Numbers that shape the world

The study of numbers has driven mathematics since antiquity. The constantly evolving field of arithmetic connects numbers and geometry, and is used in everyday applications, particularly in cryptography. Aside from being a bad draw at Scrabble, the letters N, Z, D, Q, R, and C symbolise series of numbers for mathematicians. For example, N designates […]

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DNA sensor quickly determines whether viruses are infectious

A new sensor can detect not only whether a virus is present, but whether it’s infectious – an important distinction for containing viral spread. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators developed the sensor, which integrates specially designed DNA fragments and nanopore sensing, to target and detect infectious viruses in minutes without the […]

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Earless worms ‘listen’ through their skin

A species of roundworm that is widely used in biological research can sense and respond to sound, despite having no ear-like organs, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute. The findings, scheduled to publish Sept. 22 in the journal Neuron, offer a new biological tool for studying the genetic […]

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Winged microchip is smallest-ever human-made flying structure

[embedded content] Northwestern University engineers have added a new capability to electronic microchips: flight. About the size of a grain of sand, the new flying microchip (or “microflier”) does not have a motor or engine. Instead, it catches flight on the wind — much like a maple tree’s propeller seed — and spins like a […]

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Poorly Circulated Room Air Raises Potential Exposure to Contaminants by up to 6x

Having good room ventilation to dilute and disperse indoor air pollutants has long been recognized, and with the COVID-19 pandemic its importance has become all the more heightened. But new experiments by indoor air researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) show that certain circumstances will result in poor mixing of room air, meaning […]

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NASA Robots Compete in DARPA’s Subterranean Challenge Final

Eight teams featuring dozens of robots from more than 30 institutions, including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, will converge in a former Kentucky limestone mine from Sept. 21 to 24 to participate in a series of complex underground scenarios. The goal: to demonstrate cutting-edge robotic autonomy capabilities and compete for the chance to […]

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Melting of polar ice shifting Earth itself, not just sea levels

The melting of polar ice is not only shifting the levels of our oceans, it is changing the planet Earth itself. Newly minted Ph.D. Sophie Coulson and her colleagues explained in a recent paper in Geophysical Research Letters that, as glacial ice from Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic Islands melts, Earth’s crust beneath these land […]

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Ultraphosphates break decades-old anti-branching rule

For the first time, scientists have synthesised branched phosphates, called ultraphosphates, finding them to be stable for up to several days in water – despite the 1950 anti-branching rule stating otherwise. Polyphosphates consist of tetrahedral phosphate units, PO4, linked by oxygen atoms. They can be linear, branched or cyclic. Linear polyphosphates like adenosine triphosphate, ATP, are […]

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Chemistry Nobel predictions range from free-radical chemistry to MOFs

The world will find out who has won this year’s chemistry Nobel prize in less than two weeks, on this the 120th year of the most prestigious awards in science, and excitement is building once more. Analysts and online commentators are once again attempting to forecast who will get the nod, with favourites including free-radical […]

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On course for healthier, more sustainable soil

If we want to transition to a greener, healthier and more climate resilient Europe, it is important to ensure our soils are in good condition. However, the quality of soils is worsening because of unsustainable management practices, depletion of resources, climate change and pollution. Soil hosts a quarter of our planet’s biodiversity and is home […]

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