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Engineers took on the well-known battery challenge of degradation in a real-world technology that many of us use daily: wireless earbuds.

I am not particularly keen on seeing fish catching birds—or, indeed, seeing any animals eaten by others—but of cours that’s the way Nature works.  So here we see a 6½-minute BBC Earth video showing  terns in the Indian Ocean becoming possible meals for giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis).  It’s natural selection, Jake! But I’m still glad that the bird in the last segment escapes.

Reductions in air pollution have helped warm the planet by cutting down on reflective particles in the atmosphere – but researchers still disagree on the size of this effect

A research team has developed a novel multidimensional sampling theory to overcome the limitations of flat optics. The study not only identifies the constraints of conventional sampling theories in metasurface design but also presents an innovative anti-aliasing strategy that significantly enhances optical performance.

Photosynthesis -- mainly carried out by plants -- is based on a remarkably efficient energy conversion process. To generate chemical energy, sunlight must first be captured and transported further. This happens practically loss-free and extremely quickly. A new study shows that quantum mechanical effects play a key role in this process.

Physicists have achieved a breakthrough in data processing by employing an 'inverse-design' approach. This method allows algorithms to configure a system based on desired functions, bypassing manual design and complex simulations. The result is a smart 'universal' device that uses spin waves ('magnons') to perform multiple data processing tasks with exceptional energy efficiency. This innovation marks a transformative advance in unconventional computing, with significant potential for next-generation telecommunications, computing, and neuromorphic systems.

Physicists have achieved a breakthrough in data processing by employing an 'inverse-design' approach. This method allows algorithms to configure a system based on desired functions, bypassing manual design and complex simulations. The result is a smart 'universal' device that uses spin waves ('magnons') to perform multiple data processing tasks with exceptional energy efficiency. This innovation marks a transformative advance in unconventional computing, with significant potential for next-generation telecommunications, computing, and neuromorphic systems.

Synthetic biologists have developed a prototype for an innovative biosensor that can detect rare earth elements and be modified for a range of other applications.

A research team presents an AI assessor for Hall-effect ion thrusters, the engines of satellites and space probes.

A research team presents an AI assessor for Hall-effect ion thrusters, the engines of satellites and space probes.

A research team presents an AI assessor for Hall-effect ion thrusters, the engines of satellites and space probes.

Physicists have performed a groundbreaking simulation they say sheds new light on an elusive phenomenon that could determine the ultimate fate of the Universe.

Recyclers, battery manufacturers, and electric vehicle manufacturers must work together to revolutionize lithium-ion battery (LIB) recycling processes to meet ever-growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems.

An international team of scientists have modelled formation and evolution of strongest magnetic fields in the Universe.

An international team of scientists have modelled formation and evolution of strongest magnetic fields in the Universe.

Using data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, scientists have found a huge exoplanet and a brown dwarf. This is the first time a planet has been uniquely discovered by Gaia's ability to sense the gravitational tug or 'wobble' the planet induces on a star. Both the planet and brown dwarf are orbiting low-mass stars, a scenario thought to be extremely rare.

Advances in nanotechnology may provide solutions to oil spill cleanups in coastal regions that are more effective, safer and work much faster than current methods, according to a new paper. The paper synthesizes, reviews and analyzes between 40 and 50 studies on the subject to provide a big-picture look of the status of nanotechnologies in coastal oil spill response. The researchers also present their own suggestions and identifying research gaps between using nanomaterials in the lab and how they can be used in real-world applications.

Researchers develop machine learning tools that screen for co-morbid anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder using acoustic voice signals. The team spoke to participants with and without co-morbid AD/MDD and recorded them using a secure telehealth platform. The participants were given a semantic verbal fluency test, in which they were required to name as many animals as possible within a time limit. The team extracted acoustic and phonemic features from the recordings and applied machine learning technique to distinguish subjects with and without comorbid AD/MDD. The results confirmed that a one-minute semantic VFT can be reliably used to screen for AD/MDD.

Researchers have developed a new portable tool that could improve how firefighters douse fires, making the process more efficient and far less risky.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a cosmic bullseye! The gargantuan galaxy LEDA 1313424 is rippling with nine star-filled rings after an 'arrow' -- a far smaller blue dwarf galaxy -- shot through its heart. Astronomers using Hubble identified eight visible rings, more than previously detected by any telescope in any galaxy, and confirmed a ninth using data from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Previous observations of other galaxies show a maximum of two or three rings.