant planet far beyond Neptune。 Unusual orbits among distant Kuiper Belt objects have fueled the Planet Nine theory, but recent discoveries are challenging the idea by showing more stable motion than expected。 If Planet Nine exists, it may be much farther away than originally thought