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Biomass can be converted into valuable gases. But in order to control this process, the amount of water vapor has to be measured. This is notoriously hard, because other components of the gas can affect the measurement. Using quantum cascade lasers, this problem has now been solved.

Researchers have created an AI tool to accelerate the development of new disease treatments and demonstrated its potential by identifying an existing drug with the potential to prevent deadly heart failure.

Some notoriously difficult to treat infections may not be as resistant to antibiotics as has been thought, according to new research using a microfluidic device that more closely duplicates the fluid flow found in the body than standard cultures. The researchers hope that testing samples under flow conditions can improve antibiotic screening and development.

Scientists worked to ensure fleet safety after a large crack was unexpectedly found near the cockpit of a T-38 Talon. A new study describes how risk and damage tolerance analyses helped determine a more effective inspection schedule, allowing the Air Force to find cracks before they grow to critical size.

Researchers decided to use a high-speed camera to capture what occurs while opening a swing-top bottle of beer. They found that the sound emitted by opening a pressurized bottle with a swing-top lid isn't a single shockwave, but rather a very quick 'ah' sound. Their high-speed video recordings captured condensation within the bottleneck that vibrated up and down in a standing wave. After opening the bottle, the dissolved carbon dioxide starts to form inside the beer and triggers the liquid level to rise, causing the sloshing.

Moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like wind and solar will require better ways to store energy for use when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. A new study by researchers at Penn State found that taking advantage of natural geothermal heat in depleted oil and gas wells can improve the efficiency of one proposed energy storage solution: compressed-air energy storage (CAES).

Where do meteorites of different type come from? In a review paper, astronomers trace the impact orbit of observed meteorite falls to several previously unidentified source regions in the asteroid belt.

Virginia Tech researchers say a true revolution in wireless technologies is only possible through endowing the system with the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) that can think, imagine, and plan akin to humans. Doing so will allow networks to break free from traditional enablers, deliver unprecedented quality, and usher in a new phase of the AI evolution.

Virginia Tech researchers say a true revolution in wireless technologies is only possible through endowing the system with the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) that can think, imagine, and plan akin to humans. Doing so will allow networks to break free from traditional enablers, deliver unprecedented quality, and usher in a new phase of the AI evolution.

Over the past two decades, Haiti has endured the devastation of two catastrophic earthquakes -- first in 2010 and again in 2021. Each disaster left behind widespread destruction: buildings reduced to rubble, entire communities displaced and an overwhelming loss of life. A major factor in the severity of these tragedies was the widespread structural failure of poorly designed buildings, many of which were not constructed to withstand the powerful tremors. Engineers are now exploring cost-effective retrofitting solutions that could help fortify buildings against future earthquakes.

A meteorite discovered in north-west Africa in 2023 didn’t come from a large asteroid or any of the known planets of the solar system – but it might have formed on a planet that was destroyed long ago

Speedy new chargers from Chinese automaker BYD take just 5 minutes to restore 400 kilometres of an electric car’s range, but will they be widely used?

Speedy new chargers from Chinese automaker BYD take just 5 minutes to restore 400 kilometres of an electric car’s range

The search for life has become one of the holy grails of science. With the increasing number of exoplanet discoveries, astronomers are hunting for a chemical that can only be present in the atmosphere of a planet with life! A new paper suggests that methyl halides, which contain one carbon and three hydrogen atoms, may just do the trick. Here on Earth they are produced by bacteria, algae, fungi and some plants but not by any abiotic processes (non biological.) There is a hitch, detecting these chemicals is beyond the reach of current telescopes.

The finest ever map of the cosmic microwave background - the faint evidence of the universe's early form - has yielded precise confirmation of the age of the cosmos and its rate of expansion. But for some scientists, the findings offer a frustrating lack of clues to major cosmological mysteries

Money is a deeply emotive subject, our attitudes to it vary wildly and we are reluctant to bring it up in conversation. Could new research help us to be less weird about it?

The China Space Station Telescope, scheduled for a 2027 launch, will offer astronomers a fresh view on the cosmos. Though somewhat smaller than Hubble, it features a much wider field of view, giving a wide-field surveys that will map gravitational lensing, galaxy clusters, and cosmic voids. Scientists anticipate it will measure dark energy with 1% precision, differentiate between cold and dark matter models, and evaluate gravitational theories.

There are a couple potential explanations for distinctive markings found on a Martian rock, but new evidence suggests they are most likely to be related to microbial activity

Thanks to readers who sent in photos, but we always need more!

Today’s batch comes from UC Davis ecologist Susan Harrison, and were taken near her school.  Susan’s captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

Early spring meanderings

In late February I took a visiting college friend hiking in the hills northwest of Davis, California.  Starting up the trail, we had the good luck to see a tiny Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma) high in an oak.   Thinking I’d captured at least a low-resolution facial photo, it turned out I’d been fooled by the false eyes on the back of the bird’s head.  Pygmy-Owls prey upon and therefore are often mobbed by small songbirds. The eyespots are believed to protect the owl’s true eyes when it’s under attack.

Northern Pygmy-Owl:

We later enjoyed watching an Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) doing yoga in the sun; just like humans, they stretch to stay flexible and prepared for action:

The setting was Valley Vista Regional Park, looking south to the organic farms of the Capay Valley and east to the remarkable Sutter Buttes and Sierra Nevada.

Capay Valley:

Sutter Buttes:

Here are a few other sightings from near Davis:

Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana):

Merlin (Falco columbarius):

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus):

In early March, invigorated by recent owl experiences, I set off to the Sonoma coast in search of Northern Saw-Whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus).   They are found in lushly forested canyons, and one such location near Jenner, California, sounded promising.

Waiting for nightfall, I hiked among the redwoods enjoying the startlingly loud and lovely song of tiny Pacific Wrens (Troglodytes pacificus):

Calypso Orchids (Calypso bulbosa) lit up the understory here and there:

After dark a Saw-Whet Owl began singing.  After I followed it and played a few of its low toots on my phone, a small ghostly presence flapped past my head into a willow.  Using a headlamp for illumination, I managed a few grainy photos.

Saw-Whet Owl:

Stopping by the coast the next morning, I saw a possible — and if so, unusual — Yellow-Billed Loon (Gavia adamsii)  in front of a smaller and darker Common Loon (Gavia immer):

The mouth of the Russian River at Jenner, California:

NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded unusual sounds as a Martian dust devil passed directly over the robotic vehicle in 2021, and we now know they came from electrical activity in the storm