❌

Normal view

Laser-made lattice reveals discrete light solitons in tunable atomic vapor

21 October 2026 at 23:20
Scientists from the Quantum Technologies Group at the Institute of Physics Zagreb, in collaboration with a colleague from the Physics Department at the Faculty of Science (PMF), have experimentally demonstrated for the first time the existence of discrete one-dimensional (1D) solitons in an optically induced photonic lattice in warm rubidium vapor.

How rice coordinates signals to partner with beneficial soil fungi

21 October 2026 at 23:20
Most plants do not gather nutrients from the soil entirely on their own. Many form partnerships with microscopic fungi that grow inside their roots and extend into the surrounding soil. These partnerships, known as arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses, help plants access nutrients, especially phosphorus. In return, the fungi receive carbon-rich compounds from the plants. But how does a plant coordinate the many signals needed to build and maintain this exchange?

Study finds air quality warnings had only a modest impact on Montrealers' movements during wildfires

21 October 2026 at 23:00
When Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) urged Montrealers to limit outdoor activity during Canada's worst wildfire smoke episodes, the city's travel patterns shiftedβ€”but far less than public health officials might have hoped, according to a new McGill University study published in Health & Place.

Perovskite laser maintains stable performance over 400 million pulses

21 October 2026 at 23:00
In a study published in Advanced Optical Materials, researchers at Vilnius University (VU) demonstrated perovskite-based laser structures that maintained stable performance over more than 400 million pulses. Their findings address one of the major challenges limiting the practical use of perovskites: their instability. These semiconductor materials could play an important role in next-generation optical technologies, but their tendency to degrade has long posed a challenge for researchers worldwide.

How a massive ice shelf buttressed the last ice age's glaciersβ€”and what it could mean for Antarctica today

21 October 2026 at 22:20
About 20,000 years ago, an enormous, floating ice shelf more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) thick helped lock in three of the largest ice sheets in northern Canada and Greenland. When that ice shelf disappeared, it helped unlock part of these ice sheets, which contributed to hundreds of feet of sea level rise, establishing modern coastlines as we know them.

Hearing laughter may cause orangutans to value rewards more

21 October 2026 at 22:00
A new study from Indiana University shows that being in a positive mood leads orangutans to value what they learned more strongly. The study comes from the lab of Erica Cartmill, professor of animal behavior, anthropology and cognitive science in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington, and was led by Daan LamΓ©ris, a postdoctoral researcher at IU.

Japan's expensive funerals and declining birthrates are transforming ancestral traditions

21 October 2026 at 21:40
Whenever I drive amid the mazelike bustle of Tokyo's Shuto Expressway, where approximately 1 million vehicles transit daily, I see billboard advertisements for all manner of businesses: dentists, hotels, car and tire companies, and affordable funerals. Lots and lots of funerals.

Salt marshes are proving to be powerful allies in building a climate-resilient coastline

21 October 2026 at 21:40
Salt marsh sediment and vegetation can remain largely intact even during extreme storm surges. This was demonstrated in a large-scale experiment in which researchers transported sections of salt marsh to an experimental facility capable of producing the world's largest artificial waves. The results show how salt marshes can contribute to natural coastal protection, both in the Netherlands and beyond. The results were published in the journals Nature and Communications Sustainability.

Reconstructing 16,000 years of summer temperature change in the Western Balkans

21 October 2026 at 21:30
Researchers at EΓΆtvΓΆs LorΓ‘nd University (ELTE) have reconstructed approximately 16,000 years of summer temperature changes from sediments collected at Lake ProkoΕ‘ko in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The findings show how the Western Balkans responded to rapid climate changes at the end of the last glacial period, how warmer and cooler phases unfolded during the Holocene, and how the impact of human land use became increasingly pronounced.

AI designs functional enzyme components that could help expand drug discovery

21 October 2026 at 21:20
New active ingredients for drugs to treat infections, cancer or other serious diseases are often based on substances originally discovered in microorganisms, plants or other living organisms. Producing or improving such active ingredients in a targeted manner using microorganisms is often challenging because the underlying biological processes are extremely complex.

A scuff on your bag, a dent in your mugβ€”and suddenly it feels like time for a new one

21 October 2026 at 21:20
Imagine you have a bag you really like. It felt like "the one" when you bought it. Over time, it starts to look worn. There are some scuffs on it. Nothing is actually wrong with the bag, and it still works exactly as it should. Yet, once you notice those imperfections, you start thinking about buying a new one to replace it.

How humans domesticated the bacterium behind Botox treatments

21 October 2026 at 20:50
Clostridium botulinum bacteria produce a potent neurotoxin called botulinum toxin, which causes the serious illness botulism. The toxin attacks the nervous system, leaving the body unable to control its muscles and making every breath a struggle. Without immediate treatment, botulism can be fatal. Humans, however, have managed to domesticate this dangerous bacterium to do their bidding. Over more than 90 years, biologists have been able to turn a wild microbe into an efficient factory for medical, military and cosmetic products like Botox.

What faces in paintings can tell us about how we perceive emotion

21 October 2026 at 20:40
Look closely at a face in a painting and you might think you know what emotion the person is experiencing. A smile suggests happiness. A furrowed brow might signal anger. Widened eyes could mean fear or surprise. But what happens when you ask lots of people the same question? Do they see the same emotion, or something more complicated?

Serengeti hyenas manage to keep clans stable as climate change alters animal migrations

21 October 2026 at 20:40
Although the main prey of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), migratory ungulates such as blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), now spend substantially less time within hyena territories than they did 30 years ago, hyena clans in the central Serengeti have remained largely stable.

❌