Radiation Is Everywhere. But It’s Not All Bad
Although radiation sounds scary, it isn’t necessarily harmful. Here’s what to know about the four types......»»
NASA discovered bacteria that wouldn"t die. Now it"s boosting sunscreen.
While disinfecting spacecraft headed for Mars, NASA found a stubborn type of bacteria that was tough to clean but great at withstanding UV radiation. Many people associate NASA with exploring new worlds in space, but few know it's also finding.....»»
Designing a cost-effective X-ray free electron lasers facility
Many advances in structural science since the 1970s were made by probing materials with synchrotron radiation: that is, high energy X-rays generated through accelerating high-energy electrons. The latest generation of such sources, X-ray free electro.....»»
Novel UV broadband spectrometer improves air pollutant analysis
Sunlight has a major influence on chemical processes. Its high-energy UV radiation in particular is strongly absorbed by all materials and triggers photochemical reactions of the substances present in the air. A well-known example is the formation of.....»»
Focusing ultra-intense lasers to a single wavelength
Ultra-intense ultrashort lasers are powerful tools used in various fields like physics, national security, industry, and health care. They help researchers delve into strong-field laser physics, laser-driven radiation sources, particle acceleration,.....»»
Why we need to rethink what we know about dust
You may think of dust as an annoyance to be vacuumed and disposed of, but actually, on a grander scale, it is far more important than most people realize. Globally, dust plays a critical role in regulating our climate, radiation balance, nutrient cyc.....»»
Research team realizes magnonic frequency comb
The optical frequency comb, a spectrum of optical radiation composed of evenly spaced and phase-coherent narrow spectral lines, was initially developed for precise time and frequency measurements. Over the past two decades, it has shown broad applica.....»»
Team creates cooperative exciton-polariton condensate
Superfluorescence (SF), as a cooperative radiation effect originating from vacuum quantum fluctuations, is an ideal platform for studying many-body correlation mechanisms in an exciton ensemble, and for developing optically ultrafast techniques on br.....»»
Exploding stars are rare but emit torrents of radiation—one close enough to Earth could threaten life on the planet
Stars like the sun are remarkably constant. They vary in brightness by only 0.1% over years and decades, thanks to the fusion of hydrogen into helium that powers them. This process will keep the sun shining steadily for about 5 billion more years, bu.....»»
SMOS and Swarm team up to spot huge solar storm
The sun erupted over the weekend, flinging electromagnetic radiation towards Earth, even illuminating skies with spectacular aurora borealis. For the first time, ESA's unlikely space weather duo of SMOS and Swarm tracked the severe solar storm—whic.....»»
Unveiling the formation of the first galaxies
Utilizing high-resolution three-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations and a detailed supernova physics model run on supercomputers, a research team led by Dr. Ke-Jung Chen from the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica (A.....»»
Brace Yourself For the Comeback of Citizen Scientists
From water-testing polluted rivers to measuring radiation levels, ordinary people are taking environmental research into their own hands......»»
Eyes on the impossible: First near-field, subwavelength thermal radiation measurement
Nanodevices change the way we diagnose disease, process food and water, and store renewable energy. But to keep up with next-generation technology, researchers need to understand the fundamental principles that prompt their functionality......»»
Saturn"s moon is a testing ground to gain a better understanding of the methane molecule
Titan is the second-largest moon in the solar system and the only one with a dense atmosphere. At the top of this atmosphere, rich in nitrogen and methane, the sun's radiation produces a great diversity of organic molecules, some of which we also fin.....»»
Comparable net radiation between the high-elevation Tibetan Plateau and the low-elevation Yangtze River region: Study
Land–atmosphere interactions play a crucial role in shaping Earth's climate system, profoundly influencing weather patterns, climate variables, and ecological processes. Despite being located at similar latitudes, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Yangt.....»»
Tiny worms tolerate Chornobyl radiation, new research shows
The 1986 disaster at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant transformed the surrounding area into the most radioactive landscape on Earth. Humans were evacuated, but many plants and animals continue to live in the region, despite the high levels of radiat.....»»
Scientists discover radiation from massive stars shapes planetary systems
How do planetary systems such as the solar system form? To find out, CNRS scientists taking part in an international research team studied a stellar nursery, the Orion Nebula, using the James Webb Space Telescope. By observing a protoplanetary disk n.....»»
Researchers leverage machine learning to improve space weather predictions
There are three levels of severity for space storms: geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms and radio blackouts. These storms produce different effects on Earth, including satellite, GPS, communications and electrical grid issues, as well as heal.....»»
Potato plant radiation sensors could one day monitor radiation in areas surrounding power plants
While expanding nuclear energy production would provide carbon-free power and can help countries around the world meet their climate goals, nuclear energy could also come with some inherent risk. Radioactive pollution damages the environment, and it'.....»»
Genome sequencing unveils mutational impacts of radiation on mammalian cells
The recent release of the wastewater from Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster stirred apprehension regarding the health implications of radiation exposure. Classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, ionizing radiation has long been associated with various ca.....»»
Scientists uncover a new model for the effects of radiation in water systems
What happens when radiation hits water? This is a question that has an impact every time you get an X-ray at the doctor's office, given you are mostly made of water. A team of theoretical physicists at DESY has worked on data taken by colleagues from.....»»