Princeton researchers have uncovered new rules governing how objects absorb and emit light, fine-tuning scientists’ control over light and boosting research into next-generation solar and optical devices. The discovery solves a longstanding problem of scale, where light’s behavior when interacting with tiny objects violates well-established physical constraints observed at larger scales. “The kinds of effects … Continue reading New rules illuminate how objects absorb and emit light

A high-fat diet reduces male fruit fly aggression after concussions, UConn researchers report in the 30 October issue of Frontiers in Neuroscience. The findings hint at potential treatments to prevent brain damage after head impacts. Concussions became big news when National Football League players successfully sued the league over claims that repeated head impacts from … Continue reading Ketogenic diet protects fruit fly brains from concussions

As her health began to worsen in late 2017, Annette Quinn started measuring her declining lung function by making note of the number of days between episodes of hemoptysis, or coughing up blood. At first, the episodes occurred once every few months. But by the summer of 2018, Quinn experienced severe bleeding in her lungs … Continue reading A new era in cystic fibrosis treatment

The journal International Journal of Modern Physics has published an article by the IKBFU Physics and Mathematics Institute Artyom Astashenok and the Institute’s MA student Alexander Teplyakov. The article refers to the issue of the “Dark Enegry” and an assumption is made that the Universe has borders. According to Astashenok told, “The fact that our Universe … Continue reading Astrophysicists have developed a theory explaining the ‘Dark Energy’ phenomenon

People transported animals over huge distances for mass gatherings at one of Ireland’s most iconic archaeological sites, research concludes. Dr Richard Madgwick of Cardiff University led the study, which analysed the bones of 35 animals excavated from Navan Fort, the legendary capital of Ulster. Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, Memorial University Newfoundland and the British … Continue reading Large scale feasts at ancient capital of Ulster drew crowds from across Iron Age Ireland

A major issue with operating ring-shaped fusion facilities known as tokamaks is keeping the plasma that fuels fusion reactions free of impurities that could reduce the efficiency of the reactions. Now, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have found that sprinkling a type of powder into the plasma … Continue reading Powder, not gas: A safer, more effective way to create a star on Earth

Atomic clocks are used around the world to precisely tell time. Each “tick” of the clock depends on atomic vibrations and their effects on surrounding electromagnetic fields. Standard atomic clocks in use today, based on the atom cesium, tell time by “counting” radio frequencies. These clocks can measure time to a precision of one second … Continue reading ‘Tweezer clock’ may help tell time more precisely

Methylation clocks are far and away the most accurate markers of a person’s age, and so are a promising tool for evaluating anti-aging interventions, but they are a bit of a black box. We know from statistics that certain places on chromosomes become steadily methylated (or demethylated) with age, but we often don’t know what … Continue reading New Aging Clock based on Proteins in the Blood

University of Illinois researchers achieved the highest reported rates of inserting genes into human cells with the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system, a necessary step for harnessing CRISPR for clinical gene-therapy applications. By chemically tweaking the ends of the DNA to be inserted, the new technique is up to five times more efficient than current approaches. The … Continue reading For CRISPR, tweaking DNA fragments before inserting yields highest efficiency rates yet

Spintronics or spin electronics in contrast to conventional electronics uses the spin of electrons for sensing, information storage, transport, and processing. Potential advantages are nonvolatility, increased data processing speed, decreased electric power consumption, and higher integration densities compared to conventional semiconductor devices. Molecular spintronics aims for the ultimate step towards miniaturization of spintronics by striving … Continue reading Computing with molecules: A big step in molecular spintronics