SciGlow is a newsletter of science stories from the major research labs. Headlines link to in-depth articles and editorials. SciGlow keeps scientists and others up-to-date on current research.
Samuel Mehr, Manvir Singh (Harvard University), Luke Glowacki (Pennsylvania State University) Harvard University HarvardResearch Nearly 200 years ago, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow asserted “Music is the universal language of mankind.” Today, scientists at Harvard have published the most comprehensive scientific study to determine if the American poet’s words were mere cliché, or cultural truism. The study … Read more
Hebrew University of Jerusalem Hagai Levine (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Tatjana Gazibara (University of Belgrade), Marija Milic (University of Pristina) Hebrew University of Jerusalem For decades, doctors have warned us about the health risks of smoking. However, their warnings focused on the physical risks that cigarettes pose to our health, such as lung cancer, heart … Read more
Ken Baldwin et al. Australian National University Launched by Energy Minister the Hon Angus Taylor MP today, the ANU Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific project will provide a blueprint for how Australia can become the region’s renewable energy powerhouse. The project, an Australian-first, brings together a range of research disciplines at ANU to “future-proof” Australian … Read more
Land use by early farmers, pastoralists and even hunter-gatherer societies was extensive enough to have created significant global landcover change by 3,000-4,000 years ago. This is much earlier than has been recognised, and challenges prevailing opinions concerning a mid-20th century start date for the Anthropocene. These are the findings of a new study published this … Read more
Cancer patients may one day be able to get their entire course of radiation therapy in less than a second rather than coming in for treatment over the course of several weeks, and researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania have taken the first steps toward making it a reality. In … Read more
Researchers have developed a new microwave imager chip that could one day enable low-cost handheld microwave imagers, or cameras. Because microwaves can travel through certain opaque objects, the new imagers could be useful for imaging through walls or detecting tumors through tissue in the body. In Optica, The Optical Society’s (OSA) journal for high-impact research, the … Read more
An exotic physical phenomenon, involving optical waves, synthetic magnetic fields, and time reversal, has been directly observed for the first time, following decades of attempts. The new finding could lead to realizations of what are known as topological phases, and eventually to advances toward fault-tolerant quantum computers, the researchers say. The new finding involves the … Read more
Donald Bryant, Gaozhong Shen, Vasily Kurashov, John Golbeck (Penn State), Chris Gisriel (Yale University), Shangji Zhang, Dewight Williams, Petra Fromme (Arizona State University), Ming-Yang Ho (Penn State; National Taiwan University) Penn State Scientists have determined the structure of the protein complex that gives cyanobacteria their unique ability to convert weak, filtered sunlight into useable energy. … Read more
Air-quality alerts often include the levels of particulate matter, small clumps of molecules in the lower atmosphere that can range in size from microscopic to visible. These particles can contribute to haze, clouds, and fog and also can pose a health risk, especially those at the smaller end of the spectrum. Particles known as PM10 … Read more
Abrupt thawing of permafrost will double previous estimates of potential carbon emissions from permafrost thaw in the Arctic, and is already rapidly changing the landscape and ecology of the circumpolar north, a new CU Boulder-led study finds. Permafrost, a perpetually frozen layer under the seasonally thawed surface layer of the ground, affects 18 million square … Read more