technical updates

Recent technological advances have given us a remarkable ability to manipulate and control light waves, opening up numerous applications in various fields, such as optical communication, sensing, imaging, energy, and quantum computing. At the heart of this progress are photonic structures that can control light waves, either at the chip level in the form of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) or in free space as meta-optics. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/kA8GZSm

A report published this week focuses on the need for the carpet industry to stop brushing evidence of potentially harmful microplastics in their products under the mat. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/vru6OHR

The French government unveiled a plan on Monday to accelerate cuts to its greenhouse gas emissions, targeting a reduction of 50 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/ev3SaXR

Almost 40% of forest area burned by wildfire in the western United States and southwestern Canada in the last 40 years can be attributed to carbon emissions associated with the world's 88 largest fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers, according to new research that seeks to hold oil and gas companies accountable for their role in climate change. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/Hngkbsy

How old are butterflies, and where did they evolve? And perhaps more importantly, how and when did they reach the isolated continent of Australia? from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/zrj5biL

Smoke from dozens of raging wildfires in western Canada has drifted south into the United States and prompted the states of Colorado and Montana to issue air quality alerts. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/Ob5dcKQ

Blockchain technology, investor sentiment, and economic stress levels are significant predictors of bitcoin returns, according to a groundbreaking paper from Illinois Institute of Technology researchers that provides empirical evidence to help guide investors, economists, and academics. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/vulHKrN

Satellite-derived bathymetry continues to advance and improve rapidly. A recent study has confirmed the effectiveness of a methodology developed to obtain bathymetric data from satellite images in the Western Mediterranean. The results of this research, published in the International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, reaffirm the value of this tool for monitoring coastal areas with varying turbidity levels and diverse seafloor characteristics. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/gXrTLvZ

High-temperature shock (HTS) is an emerging synthesis method with kinetics-dominated non-equilibrium characteristics, which can achieve an ultrafast heating/cooling rate of ~105 K/s and a peak temperature larger than ~3000 K within a time scale of seconds or milliseconds, and is widely used in the preparation of high entropy content, thermodynamic metastable phase and defect-rich materials. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/k2btGl4

In a bid to control the Canada goose population in the city, the Vancouver Park Board has approved a plan for "lethal removal." from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/fVmD7Eg

Skeletal remains preserve direct evidence of the health issues faced by children born into poverty and forced into labor in 19th century England, according to a study published May 17, 2023, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Rebecca Gowland of Durham University and colleagues. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/cng2Ybv

Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are building a better mouse trap when it comes to cat litter. And in the process, they hope to kill two birds with one stone. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/a7Ehw4f

Have you seen that cargo pants are back? Young people are once again swishing down hallways and they might even be wearing Crocs on their feet, because these are cool now too. For many this could be seen as dressing "badly" but Y2K (2000s fashion) is all the rage at the moment. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/iKrshgR

Around the world, another 45 babies are born every ten seconds. Each of these babies will require nappies that need to be changed frequently. So it's understandable that new parents want to do what's best for their baby—and the planet—when it comes to the all-important nappy change. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/Vnk3PZH

Most of the declining species are farmland birds, where a mix of increasingly industrialized agriculture, habitat loss and the climate crisis are having severe impacts. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/mBxkgvV

Rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide are home to trillions of pieces of plastic pollution that are smaller than five millimeters in length, known as microplastics, and their size allows them to easily enter humans and animals. Some can adsorb and transport other harmful toxicants that pollute waterways, including certain types of a more recently discovered set of toxic "forever chemicals" called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/cfMXUDp

Imperial College researchers have created a spinning disk of plasma in a lab, mimicking disks found around black holes and forming stars. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/ZH5oP8s

While a visit to the great outdoors is a common prescription for reducing screen use, a pioneering new study finds that time outdoors doesn't always reduce smartphone screentime. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/rQh04cA

A university professor broke a record for the longest time living underwater without depressurization this weekend at a Florida Keys lodge for scuba divers. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/zvanwrU

A team of space scientists from Finland, Greece and the U.S. has found evidence showing that polarized optical emissions observed during a tidal disruption event were caused by colliding streams of material from a destroyed star. In their study, reported in the journal Science, the group analyzed data from a tidal disruption event in the WISEA galaxy. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/Y1HP0Db