Article archives

MI weekly selection #601

MI weekly selection #601

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Pacific Ocean hotspot linked to volcanic features A study by geologists has connected the Louisville hotspot in the Pacific Ocean to both the Louisville Ridge and the Ontong Java Plateau, the largest volcanic plateau on Earth. “This finding offers us a more accurate history of the Pacific and its volcanic activity and helps us understand […]

Revolutionizing barium ion detection for neutrino research

Revolutionizing barium ion detection for neutrino research

ChemistryDIPC Particle PhysicsParticle physics

By DIPC

In the quest to unravel the mysteries of the universe, scientists are turning to tiny glowing molecules and powerful microscopes to detect elusive particles. Two groundbreaking studies, one published in ACS Sensors in 2025 and another in Nature Communications in 2024, showcase innovative approaches to detecting barium ions in high-pressure xenon gas. These advancements are […]

Changing the Eurocentric narrative about the history of science

Changing the Eurocentric narrative about the history of science

HistoryPhilosophy of science

By Invited Researcher

Author: Karen K. Christensen-Dalsgaard, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, MacEwan University In the 11th century in Cairo, the foundations for modern science were laid through the detention of an innocent man. The mathematician Abu Ali al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham had been tasked with regulating the flow of the Nile, but when he saw the river […]

Magnetrons: high-efficiency power microwave sources for a new generation of particle accelerators

Magnetrons: high-efficiency power microwave sources for a new generation of particle accelerators

Particle physicsPhysics

By Invited Researcher

Magnetrons are high-power vacuum tubes conceived more than a century ago to produce microwaves. Their working principle involves the interaction of a cloud of electrons jumping from the cathode to the anode of the device together with a magnetic field. This spinning electron cloud trajectory induces electromagnetic fields in several resonant cavities at a certain […]

MI weekly selection #600

MI weekly selection #600

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Study challenges assumptions about magnetar formation The study of the magnetar SGR 0501+4516 using Hubble and Gaia telescopes has deepened the mystery of its origins. Previously thought to be associated with the supernova remnant HB9, the magnetar shows no connection to it, which suggests that SGR 0501+4516 may have formed through an alternative process, such […]

150 years ago, the Metre Convention determined how we measure the world

150 years ago, the Metre Convention determined how we measure the world

History

By Invited Researcher

Author: Jonathan Simone, Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences, Brock University On May 20, 1875, delegates from a group of 17 countries gathered in Paris to sign what may be the most overlooked yet globally influential treaty in history: the Metre Convention. At a time when different countries (and even different cities defined weights and lengths […]

What if the universe rotates?

What if the universe rotates?

AstrophysicsCosmology

By Mapping Ignorance

A new study suggests the universe may rotate—just extremely slowly. The finding could help solve one of astronomy’s biggest puzzles. Current models say the universe expands evenly in all directions, with no sign of rotation. This idea fits most of what astronomers observe. But it doesn’t explain the so-called Hubble tension—a long-standing disagreement between two […]