Researchers in Switzerland have made a significant breakthrough in cancer treatment by developing a hybrid approach that combines ultrahigh-dose-rate (UHDR) electron beams with conventional dose-rate (CDR) photon beams. This innovative technique, known as FLASH radiotherapy, has the potential to spare healthy tissues while effectively targeting malignant tumour cells. The study, published in Radiotherapy and Oncology,…
Physics on The Soothsayer / page 19
A team of researchers from the USA and Cameroon has developed a non-invasive device that can detect malaria without requiring a single drop of blood. The device, called Cytophone, uses photoacoustic flow cytometry to rapidly identify malaria-infected red blood cells. Initial testing in 30 Cameroonian adults diagnosed with uncomplicated malaria showed promising results, with 95%…
Researchers in Austria have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of supersolidity, observing quantized vortices in a supersolid for the first time. This finding provides further confirmation that supersolids can be modeled as superfluids with a crystalline structure, opening up new possibilities for studying quantum many-body physics. The team is now using this model…
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of space communication. By using four-wave mixing, they have developed a practical approach to amplify weakened optical signals without introducing noise. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize laser-based communication systems in space, enabling faster and more reliable data…
Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered that lightning can trigger bursts of high-energy electrons in the Earth’s inner radiation belt, posing a potential threat to spacecraft and astronauts. The researchers analyzed data from a NASA satellite and found that these bursts can occur at low energies, making them difficult to detect. This…
A UK-based health technology start-up, Siloton, has made a significant breakthrough in the development of a portable optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. This innovative technology uses photonic integrated circuits to miniaturize expensive and fragile optical components, making it possible to capture high-quality images of the human retina. The system has the potential to revolutionize the…
Researchers have proposed a new hypothesis to explain the “Great Dimming” of the red supergiant star Betelgeuse, suggesting that an unseen low-mass companion star may be responsible for the phenomenon. The team analyzed decades of observational data and used advanced computer models to simulate Betelgeuse’s activity, finding that the brightest phase of the star’s brightness…
Astronomers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a groundbreaking discovery by observing a black hole in a triple system with two other stars. The system, called V404 Cygni, was previously thought to be a binary comprising a black hole and a star. The observation supports the idea that some black holes do…
Physicists at TU Wien in Austria have proposed a new explanation for the long-standing neutron lifetime problem. The team suggests that the discrepancy in measurements could be caused by free neutrons being in a mix of different states, with some in the ground state and others in higher-energy excited states. This would alter the neutrons’…
Researchers from the Netherlands, the UK, and the US have made a groundbreaking discovery that could bring us closer to understanding dark matter. They found that hypothetical particles called axions could form dense clouds around neutron stars, emitting signals that radio telescopes can detect. This breakthrough raises hopes that axions could be the long-sought solution…