Arctic sea ice hits record low for its usual peak growth period
Arctic sea ice had its weakest winter buildup since record-keeping began 47 years ago, a symptom of climate change that will have repercussions globally, scientists said Thursday. ⌘ Read more

Mapping the future of metamaterials
Metamaterials are artificially-structured materials with extraordinary properties not easily found in nature. With engineered three-dimensional (3D) geometries at the micro- and nanoscale, these architected materials achieve unique mechanical and physical properties with capabilities beyond those of conventional materials—and have emerged over the past decade as a promising way to engineering challenges where all other existing materials have lacked success. ⌘ Read more

Newly developed waveguide device protects photonic quantum computers from errors
Together with an international team of researchers from the Universities of Southern California, Central Florida, Pennsylvania State and Saint Louis, physicists from the University of Rostock have developed a novel mechanism to safeguard a key resource in quantum photonics: optical entanglement. Their discovery is published in Science. ⌘ Read more

Physicists discover a copper-free high-temperature superconducting oxide
Professor Ariando and Dr. Stephen Lin Er Chow from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Physics have designed and synthesized a groundbreaking new material—a copper-free superconducting oxide—capable of superconducting at approximately 40 Kelvin (K), or about minus 233°C, under ambient pressure. ⌘ Read more

South Korea wildfires ‘largest on record’: disaster chief
Wildfires in South Korea are now the largest and deadliest on record, having burned more forest and killed more people than any previous blaze, officials said Thursday, as the death toll hit 27. ⌘ Read more

Ancient parasitic ‘Venus flytrap’ wasp preserved in amber reveals parasitoid strategies
An extinct lineage of parasitic wasps dating from the mid-Cretaceous period and preserved in amber may have used their Venus flytrap-like abdomen to capture and immobilize their prey. ⌘ Read more

Blaming absent dads for the crisis of masculinity is too simplistic. Many men want to be more involved
Fatherlessness and a lack of male role models are often cited as causes of an apparent crisis of masculinity among boys. This is not new. These arguments have been made for nearly half a century, both in the UK and the US, as the root of a multitude of social issues. ⌘ Read more

‘All or nothing’ business strategies can backfire, study suggests
When a company launches a new initiative, framing it as an “all or nothing” pathway to success is tempting, especially when the goal is restoring the status quo of years before, perhaps when business was more profitable. ⌘ Read more

Chemical oscillations in palladium nanoparticles could pave way for recycling precious metal catalysts
Researchers at the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe the complete lifecycle of palladium nanoparticles in a liquid environment, from nucleation through growth to dissolution, with the entire cycle repeating multiple times. This study is published in Nanoscale. ⌘ Read more

Challenging the ‘monogamy-superiority myth’: Non-monogamous people report just-as-happy relationships and sex lives
Monogamous and non-monogamous individuals report similar levels of satisfaction in both their relationships and sex lives, according to a comprehensive new meta-analysis. ⌘ Read more

Sugar beet pulp fibers show potential for nutritional supplements and sustainable plastic alternatives
New technology can separate the fibers in the sugar beet pulp left over after sugar production. Part of the fiber can be used as a nutritional supplement due to its anti-inflammatory properties and beneficial effects on our gut flora. Another part of the fiber, the cellulose, can be made into components to replace, for example, plastic. ⌘ Read more

AI transformation in the legal sector begins in law schools
The legal profession accounts for approximately 20 million jobs worldwide, including 12 million lawyers, around 4 million paralegals, and 4 million operational and administrative workers. Additionally, it involves another 14 million jobs within its broader ecosystem, encompassing notaries, translators, and other related professionals. ⌘ Read more

Magnetic ‘microflowers’ enhance local magnetic fields
A flower-shaped structure only a few micrometers in size made of a nickel-iron alloy can concentrate and locally enhance magnetic fields. The size of the effect can be controlled by varying the geometry and number of “petals.” ⌘ Read more

Surge in poisoned sea lions threatens beachgoers, burdens rescuers in Southern California
Sea lions and other ocean mammals in Southern California are falling victim to a poisoning event that a local expert calls the worst in recent memory. It is stranding the mammals along the coast as warnings are issued to beachgoers of the threat posed by animals that are transformed by their illness. ⌘ Read more

Nescot dog remains provide insight into Romano-British ritual practices
A recent study by Dr. Ellen Green, published in the International Journal of Paleopathology, analyzed the faunal assemblage recovered from the Romano-British ritual shaft at Nescot. Despite only being used for a relatively short time, the shaft contained one of the largest dog assemblages ever recovered in Roman Britain. ⌘ Read more

SpaceX launches classified NROL-69 mission from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX sent up a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office from the Space Coast on Monday afternoon. ⌘ Read more

New study uncovers key pathways in hydronium and hydroxide ion neutralization
A new study provides fresh insight into traditional acid-base chemistry by revealing that the mutual neutralization of isolated hydronium (H3O⁺) and hydroxide (OH⁻) ions is driven by electron transfer rather than the proton transfer that is expected in bulk liquid water. ⌘ Read more

Using algorithms to help find life on icy ocean worlds
Scientists have long thought that our solar system’s ocean worlds, such as Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus, may harbor extraterrestrial life in the form of microbes. But detecting it could be a challenge because missions to ocean worlds have relied on probes, not landers. ⌘ Read more

Astronomers discover new giant molecular cloud in the Milky Way
Using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), astronomers have detected a new giant molecular cloud in the Milky Way galaxy. The newfound cloud has a size of nearly 200 light years and its mass is estimated to be some 160,000 solar masses. The finding was reported in a paper published March 18 on the arXiv preprint server. ⌘ Read more

NASA websites no longer promote ‘first woman’ on the moon for Artemis
NASA websites have dropped references to landing the first woman on the moon as part of the goals for its Artemis program. ⌘ Read more

A European startup is set to launch an orbital rocket on its first test flight
A private European aerospace company is set to make the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle from Norway on Monday. ⌘ Read more

A mix of science and tradition helps restore relics in China’s Forbidden City
It’s highly technical work in what looks more like a lab than a museum: A fragment of a glazed roof tile from Beijing’s Forbidden City is analyzed in a state-of-the-art X-ray diffraction machine that produces images, which are then projected onto computer screens. ⌘ Read more

AMoRE experiment sets new limits on neutrinoless double beta decay of ¹⁰⁰Mo
In recent years, some large physics experiments worldwide have been trying to gather evidence of a nuclear process known as neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay. This is a rare process that entails the simultaneous decay of two neutrons in a nucleus into two protons, without resulting in the emission of neutrinos, which is instead associated with standard double beta decay. ⌘ Read more

Guardians of the vineyard: Canines and chemistry work to combat powdery mildew
Dogs have many jobs, but one you may not expect is identifying grapevines coated in a destructive and highly contagious fungus. Although dogs can detect serious vine infections by smell, scientists don’t know exactly what odor molecules are triggering the response. ⌘ Read more

Peer review is meant to prevent scientific misconduct: But it has its own problems
In 2023, an academic journal, the Annals of Operations Research, retracted an entire special issue because the peer review process for it was compromised. ⌘ Read more

Evolution: Features that help in finding a mate may lead to smaller brains
A longstanding question in evolutionary biology is how sexual selection influences how entire genomes develop. Sexual selection is where individuals with certain traits have higher reproductive success, leading to the spread of those traits throughout a species. ⌘ Read more

Eco-friendly detergent made from wood and corn shows promise
From laundry detergent to dishwasher tablets, cleaning products are an indispensable part of life. Yet the chemicals that make these products so effective can be difficult to break down or could even trigger ecosystem-altering algal blooms. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Langmuir have addressed those challenges with an environmentally compatible detergent made of tiny wood fibers and corn protein that removes stains on clothes and dishe … ⌘ Read more