"It"s unbearable": heat waves scorch southern and eastern Europe
Unrelenting heat is blanketing swathes of southern and eastern Europe, with dozens of cities on red alert as scorching temperatures fuel wildfires, strain power grids, and make daily life unbearable......»»
Bottlenose dolphins smile at each other when they play—new study reveals how and why
Dolphins have an irresistible charm for people. They are extremely playful at all ages and often play alone, surfing the waves, leaping into the air, performing flips and striking the water with their tail flukes......»»
Tim Cook says Apple ‘never talked about’ charging for AI, here’s why
Over the past few months, two big waves of Apple Intelligence features have debuted via iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2. While some have speculated Apple is planning paid AI services in the future, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook recently said that charging has never e.....»»
New electron microscopy technique reveals complex spin structures at femtosecond timescales
Plasmons are collective oscillations of electrons in a solid and are important for a wide range of applications, such as sensing, catalysis, and light harvesting. Plasmonic waves that travel along the surface of a metal, called surface plasmon polari.....»»
Intense ribbons of rain also bring the heat, scientists say
The environmental threat posed by atmospheric rivers—long, narrow ribbons of water vapor in the sky—doesn't come only in the form of concentrated, torrential downpours and severe flooding characteristic of these natural phenomena. According to a.....»»
Dripstones from Romanian cave offer insights into climate dynamics in Europe
Investigations into precipitation patterns in eastern Central Europe since the end of the last ice age, conducted by an international research team led by Dr. Sophie Warken of Heidelberg University, have shown that dynamic processes in atmospheric ci.....»»
Latest gravitational wave observations conflict with expectations from stellar models
Almost 300 binary mergers have been detected so far, indicated by their passing gravitational waves. These measurements from the world's gravitational wave observatories put constraints on the masses and spins of the merging objects such as black hol.....»»
Plasma heating efficiency in fusion devices boosted by metal screens
Heating plasma to the ultra-high temperatures needed for fusion reactions requires more than turning the dial on a thermostat. Scientists consider multiple methods, one of which involves injecting electromagnetic waves into the plasma, the same proce.....»»
Call to ban Apple Intelligence summary feature after Luigi Mangione error
The Apple Intelligence summary feature should be banned after it falsely claimed that Luigi Mangione had shot himself, says Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF). The non-profit body advises the United Nations, Council of Europe, and other governmental.....»»
More than 1,300 Hajj pilgrims died this year when humidity and heat pushed past survivable limits—it"s just the start
Every year, hundreds of thousands of Muslims undertake the Hajj—the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca. In 2024, the pilgrimage took place in mid-June, the start of the Saudi summer......»»
Prototype sunscreen uses TiO₂ nanoparticles to cool skin while blocking UV rays
Wearing sunscreen is important to protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation but doesn't cool people off. However, a new formula, described in Nano Letters, protects against both UV light and heat from the sun using radiative cooling......»»
NASA payload aims to probe moon"s depths to study heat flow
Earth's nearest neighboring body in the solar system is its moon, yet to date, humans have physically explored just 5% of its surface. It wasn't until 2023—building on Apollo-era data and more detailed studies made in 2011–2012 by NASA's automate.....»»
Optical spring enables programmable defect mode in new mechanical crystal
Mechanical crystals, also known as phononic crystals, are materials that can control the propagation of vibrations or sound waves, just like photonic crystals control the flow of light. The introduction of defects in these crystals (i.e., intentional.....»»
Storm fears overshadow India coast decades after tsunami
The deadly tsunami that swamped India's southern coast two decades ago was a one-off disaster, but storms that are growing ever more intense spark panic each time howling gales whip up waves......»»
Aerosols could be weakening summertime circulation in the Northern Hemisphere
Over the past several decades, summer jet streams (or west to east wind flow) and weather systems in the Northern Hemisphere have weakened. Projections suggest the trend will continue, which could make extreme heat events more likely and affect air q.....»»
Astonishing 32TB hard drive uses lasers to heat and cool platters within a nanosecond
Seagate is finally offering its largest-ever hard drive – a staggering 32TB in a single drive, made possible by tech which uses lasers to heat and cool tiny sections of a platter in a nanosecond … more….....»»
How a giant prehistoric elephant skull helped untangle an evolutionary mystery
About 400,000 years ago, early humans in Europe, Asia and Africa lived alongside giant straight-tusked elephants, far bigger than their modern-day cousins. Their evolution has long been a mystery to paleontologists, but an extraordinary, enormous and.....»»
Melting sea ice in Antarctica causes ocean storms, scientists say
The record-breaking retreat of Antarctic sea ice in 2023 has led to more frequent storms over newly exposed parts of the Southern Ocean, according to a study published Wednesday......»»
Syphilis had its roots in the Americas, archaeological bone study suggests
In spring 1495, the Italian campaign of Charles VIII of France was interrupted by an intense outbreak of an apparently unknown illness—a disease of high mortality that quickly engulfed the whole of Europe and left its survivors with life-changing i.....»»
Chinese detector to hunt elusive neutrinos deep underground
Underneath a granite hill in southern China, a massive detector is nearly complete that will sniff out the mysterious ghost particles lurking around us......»»
Wildfire risk climbs as trees reclaim eastern US landscapes
The eastern U.S. has more trees and shrubs than three decades ago. This growth, driven by processes such as tree and understory infilling in unmanaged forests, is helping fuel wildfires, contributing to changing fire regimes in the eastern half of th.....»»