Past neuroscience and psychology studies have shown that people’s expectations of the world can influence their perceptions, either by directing their attention to expected stimuli or by reducing their sensitivity (i.e., perceptual acuity) to variations within the categories of stimuli we expect to be exposed to. While the effects of expectations on perceptions are now […]
Life may not have begun with a dramatic lightning strike into the ocean but from many smaller “microlightning” exchanges among water droplets from crashing waterfalls or breaking waves. New research shows that water sprayed into a mixture of gases thought to be present in Earth’s early atmosphere can lead to the formation of organic molecules […]
A team of researchers has experimentally demonstrated a quantum tornado for the first time by refining an established method. In the quantum semimetal tantalum arsenide (TaAs), electrons in momentum space behave like a swirling vortex. This quantum phenomenon was first predicted eight years ago. Scientists have long known that electrons can form vortices in quantum […]
A team of researchers has developed a reproducible and scalable method for producing graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets from commercial carbon fibres, marking a breakthrough in sustainable nanomaterial synthesis. The process involves exfoliating carbon fibres with nitric acid, which provides high yields of one-atom-thick sheets of graphene oxide with characteristics comparable to commercial GO sourced from […]
In a leap forward for quantum computing, a Microsoft team led by UC Santa Barbara physicists on Wednesday unveiled an eight-qubit topological quantum processor, the first of its kind. The chip, built as a proof-of-concept for the scientists’ design, opens the door to the development of the long-awaited topological quantum computer. “We’ve got a bunch […]
For decades, Type Ia supernovae have played a pivotal role in the discovery and study of dark energy—the mysterious force responsible for the accelerating expansion of the Universe. To do so, cosmologists compare two quantities: the redshift, i.e., the photon’s wavelength stretch caused by the geometrical expansion of the Universe ; and the Supernovae brightness […]
A new study reveals that implementing enhanced weathering (EW), the practice of adding crushed basalt to soils, with U.S. agriculture could remove between 160 and 300 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere annually by 2050, rising to 250 to 490 million tons of CO2 removal by 2070. The authors demonstrate that […]
The future of medicine may very well lie in the personalization of health care—knowing exactly what an individual needs and then delivering just the right mix of nutrients, metabolites, and medications, if necessary, to stabilize and improve their condition. To make this possible, physicians first need a way to continuously measure and monitor certain biomarkers […]
Proteins, the pillars of cellular function, often assemble into “complexes” to fulfil their functions. A new study reveals why this assembly often begins during the very process of protein synthesis or “birth.” These early interactions involve proteins whose stability depends on their association. They can be compared to a couple in which each partner supports […]
The complexity of the human brain—86 billion neurons strong with more than 100 trillion connections—enables abstract thinking, language acquisition, advanced reasoning and problem-solving, and the capacity for creativity and social interaction. Understanding how differences in brain signalling and dynamics produce unique cognition and behaviour in individuals has long been a goal of neuroscience research, yet […]