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Latest story• Apr 6, 2025

Scientists Are Mapping the Boundaries of What Is Knowable and Unknowable

Physicists have uncovered a fundamental limitation called undecidability, which surpasses chaos theory and quantum uncertainty in both classical and quantum systems. Even with perfect knowledge of a system's current state, some questions about its future behavior remain unanswerable. Examples include Moore's theoretical pinball machine and quantum materials with unpredictable properties. These findings, although...

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Sun-powered hydrosponge harvests water from air with 40% less energy

Scientists in Shanghai have developed a 'hydrosponge' that efficiently extracts water from air using only sunlight. The eco-friendly material, called CPPY@LiCl, combines features of hydrogels and sponges to absorb and release...

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Estimating satellite altitude from speed

Satellites can be identified by their speed across the sky, with low Earth orbit satellites moving faster than airplanes and higher orbits moving slower, allowing observers to estimate orbital altitude using angular velocity...

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String theory reveals how dark energy is driving the universe’s fast expansion

A new model of space-time based on string theory suggests dark energy is driving cosmic acceleration. The model predicts dark energy density decreases over time, aligning with observations from the DESI telescope. This could...

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Neutron Stars Hint at Another Dimension

Scientists are exploring the possibility of extra dimensions beyond the three we experience, using collapsed stars called neutron stars as a tool. The search stems from gravity's puzzling weakness compared to other fundamental...

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How a Problem About Pigeons Powers Complexity Theory

The pigeonhole principle, a simple mathematical concept stating that items outnumbering categories must share categories, has become a powerful tool in theoretical computer science. Recent work on the "empty-pigeonhole principle"...

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Lifelike, 3D-printed skin with living cells to replace animal testing in cosmetics

This 3D-printed skin model with living cells mimics human skin structure, enabling safe testing of nanoparticles in cosmetics and sunscreens without animal testing, potentially revolutionizing safety standards in the beauty...

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Scientists turn CO2 from forestry into plastic raw materials using new method

A new method converts carbon dioxide from forest industry waste incineration into polypropylene and polyethylene, common plastic raw materials. The "Forest CUMP" project found that using captured CO2 and green hydrogen could...

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Women are better at hearing than men everywhere in world, finds study

Women typically hear more acutely than men, detecting sounds up to 6 kHz higher in some groups, as revealed by a multi-country study of 450 people, which also found that gender affects hearing more than age, while environment...

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UK to build its largest 1.8 GW pumped hydro project, to power 1.4 million houses

The UK's largest pumped hydro project, Earba, has been approved in Scotland, offering 1.8 GW capacity and 40 GWh storage to power 1.4 million homes annually, create 500 jobs during construction, and support renewable integration...

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EV energy boost: Breakthrough plasma treatment could double supercapacitor capacity

Scientists at Skoltech have discovered a way to double the energy storage capacity of supercapacitors using plasma treatment. By applying a mixture of nitrogen and argon plasma to carbon nanowall electrodes, they increased areal...

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Once-in-a-lifetime: Exploding star 3,000 light-years away will be visible here

The "Blaze Star" in T Coronae Borealis, 3,000 light-years away, is expected to burst into a rare nova explosion soon, becoming as bright as the North Star for about a week and potentially inspiring new astronomers.

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Quantum switch: Miracle material uses magnetism to encode information in excitons

Scientists found a temperature-controlled method to manipulate excitons in chromium sulfide bromide (CrSBr). At very low temperatures, CrSBr becomes magnetic, trapping excitons in single layers. As temperatures rise, it loses...

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How to Create a 4D Hyper-Fractal: The Magic Menger Hyper-Sponge

A hypercube containing a fractal four-dimensional Menger sponge showcases advanced geometric concepts. The Menger sponge, named after mathematician Karl Menger, is a three-dimensional fractal object constructed by repeatedly...

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Purple exists only in our brains

Purple is a unique color created by our brains, not present in the visible light spectrum. When our eyes detect both long (red) and short (blue) wavelengths simultaneously, the brain invents purple to resolve this confusing...

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A Blueprint for Fermat’s Last Theorem

This document outlines a comprehensive proof of a mathematical theorem, likely Fermat's Last Theorem. It covers various topics in number theory, algebraic geometry, and automorphic forms, progressing from initial reductions to...

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Exception to laws of thermodynamics

Researchers at UMass Amherst discovered a "shape-recovering liquid" that forms a Grecian urn shape when shaken. The mixture of oil, water, and strongly magnetized nickel particles defies usual emulsification processes, with...

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Heavy-metal-free quantum dots enable high-speed, eye-safe LIDAR breakthrough

LIDAR technology using shortwave infrared (SWIR) waves is advancing with new environmentally friendly quantum dots. Researchers at ICFO developed silver telluride colloidal quantum dots that are heavy-metal-free and eye-safe. The...

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World’s most complex 2D, one-nanometer-thick semiconductor chip developed in China

Chinese researchers created Lingyu CPU, the world's most advanced 2D semiconductor microprocessor, featuring 5,900 transistors, 32-bit RISC-V instruction execution, and support for high-performance computing and large language...

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Massive asteroid—once feared to hit Earth—might now crash into Moon

The James Webb Space Telescope has detected a 3.8% chance that asteroid 2024 YR4, previously thought to threaten Earth, might hit the Moon in 2032, with NASA planning further observations in 2025 before it travels to the outer...

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Underground nuclear reactors get waste solution boost with US firm’s breakthrough tech

Deep Isolation and Deep Fission are collaborating to manage nuclear waste from underground reactors, exploring the use of Deep Isolation's deep borehole disposal technology to safely store spent fuel for the long term.

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This Island Network Thinks It Can Fix the Internet. It Might Be Right.

The Pasifika Web3 Tech Hub is creating a decentralized internet model using blockchain to shift control from corporations to users, enabling data ownership, token governance, and cultural marketplaces while addressing privacy,...

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World-first wind-powered containership to have 11,300 sq ft total sail area

A French cooperative has finalized construction plans for the world's first sail-powered containership. The 91.3-meter vessel, built by Turkey's RMK Marine, will have three wing sails totaling 11,300 square feet and can carry 210...

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We have the first video of a plant cell wall being built

Scientists have captured the first video of plant cells building their protective walls, revealing an unexpected two-step process. The custom imaging technique shows short cellulose fibers randomly moving before combining into...

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