Photonics researchers have introduced a novel method to control a light beam with another beam through a unique plasmonic metasurface in a linear medium at ultra-low power. This simple linear switching method makes nanophotonic devices such as optical computing and communication systems more sustainable requiring low intensity of light.

A new study examines mathematical models designed to draw inferences about how evolution operates at the level of populations of organisms. The study concludes that such models must be constructed with the greatest care, avoiding unwarranted initial assumptions, weighing the quality of existing knowledge and remaining open to alternate explanations.

A recent study found that COVID-19 patients had a roughly 25% increased risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in the four months following their infection, compared with people who had other types of respiratory tract infections.

Gathering vision data for hundreds of vertebrates and invertebrates, biologists have deepened scientists' understanding of animal vision, including the colors they see. The researchers determined that animals adapted to land are able to see more colors than animals adapted to water. Animals adapted to open terrestrial habitats see a wider range of colors than animals adapted to forests.

Although about 20% of Illinois cropping systems are planted to continuous corn, it's nearly impossible to find fields planted this way for decades at a time. Yet long-term experiments, including over 40 years of continuous corn under different nitrogen fertilizer rates, provide incredible learning opportunities and soil management lessons for researchers and farmers alike.

Biomedical and genetic engineers have developed a process to change the color of a mouse's tissue to better image its internal physiology. The approach will help researchers isolate and remove sources of strong background noise in biomedical images, giving them unprecedented access to observe, influence and image biological processes with a swiftly developing imaging technique called photoacoustic...

Materials theorists model a contoured surface overlaid with 2D materials and find it possible to control their electronic and magnetic properties. The discovery could simplify research into many-body effects, including quantum systems.

Protein complexes that play a critical role in launching an immune response assemble in droplets that form within the liquid environment in cells much like oil droplets in water, scientists report in a new study. The work could lead to new interventions to regulate immunity in individuals with overactive or underactive immune responses.

Many of us try to repress the thought of them, while others have come to accept them. Whatever your take on parasites is, they can tell scientists a lot about ecology, health and the environment.

Researchers found they could filter carbon dioxide from air and gas mixtures at promising rates using a proposed new textile-based filter that combines cotton fabric and an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase -- one of nature's tools for speeding chemical reactions.

Researchers are quantifying the effects of healthcare on the environment, specifically the particularly waste-heavy and energy-intensive specialty of orthopedic surgery. The researchers reviewed existing literature and found that while data is still sparse, efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of orthopedic surgery could make a huge impact.

A team of researchers has developed a first-of-its-kind method to create a unique identifier for each copy of a cell line to allow users to verify its authenticity and protect the manufacturer's intellectual property (IP).

A new study provides the first comprehensive explanation of how snake venom regulatory systems evolved -- an important example that illuminates the evolution of new complex traits.

The largest, highest quality analysis of data ever conducted reveals that genetically modified Bt corn has little impact on nontarget insects and other organisms, especially compared to growing conventional corn.

Innovative research is exploring the use of a new cell delivery method to help cells stick and stay where they're needed most.

A chemistry team has engineered a cobalt complex to act as a noninvasive chemical thermometer. They've done so by making the cobalt complex's nuclear spin ­-- a workhorse, fundamental magnetic property ­­-- mimic the agile, but less stable sensitivity of an electron's spin.

While the study looked specifically at COVID-19 deaths among members of law enforcement in 2020, there are important lessons for police and other first responder organizations going forward.

Poor sleep is associated with a significantly increased risk of life-threatening flare-ups in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, according to a new study. The risk for these flare-ups -- sudden bouts of worsening breathing -- was 25% to 95% higher in people who experienced poor sleep than in people who had good quality sleep. The findings suggest that poor sleep may be a...

Biomedical engineers have developed an edible silk tag with a QR code, which scanned by a smartphone can then confirm authenticity of the whiskey or other liquids, such as liquid medications.

Researchers have created time machine-like simulations recreate the full life cycle of some of the largest collections of galaxies observed in the distant universe 11 billion years ago.

Deep analysis of the data from the POLARBEAR Observatory probes the sky region with unprecedented accuracy looking for cosmological gravitational waves.

A tiny but loud, brightly colored songbird from subtropical Asia could be emerging as a new invasive species in Britain, threatening to dominate the dawn chorus of native Robins, Blackbirds and warblers. A new study warns the Red-billed Leiothrix could become as familiar in gardens, parks and woodland as Ring-necked Parakeets.

Over 200 years ago, a Spanish botanist described Artocarpus odoratissimus, a species of fruit-bearing tree found in Borneo and the Philippines. The Iban people, who are Indigenous to Borneo, know the tree to have two different varieties, which they call lumok and pingan, distinguished by their fruit size and shape. Despite this knowledge, Western botanists have long considered the tree as a single...

Looking beyond carbon dioxide emissions to include other human-generated pollutants, like methane, nitrogen oxide and particulate pollution, changes the picture for how much warming is already 'baked in' to the climate system. Earth will continue to warm even if all emissions cease, and Earth will be committed to reaching peak temperatures about five to 10 years before experiencing them.