E.T., we’re home
Existing laser technology could be fashioned into Earth’s “porch light” to attract alien astronomers, study finds.
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Study: Impact of mercury-controlling policies shrinks with every five-year delay
Toxin will accumulate in the environment, particularly in remote regions, as countries delay implementing emissions controls.
Arctic ice sets speed limit for major ocean current
Long-term melting may lead to release of huge volumes of cold, fresh water into the North Atlantic, impacting global climate.
Technique quickly identifies extreme event statistics
Machine-learning model provides risk assessment for complex nonlinear systems, including boats and offshore platforms.
Stamp-sized graphene sheets riddled with holes could be boon for molecular separation
Fabrication technique could be integrated into manufacturing to make large-scale membranes.
Study opens route to flexible electronics made from exotic materials
Cost-effective method produces semiconducting films from materials that outperform silicon.
Movement-enhancing exoskeletons may impair decision making
In lab experiments, soldiers wearing exoskeletons designed to improve physical performance reacted more slowly to visual cues.
Beach sand ripples can be fingerprints for ancient weather conditions
Experiments show shifting ripple patterns can signal times of environmental flux.
Software finds the best way to stick a Mars landing
Program users can tinker with landing and path planning scenarios to identify optimal landing sites for Mars rovers.
How Earth sheds heat into space
New insights into the role of water vapor may help researchers predict how the planet will respond to warming.
Study: Emissions from most diesel cars in Europe greatly exceed laboratory testing levels
Real-world driving produces up to 16 times more emissions, causing 2,700 premature deaths across the EU, researchers estimate.
An extinction without warning
Study finds end-Permian extinction, which wiped out most of Earth’s species, was instantaneous in geological time.
Fish-eye lens may entangle pairs of atoms
Scientists find a theoretical optical device may have uses in quantum computing.
MIT researchers 3-D print colloidal crystals
Technique could be used to scale-up self-assembled materials for use as optical sensors, color displays, and light-guided electronics.
3 Questions: Philip Harris on first observation of long-predicted Higgs boson decay
Seeing Higgs boson decay required “magic-eye” focus; may help physicists understand why the universe has mass.