科学 新闻

Scientists are trapped in an endless loop of grant applications. We’re wasting time and resources, when academia could be making breakthrough discoveries.

The mission tested lots of new technology for future, longer missions.

High temperatures in Illinois, Iowa, and other parts of the US are heating up cornfields. Corn plants produce moisture to stay cool, raising the humidity.

A team of researchers from Texas A&M University, Sandia National Lab—Livermore, and Stanford University are taking lessons from the brain to design materials for more efficient computing. The new class of materials discovered is the first of their kind—mimicking the behavior of an axon by spontaneously propagating an electrical signal as it travels along a transmission line. These findings could be critical to the future of computing and artificial intelligence.

Thanks to advances in microchips, today's smartphones are so powerful they would have been considered supercomputers in the early 1990s. But the rising ubiquity of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things—the vast network of connected devices that have enabled everything from smart grids to smart homes—will require a new generation of microchips that not only outpace previous records of miniaturization and performance but are also more energy efficient than current technologies.

Wildfires in California have already burned nearly three times as much acreage than during all of 2023.

As the world transitions away from fossil fuels, the demand for rare earth elements (REEs) is only going to increase. These elements are vital to the production of technologies that will make the transition to green energy possible. While REEs are not technically rare, large deposits are found in only a few locations around the world—mostly in China—and they are difficult to extract.

Keeping today's electronics cool isn't as easy as running a fan installed at the rear of a desktop computer. Using anything from a smartphone to an electric vehicle results in some manner of heat production that eventually leads to the deterioration of the device.

Batteries lose capacity over time, which is why older cellphones run out of power more quickly. This common phenomenon, however, is not completely understood.

Research in the International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering describes a new approach to spotting messages hidden in digital images. The work contributes to the field of steganalysis, which plays a key role in cybersecurity and digital forensics.

Accurate prediction of lithium battery lifespan is crucial for the proper functioning of electrical equipment. However, predicting battery lifespan accurately is challenging due to the nonlinearity of capacity degradation and the uncertainty of operating conditions.

Research at Michigan State University is focused on teaching robots to use colors to perceive, visualize, and interpret interactions when manipulating objects. A force-interpreting optical system is being developed so robots can distinguish and manipulate soft and fragile objects—which will be particularly helpful for medical and other assistive robots.

The transport sector produces around 19% of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions. About 85% of transport emissions come from road vehicles burning fossil fuels.

Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 on Monday, a device designed around Apple Intelligence, the company's generative artificial intelligence (AI) offering. This new feature promises a highly personalized experience that goes beyond AI, but what does that mean for avid iPhone users? As AI continues to appear in our everyday lives, what do consumers need to be aware of?

From search-and-rescue missions to orthopedic therapy and many other applications, soft robots and wearable electronic devices show great promise for many fields. However, designing them to be functional and practical to use has proved challenging.

A team of roboticists at the German Aerospace Center's Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics finds that combining traditional internal force-torque sensors with machine-learning algorithms can give robots a new way to sense touch.

Imagine a set of flexible tactile sensors that adheres to the surface of your skin, offering customizable detection of biomechanical signals from various body parts. That fiction-like supermaterial is close to becoming reality thanks to recent research.

As high-tech companies ramp up construction of massive data centers to meet the business boom in artificial intelligence, one component is becoming an increasingly rare commodity: electricity.

For hydrogen technology to become a key to the energy transition, it needs to take a decisive step forward toward broad application. The main factors holding back this longed-for breakthrough, however, are the high costs of expensive materials and complex manufacturing processes for fuel cells and electrolyzers.

An iconic red shuttle bus ferries commuters and visitors along the winding streets of New York City's Roosevelt Island. But this isn't a typical sightseeing tour.