Detecting nanoplastics in the air
Large pieces of plastic can break down into nanosized particles that often find their way into the soil and water. Perhaps less well known is that they can also float in the air. It's unclear how nanoplastics impact human health, but animal studies s.....»»
Vacuum cleaner-effect in fungi can hold nanoplastics at bay
Using micro-engineered soil models, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have investigated the effect of tiny polystyrene particles on bacteria and fungi. While these nanoplastics reduced both bacterial and fungal growth, the fungus actually mana.....»»
Astrophysicists determine how to find a supernova
The probability of detecting a supernova associated with a gamma-ray burst is currently 0.00346%. A network of several telescopes in different geographical coordinates, checking data in different photometric filters, analyzing images and taking into.....»»
Chiro-optical force observed at the nanoscale
A research group at the Institute for Molecular Science has successfully observed the left and right handedness of material structures at the nanoscale, by illuminating chiral gold nanostructures with circularly polarized light and detecting the opti.....»»
Laser-scribed graphene for sensors
With the development of the information era, sensors capable of transmitting and detecting information have become the leading way to obtain information. Therefore, building a sensor system with a wide detection range, high sensitivity and fast respo.....»»
Bacterial biosensors: The future of analyte detection
Scientists can do some nifty things with microbes, including engineering bacterial cells to sense and signal the presence of specific compounds. These microbial whole-cell biosensors have numerous purposes, from detecting toxins in the environment to.....»»
Researchers reveal novel AI-based camera alert system to promote coexistence between tigers and humans
For decades, wildlife biologists have dreamt of a "smart" camera alerting system capable of detecting tigers and other endangered species on the prowl. Legacy camera-trap technology, while valuable for many research applications, has historically bee.....»»
Portable device instantly detects illegal drugs with 95% accuracy
An ultraportable, low-cost device invented by researchers at the University of Bath proves highly successful at detecting synthetic cannabinoids (SCs, e.g. "Spice," K2)......»»
Using a scent-detecting dog to find sea turtle eggs
A trio of conservationists from Disney's Animals, Science and Environment, the Canine Academy Inc. and Pepedogs, Inwater Research Group, Inc. has found that a terrier named Dory is better at finding sea turtle eggs in nests than humans. For their stu.....»»
JWST accidentally discovers 21 brown dwarfs
When you launch humanity's most powerful telescope, you expect results. The JWST has delivered excellent results by detecting ancient galaxies, identifying chemicals in exoplanet atmospheres, and peering into star-forming regions with more detail and.....»»
Experimental quantum imaging distillation with undetected light
It is possible to image an object with an induced coherence effect by making use of photon pairs to gain information on the item of interest—without detecting the light probing it. While one photon illuminates the object, its partner alone is detec.....»»
New quantitative tracer helps to investigate bioaccumulation of nanoplastics in freshwater ecosystems
Nanoplastics (NPs) can cause a variety of adverse effects in humans, including physical damage, oxidative stress, impaired cell signaling, and developmental defects. The monitoring of NPs in the environment still remains a challenge due to their smal.....»»
Milk analysis reveals "invisible" disease in dairy cows
Researchers have developed a new method of detecting a metabolic disease that affects dairy cows after calving. The aim is to determine whether cows are at risk of contracting the disease before they actually become sick......»»
macOS Sonoma could be locked down with XProtect behavioral security
Apple could make macOS Sonoma more proactive when it comes to scanning for malware, with a malicious behavior-detecting iteration of XProtect seemingly getting closer to going live.Malware illustrationApple's XProtect is a set of rules that are used.....»»
Making the invisible, visible: New method makes mid-infrared light detectable at room temperature
Scientists from the University of Birmingham and the University of Cambridge have developed a new method for detecting mid-infrared (MIR) light at room temperature using quantum systems......»»
Faster, safer field diagnostic kit for detecting the Lebbeck mealybug
The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and research partners have found a faster, safer, and less expensive way for growers to detect the invasive Lebbeck mealybug, according to a recent st.....»»
Line-scan Raman micro-spectroscopy provides rapid method for micro and nanoplastics detection
Microplastics—plastics particles smaller than 5 mm in size—have caused an environmental pollution issue that cannot be ignored by our society. Raman spectroscopy technology, with its non-contact, non-destructive and chemical-specific characterist.....»»
Detecting a vast diversity of rainforest animals by swabbing their DNA from leaves
In a new study, an international research team has shown that cotton swabs, which we all got to know so intimately during the COVID-19 pandemic, are a valuable tool to map biodiversity. The team was led by scientists at the Helmholtz Institute for On.....»»
Dogs can detect COVID-19 infections faster and more accurately than conventional technology, research shows
It's an idea that has finally gained scientific consensus: Dogs can be a faster, more precise, less expensive—not to mention friendlier—method of detecting COVID-19 than even our best current technology......»»
Koala conservation heats up: Drones used to thermally detect animals
Conservation scientists from the University of Newcastle are using heat-detecting drones to capture data on koala populations in Port Stephens LGA......»»
Webb telescope reveals colors of Earendel, most distant star ever detected
Detecting extremely distant stars, or those closest in time to the big bang, can provide insights into the first few chapters of the history of our universe. In 2022, the Hubble Space Telescope broke its own record, and spotted the most distant star.....»»