Harini Logan Wins the National Spelling Bee After Blazing Through the Competition"s First Spell-Off
Harini Logan won the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night, claiming victory in a blistering, first-of-its-kind spell-off that capped a marathon duel of one arcane term after another. From a report: Harini, 14, an eighth grader from San Ant.....»»
Systemic solutions needed to counter spread of science misinformation, says new report
Misinformation about science harms personal decisions, democracy and public policy, says Northeastern University professor David Lazer, who contributed to a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report released Thursday......»»
Dual-comb method achieves first precise absolute distance measurement over 100 km
A team of physicists and engineers at China's Hefei National Laboratory has succeeded in conducting the first instance of precise absolute distance measurement over a path exceeding 100 km. The group has written a paper describing how they achieved s.....»»
Solving renewable energy’s sticky storage problem
When the Sun doesn't shine and the wind is calm, humankind still needs power. When the Sun is blazing and the wind is blowing, Germany’s solar and wind power plants swing into h.....»»
Ukrainian hacker gets prison for infostealer operations
Ukrainian national Mark Sokolovsky was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. According to court documents, he conspired to operate the Raccoon Infostealer as a malware-as-a-service (MaaS)......»»
Honda, Nissan in merger talks to compete with Tesla, Chinese EV rivals, reports say
Honda and Nissan are discussing a merger that would enable them to better withstand fierce competition from EV rivals......»»
How one state"s repeal of a prison "pay-to-stay" law could guide national reform
Nearly every state requires incarcerated individuals to pay for room, board and basic services under so-called "pay-to-stay" laws. In 2019, Illinois became one of the first to repeal such a law—a move that prompted Brittany Friedman, assistant prof.....»»
Q&A: Inside the search for dark matter
More than a decade ago, dark matter experts Daniel Akerib and Thomas Shutt joined the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, continuing their mission to uncover the elusive substance. SLAC recently caught up with them to discuss.....»»
Is a lack of corporate competition stifling the US economy?
Economist Ali Yurukoglu has some encouraging news for anyone who fears that an overconcentration of corporate power is hurting the U.S. economy, stifling innovation, and harming consumers: Dig deep into the data, and you'll see that competition is, i.....»»
Most popular home internet routers in US may be banned as national security risk
The most popular home internet router brand in the US may be banned from sale in the country over fears that it represents a threat to national security. Three separate US agencies have opened investigations into TP-Link routers, which account for.....»»
South Korea at a crossroads after president is impeached. Here"s what will happen next
South Korea's National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol on Saturday, December 14. The vote marks the third time a president has been impeached in the country's constitutional history......»»
Captive tilapia study shows cold-blooded animals using behaviorally-induced fever to battle infection
A team of life scientists at East China Normal University has found that at least one type of cold-blooded animal uses behaviorally-induced fever to battle infections. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the g.....»»
PFAS detected in firefighter gloves, hoods, and wildland gear
The protective clothing worn by wildland firefighters often contains PFAS, according to a new study from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The study also found PFAS in hoods and gloves worn by firefighters who respond to buil.....»»
Lake Michigan experiences warmest November in 30 years as climate change heats up the Great Lakes
Lake Michigan surface temperatures peaked at over 6 degrees above normal last month, the warmest they have been in November since 1995 when recordkeeping began at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In the first two weeks of December.....»»
Scientists reveal characteristics of Salmonella dry surface biofilm
Food scientists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have revealed key characteristics of the foodborne pathogen Salmonella dry surface biofilm (DSB), a previously overlooked type of biofilm that commonly exists in dry food processing enviro.....»»
Femtosecond lasers and ordered nanopillars: A new path for high-speed electron control
The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, in collaboration with the Australian National University, Canberra has demonstrated a novel way of steering a beam of relativistic electron pulses produced by an ultrahigh intensity, femtosecond las.....»»
Uncovering the evolutionary origins of the hepatitis E virus
An international team of virologists, mammalian ecologists and zoologists has uncovered the evolutionary origins of the hepatitis E virus. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group analyzed genomic da.....»»
Rocket Report: Chinese national flies drone near Falcon 9, Trouble down under
"I am convinced that a collaboration between Avio and MaiaSpace could be established." Welcome to Edition 7.23 of the Rocket Report! We're closing in on the end of the year, with.....»»
The science of shopping: Neuroeconomist explains what happens in the brain when we buy
'Tis the season for spending for many. An estimated 197 million people shopped from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, according to the National Retailer Federation. On Black Friday alone, consumers spent a record $33.6 billion......»»
NASA honors Algerian parks with Martian namesakes
NASA's mapping of Mars now bears the names of three iconic Algerian national parks, Algerian physicist Noureddine Melikechi, a member of the US space agency's largest Mars probe mission, has told AFP......»»
Google steps into “extended reality” once again with Android XR
No pricing or availability, but there's new competition in headsets and glasses. Citing "years of investment in AI, AR, and VR," Google is stepping into the augmented reality mark.....»»