Business
Fusion power may never be cost-competitive with renewables, study warns
Fusion power plants are sites at which electricity could be generated via a process known as nuclear fusion, which entails the merging of two atomic nuclei into a single heavier nucleus. This process is known to generate ...
1 hour ago
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Polymers
Hollow-sphere catalyst enables greener production of 99% pure propane at room temperature
The world's appetite for propene (propylene) is growing faster than the chemical industry can keep up. This petrochemical product powers the production of acrylonitrile, propylene oxide, high-velocity fuels, and, most importantly, ...
16 minutes ago
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Quantum model explains how single electrons cause damage inside silicon chips
Researchers in the UC Santa Barbara Materials Department have uncovered the elusive quantum mechanism by which energetic electrons break chemical bonds inside microelectronic devices—a detrimental process that slowly degrades ...
Condensed Matter
2 hours ago
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There's a range of magic angles to study superconductivity in a twisted 2D semiconductor
Last year, tungsten diselenide (WSe2) had its magic moment. Two independent research groups discovered "magic angles" at which two atom-thin layers of the unique semiconductor, when twisted relative to one another into what's ...
Superconductivity
3 hours ago
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People with dark personality traits are naturally inclined towards leadership roles, finds new study
Can you tell if you're working with a narcissist or a psychopath? A new study suggests that people's job choices may offer some clues, especially in fields built on leadership and persuasion such as business, politics, and ...
Mental math's shortcut—pupil dilation suggests people start solving before all numbers are in
People often solve simple arithmetic problems, such as basic addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, in their minds. The precise mental processes they rely on to solve these problems, however, are not entirely ...
DESI completes planned 3D map of the universe and continues exploring
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has successfully completed the largest high-resolution 3D map of the universe ever made, a major milestone in understanding the force driving cosmic expansion. The milestone ...
Astronomy
19 hours ago
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How poison frogs built a chemical weapons system one evolutionary step at a time
Poison frogs are small and brightly colored amphibians that originate from Central and South America. As suggested by their name, these frogs can release highly toxic chemicals from their skin, which deter and neutralize ...
Raven personalities shape survival as human pressure grows at the Dead Sea
Along the stark and shimmering coastline of the Dead Sea, where desert cliffs meet one of the world's most extreme environments, a quiet drama is unfolding in the skies above. Fan-tailed ravens, intelligent, adaptable, and ...
Plants & Animals
20 hours ago
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A humanoid robot sprints to victory in Beijing, beating the human half-marathon world record
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China's technological leaps.
Robotics
1 hour ago
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The Future is Interdisciplinary
Find out how ACS can accelerate your research to keep up with the discoveries that are pushing us into science’s next frontier
Medical Xpress
Tech Xplore
AI 'agent' fever comes with lurking security threats
China seeks to rein in risks from AI 'digital humans'
Unpredictable AGI may resist full control, making diverse AI safer
Transparent cooling film cuts car cabin temperature by 6.1°C without electricity
What could your voice give away?
The impact of all New Zealand's power sources from cradle to grave
Single-crystalline electrolyte unlocks safer lithium metal batteries
Overreliance on AI programs may undermine confidence at work, study finds
AI image generators get a new safety test for hidden toxic text in memes
AI tools to help vision-impaired are good, but could be better
Prenatal opioid exposure in babies doesn't predict future classroom performance, study finds
Every 25 minutes in the United States, a baby is diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition that occurs in newborns who have been exposed to opioids in the womb and develop withdrawal after birth, according ...
Education
18 hours ago
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3D-printed brain sensors may unlock personalized neural monitoring
Soft electrodes designed to perfectly match a person's brain surface may help advance neural interfaces for neurodegenerative disease monitoring and treatment, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. Neural ...
Medical Xpress
18 hours ago
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How mRNA cancer vaccines still destroy tumors when a key immune cell is missing
The advent of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the Nobel Prize–winning technology is being adapted to fight cancer, with mRNA vaccines in clinical trials for melanoma, ...
Medical Xpress
21 hours ago
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Unpredictable AGI may resist full control, making diverse AI safer
Public concern about AI safety has grown significantly in recent years. As AI systems become more powerful, a key question is how we make sure they do what we actually want. Now, researchers suggest that rather than trying ...
Machine learning & AI
22 hours ago
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Surprising link between metallicity and superconductivity uncovered in twisted trilayer graphene
Superconductivity is a state of matter characterized by an electrical resistance of zero, typically at very low temperatures. Past studies have found that in various materials, this unique state is accompanied by unusual ...
Universal quantum protocol extracts maximum work without knowing a system's state in advance
A new study published in Nature Communications has shown that in the asymptotic limit, extracting the maximum possible work from many copies of a quantum system does not require knowing exactly what state that system is in.
Perovskite solar cells reach 26.61% certified efficiency with cesium-doping strategy
Solar cells, devices that convert sunlight into electricity, are now widely used in many countries. While most existing solar cells are based on silicon, energy engineers have been working on other devices made of so-called ...
Sex differences in brain gene activity could explain why some disorders affect men and women differently
The physical differences between men and women are all too obvious, but the biological divide goes right down to the cellular level in the brain, according to a new study published in the journal Science.
Flat optics move toward market with 300-per-second metalens production
A collaborative research group has developed a fully automated roll-to-roll manufacturing platform capable of producing large-area visible metalenses at a rate of 300 units per second, marking a major breakthrough in translating ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 18, 2026
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Saturday Citations: Neuroinflammaging treatment stuns; a hidden magma lake; decoding little red dots
This week in science news: Researchers are calling to exploit sewage waste and manure to break U.S. synthetic fertilizer dependence. Wasps have begun disrupting the 10-million-year mutualism of ants and plants. And scientists ...
Support fundamental research, prize-winning mathematician urges
French mathematician Frank Merle, who won a prestigious Breakthrough Prize on Saturday, told AFP that fundamental research must be supported because it is a "foundation stone" for the future.
Generalized optical meta-spanners empower arbitrary light paths for multitasking optical manipulation
Have you ever wished to drive microscopic matter along an arbitrarily tailored trajectory instead of just a circle? That's exactly what we set out to achieve.
Hollywood, Silicon Valley turn out for the 'Oscars of Science'
Big names from the worlds of film, technology, music and sports gathered on Saturday in Santa Monica, California, for the Breakthrough Prizes, popularly known as the "Oscars of Science."
Chernobyl's radioactive landscape is testament to nature's resilience and survival spirit
On contaminated land that is too dangerous for human life, the world's wildest horses roam free.
What happens when men don't feel 'man enough'?
A research team led by Lea Lorenz of the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau and Sven Kachel of the University of Kassel conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis that examined how men react to situations in which their masculinity ...
Forecasting coasts may improve by combining AI, physics, and real-world data
Coastal landscapes are constantly being reshaped by natural forces, and as climate change causes more frequent storms and sea level rise, that change will only intensify. Because these areas are densely populated with homes, ...
HydroGraphNet boosts watershed predictions of daily flow and nitrogen in sparse data regions
Spatially distributed prediction of streamflow and nitrogen (N) export dynamics is essential for precision management of agricultural watersheds. While temporal deep learning models have shown strong basin-scale performance, ...
How to feed your garden birds without spreading disease
The outbreak of a mysterious and deadly disease in finches in British gardens in 2005 set alarm bells ringing for conservationists. A decade later, the extent of that disease in greenfinches and chaffinches was reported. ...
Salty drinking water could be increasing your blood pressure. People living in coastal areas are most at risk
When people consider what causes high blood pressure, they often think of lifestyle factors, such as eating salty foods, lack of exercise or smoking. However, an unexpected source of salt might also be raising blood pressure ...
Disputes over Africa's ocean resources: Here's what could help avoid them
Over the last several decades, the oceans have become more crowded. Aquaculture, wind and wave energy, and oil and gas exploration are taking up more space. This growth threatens the health of ocean ecosystems and coastal ...
Physics-based AI model opens new frontiers in dielectric materials exploration
Predicting material properties remains a major challenge in materials science, as it often requires complex and computationally intensive calculations. In particular, understanding how materials respond to electric fields ...
More rhythm, less blues: Program boosts class behavior
From flash mobs to line-dancing to the Nutbush, experiencing rhythm and movement in a group context is known to boost mental and physical health in people of all ages. Now a University of the Sunshine Coast study published ...
Zirconia thin films unlock new reversible nonpolar-to-polar mechanism
Researchers from National Taiwan University break traditional frameworks by unveiling a new symmetry-transition mechanism in ZrO2 thin films, achieving ultra-stable antiferroelectric behavior for up to 108 cycles.
Q&A: How research aims to improve bad housing data
Nicholas J. Marantz, associate professor of urban planning and public policy at UC Irvine, is investigating how effectively current data sources track changes in residential housing stock. His aim is to understand how policy ...
The moon might be more prone to fires
Engineers love a good practical challenge, especially when it comes to spaceflight. But there's one particular challenge facing the crewed missions of the near future that scares mission planners above almost all others—fire. ...
New research aims to reduce microfiber pollution released from cruise and hotel laundry
Microfiber pollution from large-scale laundry operations is emerging as a significant and largely unseen environmental issue. New research led by the University of Portsmouth is using Cleaner Seas Group's industrial filtration ...
Students expect their university will mishandle sexual misconduct, if they ever report it
Sexual misconduct—including sexual harassment, stalking, intimate partner violence and sexual assault—is a common problem on U.S. college campuses.
Global N2Onet aims to cut farm nitrous oxide emissions with shared data
Nitrogen (N) fertilizer supports global agriculture, but its use and overuse drive emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent and long-lived trace gas. Incomplete understanding of N2O flux drivers makes it difficult to make ...
Rivers are driving a hidden permafrost meltdown, with thaw progressing 15% faster than expected
Thawing permafrost buried underneath rivers may be accelerating permafrost degradation faster than previously estimated in these inundated regions, according to new research shared at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting.
How nanomedicine gets inside your cells and treats you from the inside out
Canadians swallow millions of pills every day to treat common health issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type II diabetes, but scientists are working at the molecular level to turn patients' cells into pharmacies.
