Researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology in China have developed a new approach to oil cleanup using a vortex-anchored filter (VAF) inspired by the anatomy of a deep-sea glass sponge. The VAF exhibits high mass transfer and hydrodynamic stability in cleaning up oil spills under turbulent flow, capturing more than 97% of floating, underwater, and…
research on The Soothsayer / page 10
CERN, Europe’s particle-physics laboratory, has introduced financial incentives for academic publishers to adopt open science policies. The initiative, part of the Open Science Mechanism, will score publishers based on their adoption of open-science practices, such as public peer review and data linking. Those with high scores will receive higher payments, while those with low scores…
A team of scientists has successfully developed a tiny neutrino detector that can measure antineutrinos streaming from a nuclear power plant in Leibstadt, Switzerland. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize the field of neutrino physics and could lead to the development of new technologies for monitoring nuclear reactors. The detector, made of germanium crystals,…
Physicists from the University of British Columbia have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of quantum physics, unveiling an anomalous Hall crystal that exhibits the quantum Hall effect without the need for an external magnetic field. The team, led by Josh Folk, observed the effect in a stack of bilayer and trilayer graphene twisted…
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been plunged into uncertainty after the Trump administration cancelled research-grant reviews, travel, and training for scientists. This move has sparked widespread concern among researchers, who fear that the freeze will hinder the agency’s mission and have a devastating impact on early-career scientists. The NIH’s $47 billion budget,…
Scientists have discovered that the asteroid Bennu, which orbits between Earth and Mars, contains the building blocks of life, including organic compounds and amino acids. However, despite the presence of these ingredients, no signs of life were found on the asteroid. Researchers believe that the conditions on Bennu may not have been suitable for life…
A recent study has shed light on the dangers of microplastics in human tissues, revealing that these small plastic particles can cause neurobehavioral abnormalities and even lead to tissue dysfunction and disease. Researchers have developed a method to track the progression of microplastics through the brains of mice, finding that they become engulfed by immune…
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that cancer cells can poison attacking immune cells by filling them with defective mitochondria, helping the tumor to evade eradication. This phenomenon, where mitochondria migrate from one cell to another, challenges our understanding of cellular “ownership” of mitochondria. Further studies are needed to understand the frequency and benefits of…
A recent study has shed light on the mysterious condition known as takotsubo syndrome, which is often referred to as “broken heart syndrome.” This condition occurs when a person experiences intense emotional or physical stress, leading to a temporary dysfunction in the heart’s left ventricle. While it is relatively rare, accounting for only 2% of…
Physicists Kaden Hazzard and Zhiyuan Wang have made a groundbreaking discovery in quantum mechanics, introducing a new class of quasiparticles called paraparticles. These particles exhibit unique properties that differ from familiar bosons and fermions, opening up new possibilities for understanding the quantum world. The researchers propose that paraparticles could manifest as quasiparticles in engineered quantum…