Scientists have built the first all-optical photonic time crystal, allowing them to reshape the behavior of terahertz light at extraordinary speeds。 The breakthrough could open the door to ultrafast computing, smarter communication systems, advanced imaging, and a new generation of highly tunable lasers
Scientists have created an “electron lighthouse” that uses laser light to launch and steer electrons through a semiconductor without an applied electrical field。 The quantum effect could eventually improve optical sensors, communications, imaging, and information storage
Scientists have identified LHAASO J1912+1014u as a cosmic accelerator that can push protons beyond one quadrillion electron volts。 The finding may help reveal where the Milky Way’s most energetic cosmic rays come from and how they influence the galaxy
Scientists traced a mysterious surge of low-energy gamma rays from zinc-70 to magnetic changes occurring inside its nucleus。 The breakthrough could improve models of how stars, supernovae, and neutron star mergers create heavy elements
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft aced its Mars flyby, using the planet’s gravity to speed toward its 2029 encounter with a metal-rich asteroid。 The spacecraft tested its cameras, magnetometer, and particle-detecting instruments, capturing unusual views of Mars and measuring its magnetic environment。 It also detected neutrons from the planet and spotted the
Scientists have uncovered new evidence that Venus may still be tearing itself apart from within。 Advanced 3D simulations indicate that some of the planet's giant rift valleys formed relatively recently and could still be expanding。 The results suggest Venus has a far more active interior than researchers once believed, challenging the long-held vie
MIT engineers have found a way to give chip-based lidar a wider, clearer view without relying on moving parts。 Their design uses differently shaped antennas that can sit close together without scrambling one another’s signals。 In tests, the system sharply reduced interference while steering a single precise beam across a broad field of view
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A new analysis suggests the Sun holds far more silver than earlier estimates indicated。 More advanced models of the solar atmosphere raised the calculated amount by 55 percent, bringing it into much closer agreement with ancient meteorites。 The technique may also help scientists track the cosmic origins of silver and other heavy elements
NASA’s Swift Observatory observed a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star more than 30,000 light-years from the center of a distant galaxy。 The extraordinary flare briefly outshone its entire host galaxy in ultraviolet light and revealed a black hole about a million times the Sun’s mass
A black hole observed during a dramatic 2023 eruption did not simply devour gas from its nearby companion star。 It also expelled large amounts of material through powerful jets and winds, even after the outburst had nearly faded。 The results suggest black holes may continue reshaping their surroundings long after their brightest fireworks end
When atomic nuclei smash together at nearly the speed of light, they create the hottest fluid in the universe, but scientists may have overlooked one of its most important forces。 New simulations reveal that extreme acceleration builds up along the edges of quark-gluon plasma, helping drive its explosive expansion。 This acceleration may do far more
Cosmic expansion allows distant galaxies to move away faster than light, while still letting us see ancient light they emitted when they were much closer。 Eventually, accelerating expansion will push nearly every galaxy beyond our Local Group out of sight, making the Universe appear almost empty
A person’s sleeping brain may reveal warning signs of dementia long before memory problems begin。 Researchers used machine learning to analyze EEG recordings from about 7,000 adults and found that an older-than-expected “brain age” was tied to a sharply higher dementia risk。 Every additional 10 years of brain aging raised that risk by nearly 40%
Young Jupiter’s powerful magnetic field may have created a safe zone where several large moons could survive。 Saturn lacked this protection, possibly explaining why Titan stands almost alone among its largest moons
Rice University chemists have found a new way to make neodymium, a rare-earth metal, interact with oxygen。 Using a specially designed molecular structure described as a “basket,” the team positioned the atoms so they could form a bond once thought unlikely。 The breakthrough produced highly reactive compounds that could eventually give chemists alte
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A new chemical process can transform three of the most common plastics into high-purity hydrogen without sorting them first。 The technique operates at much lower temperatures than traditional gasification and captures most of the plastic’s carbon in solid or liquid forms instead of releasing it as carbon dioxide