After street lights in an entire county were swapped to LEDs, light pollution got worse
"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry"—this famous paraphrase of Scottish poet Robert Burns sometimes sums up human ingenuity. That is exactly what happened when a county in Washington State decided to replace all of its county-owned s.....»»
Smartphone addiction is real, and we all probably need to do something about it
If you feel like you're being controlled by your smartphone, don't feel alone — smartphone addiction is a real thing. So, let's talk about it, and how to deal with it.How to dial back your screen timeWe've all done it — we've lost entire days to.....»»
Scientists unlock key to breeding "carbon gobbling" plants with a major appetite
The discovery of how a critical enzyme "hidden in nature's blueprint" works sheds new light on how cells control key processes in carbon fixation, a process fundamental for life on Earth......»»
Harnessing breadfruit starch for bioethanol production
In a bid to address the growing demand for renewable energy, a team of scientists has turned to an unlikely source—the humble breadfruit. A recent study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts has shed light on the bioprocessing of.....»»
Biden set to hit China EVs with tariffs, report says
The tariff rate on electric vehicles is expected to quadruple from roughly 25 percent to 100 percent, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar with the plans......»»
Hubble Space Telescope glimpses spiral galaxy UGC 9684
The celestial object showcased in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the spiral galaxy UGC 9684, which lies around 240 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Boötes. This image shows an impressive example of several.....»»
Parity-time symmetry: Unlocking faster and stronger optical signal processing
In the era of big data, signal processing faces significant challenges in terms of capacity and energy consumption due to the torrent of data to process. With over 90% of data transmitted through light, optical signal processing may offer unprecedent.....»»
Strong solar storm could disrupt communications and produce northern lights in US
An unusually strong solar storm headed toward Earth could produce northern lights in the U.S. this weekend and potentially disrupt power and communications......»»
Smartwatches are in big trouble
What's old is new again in the world of smartwatches. It's a big problem right now, and it's only going to get worse......»»
Researchers shed new light on carboxysomes in key discovery that could boost photosynthesis
A research team led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has discovered how carboxysomes—carbon-fixing structures found in some bacteria and algae—work. The breakthrough could help scientists redesign and repurpose the st.....»»
Rolling with the punches: How mantis shrimp defend against high-speed strikes
Mantis shrimp are small creatures known for their superlatives. Their eyes have 12 to 16 different color receptors versus our own three, and can detect the polarization of light. Their punches are famously fast, accelerating on par with a 22-caliber.....»»
Study finds consistent decline in nitrogen oxides emissions from human activities in China since 2020
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) form aerosols and ozone in the atmosphere and are significant contributors to air pollution and climate change. China is the largest emitter, yet accurate and timely information on NOx emissions in China has been lacking since 2.....»»
New "forever chemical" cleanup strategy discovered
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cracks down on insidious "forever chemical" pollution in the environment, military and commercial aviation officials are seeking ways to clean up such pollution from decades of use of fire suppressant foams.....»»
Security flaws in BIG-IP system could have put entire networks at risk
F5 released mitigations and a patch for two high-risk flaws......»»
Researchers harness blurred light to 3D-print high-quality optical components
Canadian researchers have developed a new 3D printing method called blurred tomography that can rapidly produce microlenses with commercial-level optical quality. The new method may make it easier and faster to design and fabricate a variety of optic.....»»
Genes spatially organize for efficient mRNA splicing, study shows
The nucleus of each of your cells contains all the genetic information (the genome) necessary to build every type of cell and protein in your entire body. Like a complex library in a tiny space 50 times smaller than the width of a human hair, genes a.....»»
40 years later, Kontrabant 2 for ZX Spectrum is rebroadcast on FM in Slovenia
Celebrating radio waves, magnetic tape heads, and smuggled 8-bit computers. Enlarge / In 1984, the year 2000 was so promising, students made entire games promising to take you there. (credit: Radio Student) Software is.....»»
Webb presents best evidence to date for rocky exoplanet atmosphere
Researchers using NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope may have detected an atmosphere surrounding 55 Cancri e, a rocky exoplanet 41 light-years from Earth. This is the best evidence to date for a rocky planet atmosphere outside our solar system......»»
A nebula that extends its hand into space
The Gum Nebula is an emission nebula almost 1400 light-years away. It's home to an object known as "God's Hand" among the faithful. The rest of us call it CG 4......»»
Mitsubishi eyes U.S. market EV from Nissan as North America takes center stage
Mitsubishi CEO Takao Kato books record operating income and says North America has swapped places with Southeast Asia to become its earnings engine......»»
Attackers may be using TunnelVision to snoop on users’ VPN traffic (CVE-2024-3661)
Researchers have brought to light a new attack method – dubbed TunnelVision and uniquely identified as CVE-2024-3661 – that can be used to intercept and snoop on VPN users’ traffic by attackers who are on the same local network. .....»»