264 articles from MONDAY 14.6.2021

Near-field routing of hyperbolic metamaterials

Near-field light is invisible light at the subwavelength scale. Harnessed for a variety of practical applications, such as wireless power transfer, near-field light has an increasingly significant role in the development of miniature on-chip photonic devices. Controlling the direction of near-field light propagation has been an ongoing challenge that is of fundamental interest in photonics physics...

Insulators turn up the heat on quantum bits

Physicists have long suspected that dielectric materials may significantly disrupt ion-trap quantum computers. Now, researchers led by Tracy Northup have developed a new method to quantify this source of error for the first time. For the future operation of quantum computers with very many quantum bits, such noise sources need to be eliminated already during the design process if possible.

Scientists expose the cold heart of landfalling hurricanes

Hurricanes are powerful weather events born in the open sea. Fueled by moisture from the warm ocean, hurricanes can intensify in strength, move vast distances across the water, and ultimately unleash their destruction upon land. But what happens to hurricanes after they've made landfall remains an open question.

Lab peers inside 2D crystal synthesis

Scientific studies describing the most basic processes often have the greatest impact in the long run. A new work by Rice University engineers could be one such, and it's a gas, gas, gas for nanomaterials.

A step closer to a hydrogen-fueled economy using an efficient anode for water splitting

In the recent past, there has been a paradigm shift towards renewable sources of energy in order to address the concerns pertaining to environmental degradation and dwindling fossil fuels. A variety of alternative green energy sources such as solar, wind, hydrothermal, tidal, etc., have been gaining attention to reduce global carbon footprints. One of the key challenges with these energy...

The path toward discovering a new species of Cicada

The 17-year cicadas emerging dramatically by the billions in 15 U.S. states from Georgia to New York and west to Illinois are making quite a racket—a uniquely North American phenomenon—but thousands of other cicada species on the planet also spend most of their lives underground, many of them emerging below the radar of human perception. Because most cicada species don't emerge simultaneously...

Consumers will pay more for ready-to-eat meals made with fewer ingredients

Most consumers care about the technology and the ingredients used to make their microwavable dinners and other shelf ready meals, according to a new study led by Washington State University researchers. The study found that many consumers are willing to pay a premium for ready-to-eat meals with a 'clean label' showing few ingredients.

England’s Covid lockdown lifting: is a four-week delay enough?

Analysis: Even a short pause is expected to reduce the number of people going to hospital as more people are vaccinatedPM announces delay to lockdown easingWhat we know about the delayThe roadmap out of lockdown – England’s strategy to return to a life more normal – was heavy on dates from the start. The first three steps, in March, April and May, passed so smoothly that a crucial point was...

Scientists expose the cold heart of landfalling hurricanes

Fearsome and powerful, hurricanes can wreak massive destruction when they hit land. But while most hurricanes then weaken, others can strengthen again into extratropical cyclones and caused further damage inland. Now, researchers have used simulations to uncover the presence of a cold core inside decaying hurricanes - an unexpected discovery that could help forecasters predict the level of extreme...

Peering inside 2D crystal synthesis

Theorists simulate the molecular transitions that take place inside a furnace to create 2D molybdenum disulfide, a semiconductor that could find a home in next-generation electronics.

Potential new treatment target for Alzheimer's disease

A new study not only sheds light on how the APOE4 gene may cause some of the pathologies associated with Alzheimer's disease, but also suggests a new treatment target that might help people who carry the APOE4 gene in early and late stages of the disease. Researchers found that APOE4 is associated with the activation of an inflammatory protein that causes a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier...

A new model of Alzheimer's progression

Scientists explore how protein and signaling pathways change in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Their work creates a new model of disease progression, taking advantage of the heterogeneity that is inherent to human studies.