Новости за 09.01.2024

In a review published on 1 January 2024, in the journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering, researchers discuss hydrogels in photonics, highlighting their potential to revolutionize the field. The article emphasizes how hydrogels enable devices to adapt and respond to their environment, promising significant advances in technology and biomedicine.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have developed a new theoretical model explaining one way to make black silicon, an important material used in solar cells, light sensors, antibacterial surfaces and many other applications.

A new study published in Financial Innovation has developed a novel quantum model for stock market fluctuations that incorporates economic uncertainty and herding behavior. The study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the origins and implications of stock market anomalies such as fat tails, volatility clustering, and contrarian effects.

Eastern China was hit by an extreme drought in summer 2022 that caused severe economic and agricultural damage. The event has attracted a great deal of attention not only because of its severe intensity and huge social impacts but also because it is yet another example within the hot topic of the influence of anthropogenic forcing-induced warming on drought extremes and how they might change under different scenarios of continued warming in the future.

What if there was a way to collect environmental DNA (eDNA) samples in extreme environments autonomously? And what if this method allowed the collection of more samples and to prevent risk of sample contamination? Portuguese researchers from the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC) set out to carry out this endeavor in the remote Arctic and Atlantic North environments.

A material that could replace current fungicides (i.e., anti-fungal pesticides), increase food security, and help protect wildlife has been discovered.

Most countries, including Switzerland, record their greenhouse gas emissions by source and sector. In absolute terms, Swiss greenhouse gases make up less than 1% of global emissions. With an average of 12 metric tons of CO2 equivalents per capita per year, however, the Swiss are polluting the climate about twice as much as the average person globally if we take into account the emissions of our imported goods. This average value is useful for international comparisons, but it ignores differences... Читать дальше...

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) spacecraft Einstein Probe lifted off on a Chang Zheng (Long March) 2C rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China at 15:03 CST / 07:03 GMT / 08:03 CET on 9 January 2024. With the successful launch, Einstein Probe began its mission to survey the sky and hunt for bursts of X-ray light from mysterious objects such as neutron stars and black holes.

One of the fascinating things about being a human in this age is that we can do more than wonder about other life and other civilizations. We can actually look for them, although there are obvious limitations to our search. But what's equally fascinating is that we can wonder if others can see us.

A new 30-meter Maui Forest Height Map reveals that trees on the Valley Isle are taller than previously thought, challenging past assumptions about the island's forest elevation. The map developed by a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa geography professor in the College of Social Sciences has implications that extend beyond cartography that could impact future environmental resource management in all areas, including Lahaina.

In a recent study published online 18 December 2023 in the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, scientists from Peking University introduced a Global WWTP Microbiome-based Integrative Information Platform to address the escalating complexities of pollutants and inadequacies in traditional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

In a study published on 20 November 2023 in Entrepreneurship Education, researchers delve into the various factors that drive green entrepreneurial intentions among undergraduate students in an emerging economy. The study highlights the role of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in fostering this mindset among students, who are key to sustainable business practices.

Humans have dreamed about traveling to other star systems and setting foot on alien worlds for generations. To put it mildly, interstellar exploration is a very daunting task. As we explored in a previous post, it would take between 1000 and 81,000 years for a spacecraft to reach Alpha Centauri using conventional propulsion (or those that are feasible using current technology). On top of that, there are numerous risks when traveling through the interstellar medium (ISM), not all of which are well-understood.

South Korea's bachelor time bomb is about to really go off. Following a historic 30-year-long imbalance in the male-to-female sex ratio at birth, young men far outnumber young women in the country. As a result, some 700,000 to 800,000 "extra" South Korean boys born since the mid-1980s may not be able to find South Korean girls to marry.

In summer 2022, astronomers detected the most powerful fast radio burst (FRB) ever observed. And coming from a location that dates halfway back to the Big Bang, it also was the farthest known FRB spotted to date.

The idea of free speech sparked into life 2,500 years ago in Ancient Greece—in part because it served a politician's interests. The ability to speak freely was seen as essential for the new Athenian democracy, which the politician Cleisthenes both introduced and benefited from.

The consequences of climate change weigh on all of us, especially as we face an El Niño summer, with floods and fires already making themselves felt in the Australian environment.

A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal reveals new evidence for standard gravity breaking down in an idiosyncratic manner at low acceleration. This new study reinforces the evidence for modified gravity that was previously reported in 2023 from an analysis of the orbital motions of gravitationally bound, widely separated (or long-period) binary stars, known as wide binaries.

Forest leaf litter, often likened to terrestrial coral reefs, supports an astonishing variety of life. Among the myriad arthropods dwelling in this ecosystem, beetles emerge as the most common and speciose group. Despite their abundance, our understanding of leaf litter beetles remains limited due to the challenges posed by their sheer numbers, small sizes, and high local endemism.

The holidays are a wrap, and the new year offers an opportunity for reflection and change. For many people, the holidays are a time when consumption kicks into overdrive, but a University of Arizona researcher concerned about the environmental impacts of overconsumption—and the marketing that drives it—says it doesn't have to be this way and offers solutions.

Engineering courses are a popular choice among South African university students. But these courses are also grueling, and the attrition rates are high. The Council on Higher Education reports that half of the engineering students enrolled at South African universities do not complete their studies. That figure is similar in other parts of the world.

As greenhouse gas levels increase in Earth's atmosphere, scientists are considering ways to temporarily limit rising temperatures. One idea is to inject aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect incoming sunlight, thereby reducing global warming and its associated risks.

A study published in the International Journal of Nanotechnology has looked at the controlled synthesis and coating of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), specifically using oleic acid (OA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). These two well-studied polymers can be used in a co-precipitation approach to produce MNPs, which can be coated with different ratios of the two polymers to give different nanoparticle characteristics.

Instruments smaller than a human hair are being designed to eradicate antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fight cancer.

Colleges in states where recreational marijuana became legal over the past decade saw a significant but short-term boost in applications from top-notch students. They also got more applications overall. Those were the key findings of a new study our team published recently in the peer-reviewed journal Contemporary Economic Policy.