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Science News

Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.

A carefully timed pair of light pulses can amplify the motion of atomic layers in a quantum material
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A carefully timed pair of light pulses can amplify the motion of atomic layers in a quantum material

The principle "Work smarter, not harder!" apparently also applies to controlling quantum materials with light. Many of their fascinating properties depend on how the atoms are arranged in the crystal. Ultrashort laser pulses can be used to alter these structures in a targeted way—the light first excites electrons, whose changed energy and dynamics exert forces on the atomic nuclei and can thereby set the atoms in motion. Such processes unfold within femtoseconds, a millionth of a billionth of a second.

📅 2026-11-04 23:20:09    •    Phys.org
NASA navigation experiment shows promise for planetary landings
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NASA navigation experiment shows promise for planetary landings

NASA has successfully demonstrated technology designed to help spacecraft autonomously navigate to safe landing sites on the moon and on other planets. An Alta-X drone equipped with the agency's Safe and Precise Landing—Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) guidance, navigation and control payload completed simulated lunar descent and landing maneuvers Aug. 27. The flight took place at Rogers Dry Lake near NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

📅 2026-11-04 23:20:07    •    Phys.org
Trust in influencers grows more important in predicting buying intentions over time, analysis finds
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Trust in influencers grows more important in predicting buying intentions over time, analysis finds

A meta-analysis of empirical studies involving more than 31,000 participants has revealed the factors that affect the level of influence of so-called social media influencers. Those factors include credibility, expertise, attractiveness and perceived similarity to their followers. They are, the work shows, positively associated with the attitude of consumers toward the brands mentioned or promoted by those influencers and, in turn, their purchasing intentions. Details of the analysis are published in the International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising.

📅 2026-11-04 23:00:01    •    Phys.org
Carbon dots fluoresce their way through the rainbow as liquids change
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Carbon dots fluoresce their way through the rainbow as liquids change

Fluorescent materials usually emit a single consistent color. They are typically made from dyes or metallic components. In contrast, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have created carbon dots that can fluoresce in a range of colors under UV light, depending on the concentration and the liquid they're in. The team incorporated the new carbon dots into plastic decorations and used them to create a data encryption system.

📅 2026-11-04 22:40:10    •    Phys.org
A new superinductor created within a silicon integrated circuit
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A new superinductor created within a silicon integrated circuit

A recent study published in Nature Electronics and carried out by researchers from nanoGUNE's Quantum Hardware research group, Quantum Motion, London Center for Nanotechnology, Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge introduces a new superinductor created within a silicon integrated circuit fabricated in a commercial complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) process.

📅 2026-11-04 22:40:08    •    Phys.org
Cosmic hydrogen measurement marks breakthrough in mapping the universe
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Cosmic hydrogen measurement marks breakthrough in mapping the universe

An international research project is bringing scientists closer to mapping the universe. The MeerKLASS Collaboration has reported its first measurement of the large-scale clustering of cosmic hydrogen, advancing a technique that could transform how cosmologists chart the universe.

📅 2026-11-04 22:20:01    •    Phys.org
Traditional Korean paper becomes breathable patch for future wearable health care
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Traditional Korean paper becomes breathable patch for future wearable health care

Wearable health-monitoring devices are becoming increasingly important for personalized health care, but conventional patches often rely on substrates that restrict airflow, trap sweat and cause skin discomfort during prolonged use. These limitations can also interfere with the reliable collection and analysis of sweat, highlighting the need for breathable materials that support both comfortable wear and accurate sensing.

📅 2026-11-04 22:00:09    •    Phys.org
NOAA, NASA release measurements of 2026 ozone hole
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NOAA, NASA release measurements of 2026 ozone hole

Atypical weather conditions caused the Antarctic ozone hole to grow to an unusually large size in 2026, NOAA and NASA scientists reported today, though they said the protective ozone layer is still on track to recover by later this century.

📅 2026-11-04 21:40:16    •    Phys.org
Molecular choreography: How the p97 protein regulates cellular quality control
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Molecular choreography: How the p97 protein regulates cellular quality control

The p97 protein plays a central role in cellular quality control by preparing defective or no-longer-needed proteins for degradation and recycling. Researchers at the University of Münster, in collaboration with the University of Duisburg-Essen, have investigated how p97 and its auxiliary proteins interact in this process. The study has now been published in the journal Nature Communications.

📅 2026-11-04 21:40:10    •    Phys.org
Bio-based smart coating combines fire protection, early warning and upcyclability
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Bio-based smart coating combines fire protection, early warning and upcyclability

Researchers have developed a multifunctional fire-protective coating that not only shields materials from extreme heat but also provides an early warning of fire and can be recycled into new flame-retardant materials at the end of its life. The work, published in Polymer Degradation and Stability, demonstrates a strategy for combining fire safety, sustainability and circularity within a single material system.

📅 2026-11-04 21:20:24    •    Phys.org
New research uncovers chiral topological phases in metals without structural order
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New research uncovers chiral topological phases in metals without structural order

Fermions are among the most important particles in physics and include both everyday electrons and more exotic variants. Chiral fermions, like gloves, come in left- and right-handed versions and were proposed over a century ago. While high-energy neutrinos—the leading candidates for massless chiral fermions—proved to have mass, nearly (semi-) metallic solid-state crystals were discovered 15 years ago to host electronic versions of massless chiral fermions.

📅 2026-11-04 21:20:21    •    Phys.org
A cosmic 'leaf blower': Light-propelled winds help explain early universe's bright galaxies
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A cosmic 'leaf blower': Light-propelled winds help explain early universe's bright galaxies

When astronomers looked at photos of the early universe taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, they found something odd: an overabundance of bright galaxies. Based on what they knew about the early universe, such galaxies should have been far less common in the few hundred million years following the Big Bang.

📅 2026-11-04 21:00:11    •    Phys.org