Theory provides roadmap in quest for quark soup 'critical point'
Thanks to a new development in nuclear physics theory, scientists exploring expanding fireballs that mimic the early universe have new signs to look for as they map out the transition from primordial...
View ArticleState election systems to get more federal aid for security
Citing increasingly sophisticated cyber bad actors and an election infrastructure that's "vital to our national interests," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is designating U.S. election systems...
View ArticleNeutrons and a 'bit of gold' uncover new type of quantum phase transition
When matter changes from solids to liquids to vapors, the changes are called phase transitions. Among the most interesting types are more exotic changes—quantum phase transitions—where the strange...
View ArticleNew study suggests guidelines for takeover time in automated vehicles
Many recent human factors studies of takeover time in automated vehicles have looked at how long it takes a driver to switch out of automation mode, usually in critical situations. Alexander Eriksson...
View ArticleMonkey fights help explain tipping points in animal societies
Previous studies of flocks, swarms, and schools suggest that animal societies may verge on a "critical" point—in other words, they are extremely sensitive and can be easily tipped into a new social...
View ArticleChemical engineers boost bacteria's productivity
MIT chemical engineers have designed a novel genetic switch that allows them to dramatically boost bacteria's production of useful chemicals by shutting down competing metabolic pathways in the cells.
View ArticleScientists create a nano-trampoline to probe quantum behavior
A research group from Bar-Ilan University, in collaboration with French colleagues at CNRS Grenoble, has developed a unique experiment to detect quantum events in ultra-thin films. This novel research,...
View ArticleLight beam replaces blood test during heart surgery
A University of Central Florida professor has invented a way to use light to continuously monitor a surgical patient's blood, for the first time providing a real-time status during life-and-death...
View ArticleVietnam seizes 100 kgs of rhino horn from Kenya
Vietnam police seized more than 100 kilograms of rhino horn smuggled into the country in suitcases from Kenya on Tuesday, the latest illegal haul in the wildlife trafficking hub.
View ArticleCritical thinking instruction in humanities reduces belief in pseudoscience
A recent study by North Carolina State University researchers finds that teaching critical thinking skills in a humanities course significantly reduces student beliefs in "pseudoscience" that is...
View ArticleExtreme space weather: Protecting our critical infrastructure
Extreme space weather has a global footprint and the potential to damage critical infrastructure on the ground and in space. A new report from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC)...
View ArticleEndangered species poached in protected areas: WWF
Illegal poaching, logging and fishing of sometimes critically endangered species is taking place in nearly half of the world's most protected natural sites, environmental campaigners WWF warned Tuesday.
View ArticleShale gas threat to forests can be eased by consolidating infrastructure
Fragmentation of ecologically important core forests within the northern Appalachians—driven by pipeline and access road construction—is the major threat posed by shale-gas development, according to...
View ArticleNearly 50 people taken to hospitals after Texas tornado
Nearly 50 people have been taken to hospitals after a tornado swept through the East Texas city of Canton.
View ArticleThe ecological 'pawprint' of domestic dogs is much greater than previously...
Humans and their canine companions share many close bonds. Wolves (Canis lupus) were the first animal domesticated by people, some time between 15,000 and 50,000 years ago.
View ArticleInstalling solar to combat national security risks in the power grid
Distributed microgrid tech can secure the electrical grids at military bases to reduce the impact of cyberattacks, physical attacks from terrorists and natural disasters.
View ArticleName sought for rare albino orangutan rescued in Indonesia
A conservation group is asking the public to name a rare albino orangutan that was rescued from villagers on Borneo island last month, hoping it will become a symbol of efforts to save the critically...
View ArticleOur taste in movies is highly idiosyncratic—and at odds with critics'...
Our taste in movies is notably idiosyncratic, and not linked to the demographic traits that studios target, finds new study on film preferences. The work also shows that moviegoers' ratings are not...
View ArticleEntropy landscape sheds light on quantum mystery
By precisely measuring the entropy of a cerium copper gold alloy with baffling electronic properties cooled to nearly absolute zero, physicists in Germany and the United States have gleaned new...
View ArticleNASA orders up urgent spacewalking repairs at space station
NASA has ordered up urgent spacewalking repairs at the International Space Station.
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