Researchers at Wuhan University in China have developed a reusable and biodegradable fibrous foam that can remove up to 99.8% of microplastics from polluted water. The foam, made from biomass wastes, has been successfully field-tested in four natural aquatic environments. This breakthrough could potentially help mitigate the devastating effects of microplastics on ecosystems worldwide. Forecast…
Physics on The Soothsayer / page 11
Researchers at Zeta Surgical have developed an algorithm that optimizes the placement of single-element focused transducers in transcranial focused ultrasound treatments, minimizing defocusing and focus shift. This breakthrough has the potential to make brain treatments safer and more successful, particularly for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. The algorithm uses patient CT scans and simulations to…
Researchers at Cornell University have developed magnetically controlled microbots that can operate at the visible-light diffraction limit, allowing them to interact with and shape light effectively. These tiny robots, measuring 5-2 microns in size, can perform up-close imaging and control diffracted light, opening up new possibilities for medical imaging, endoscopic procedures, and high-resolution microscopy. Forecast…
A groundbreaking new tool, FastGlioma, has been developed to detect residual cancerous tissue in brain tumors during surgery. This AI-powered tool uses stimulated Raman histology and artificial intelligence to analyze tissue samples in real-time, providing neurosurgeons with accurate and fast results. FastGlioma has been shown to outperform conventional methods, with a 3.8% tumor miss rate…
A team of international researchers has made a groundbreaking discovery at the Jefferson Lab in the US, successfully probing the internal structure of the neutron using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS12). The experiment measured generalized parton distributions, providing a detailed picture of how the neutron’s constituent quarks contribute to its momentum and spin. This…
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have proposed a new theory to explain the mysterious lack of magnetic poles on Uranus and Neptune. According to the theory, the disorganized magnetic fields of the two ice giant planets may arise from a separation of the icy fluids that make up their interiors. This theory could…
Physicists in Europe have successfully demonstrated the relationship between quantum uncertainty and wave-particle duality, confirming a 2014 theoretical prediction. The experiment, conducted by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden, used orbital angular momentum states of light to show that a minimum level of uncertainty must always result when a measurement is made on a quantum…
Physicists at the University of Ottawa have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of photonics, where a laser beam cast a shadow in a ruby crystal. This phenomenon occurs due to unusual photon-photon interactions in a highly nonlinear medium, which could have significant implications for laser fabrication and imaging. The team’s experiment demonstrates that…
Researchers in Israel and China have warned that the rising popularity of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) could lead to a significant surge in electronic waste, potentially reaching 2.5 million tons annually by 2030. The study’s authors have developed a framework to quantify and evaluate the e-waste generated by GAI, and they propose various mitigation measures…
Researchers at Google Quantum AI have achieved a significant breakthrough in quantum error correction, developing a quantum processor with error rates that decrease as the number of qubits grows. This achievement could lead to the creation of more complex algorithms and longer calculations on quantum computers. The team used a new superconducting processor called Willow,…