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Categories: Geoscience: Geochemistry, Physics: General
Published Milestone moment toward development of nuclear clock



Physicists have started the countdown on developing a new generation of timepieces capable of shattering records by providing accuracy of up to one second in 300 billion years, or about 22 times the age of the universe.
Published New approach to water electrolysis for green hydrogen



Scientists have pioneered a novel approach to water electrolysis catalysts for green hydrogen production.
Published Vacuum in optical cavity can change material's magnetic state without laser excitation



Researchers in Germany and the USA have produced the first theoretical demonstration that the magnetic state of an atomically thin material, ?-RuCl3, can be controlled solely by placing it into an optical cavity. Crucially, the cavity vacuum fluctuations alone are sufficient to change the material's magnetic order from a zigzag antiferromagnet into a ferromagnet.
Published Predicting saltwater intrusion into groundwater using Plymouth, Mass. as test case



As the world warms and ice sheets melt, the ocean continually rises. The greater Boston area can expect to see between one and six feet of sea level rise by 2100, according to recent estimates. To find out what this rise might mean for freshwater supplies, a team of hydrogeologists developed an innovative new model that can not only predict saltwater intrusion over the next 75 years, but also pinpoint the main sources of salt contamination today -- road salt and human development.
Published Stronger, stretchier, self-healing plastic



An innovative plastic, stronger and stretchier than the current standard type and which can be healed with heat, remembers its shape and partially biodegradable, has been developed. They created it by adding the molecule polyrotaxane to an epoxy resin vitrimer, a type of plastic. Named VPR, the material can hold its form and has strong internal chemical bonds at low temperatures.
Published What a '2D' quantum superfluid feels like to the touch



Researchers have discovered how superfluid helium 3He would feel if you could put your hand into it. The interface between the exotic world of quantum physics and classical physics of the human experience is one of the major open problems in modern physics. Nobody has been able to answer this question during the 100-year history of quantum physics.
Published Self-powered microbial fuel cell biosensor for monitoring organic freshwater pollution



Biodegradable waste from plant and animal sources released into freshwater ecosystems is a significant environmental concern. Nonetheless, current methods for assessing water quality seem more or less impractical due to their complexity and high costs. In a promising development, a team of researchers has successfully constructed a self-sustaining and buoyant biosensor using inexpensive carbon-based materials for monitoring water quality at the inlets of freshwater lakes and rivers.
Published Optical-fiber based single-photon light source at room temperature for next-generation quantum processing



Single-photon emitters quantum mechanically connect quantum bits (or qubits) between nodes in quantum networks. They are typically made by embedding rare-earth elements in optical fibers at extremely low temperatures. Now, researchers have developed an ytterbium-doped optical fiber at room temperature. By avoiding the need for expensive cooling solutions, the proposed method offers a cost-effective platform for photonic quantum applications.
Published Investigators examine shifts in coral microbiome under hypoxia



A new study provides the first characterization of the coral microbiome under hypoxia, insufficient oxygen in the water.
Published Bartering light for light: Scientists discover new system to control the chaotic behavior of light



Researchers describe a new platform for controlling the chaotic behavior of light by tailoring its scattering patterns using light itself.
Published Study links changes in global water cycle to higher temperatures



A new study takes an important step toward reconstructing a global history of water over the past 2,000 years. Using geologic and biologic evidence preserved in natural archives -- including 759 different paleoclimate records from globally distributed corals, trees, ice, cave formations and sediments -- the researchers showed that the global water cycle has changed during periods of higher and lower temperatures in the recent past.
Published Human emissions increased mercury in the atmosphere sevenfold



Researchers estimated that before humans started pumping mercury into the atmosphere, it contained on average about 580 megagrams of mercury. However, in 2015, independent research that looked at all available atmospheric measurements estimated the atmospheric mercury reservoir was about 4,000 Mg -- nearly 7 times larger than the natural condition estimated in this study.
Published Reverse engineering Jackson Pollock



Researchers combined physics and machine learning to develop a new 3D-printing technique that can quickly create complex physical patterns -- including replicating a segment of a Pollock painting -- by leveraging the same natural fluid instability that Pollock used in his work.
Published Efficient biohybrid batteries



Formic acid, which can be produced electrochemically from carbon dioxide, is a promising energy carrier. A research team has now developed a fast-charging hybrid battery system that combines the electrochemical generation of formic acid as an energy carrier with a microbial fuel cell. This novel, fast-charging biohybrid battery system can be used to monitor the toxicity of drinking water, just one of many potential future applications.
Published Humans are disrupting natural 'salt cycle' on a global scale, new study shows



A new paper revealed that human activities are making Earth's air, soil and freshwater saltier, which could pose an 'existential threat' if current trends continue. Geologic and hydrologic processes bring salts to Earth's surface over time, but human activities such as mining and land development are rapidly accelerating this natural 'salt cycle.'
Published Microplastics' shape determines how far they travel in the atmosphere



Micron-size microplastic debris can be carried by the jet stream across oceans and continents, and their shape plays a crucial role in how far they travel.
Published How common desert shrub efficiently harvests water from the air



A team of scientists has revealed the mechanism a desert plant native to the United Arab Emirates uses to capture moisture from the desert air in order to survive.
Published Late not great -- imperfect timekeeping places significant limit on quantum computers



Quantum physicists show that imperfect timekeeping places a fundamental limit to quantum computers and their applications. The team claims that even tiny timing errors add up to place a significant impact on any large-scale algorithm, posing another problem that must eventually be solved if quantum computers are to fulfill the lofty aspirations that society has for them.
Published Engineers develop an efficient process to make fuel from carbon dioxide



Researchers developed an efficient process that can convert carbon dioxide into formate, a nonflammable liquid or solid material that can be used like hydrogen or methanol to power a fuel cell and generate electricity.
Published How robots can help find the solar energy of the future



To quickly and accurately characterize prospective materials for use in solar energy, researchers built an automated system to perform laboratory experiments and used machine learning to help analyze the data they recorded. Their goal is to identify semiconductor materials for use in photovoltaic solar energy, which are highly efficient and have low toxicity.