The third factor is the probability of a lifeless planet producing the observed signal—an equally serious challenge, researchers now realize, that’s tangled up in the problem of unconceived abiotic alternatives. “That’s the probability that we argue you can’t fill in responsibly,” Vickers said. “It could almost range from anything from zero to 1.” Consider the … Read more
DESI has made the largest 3D map of our universe to date. Earth is at the center of this thin slice of the full map. In the magnified section, it is easy to see the underlying structure of matter in our universe. Credit: Claire Lamman/DESI collaboration; custom colormap package by cmastro The universe is still … Read more
Overview of the UTR-LM model for 5′ UTR function prediction and design. Credit: Nature Machine Intelligence (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s42256-024-00823-9 The same class of artificial intelligence that made headlines coding software and passing the bar exam has learned to read a different kind of text—the genetic code. That code contains instructions for all of life’s functions … Read more
Credit: NASA Europa is one of the largest of more than 90 moons in orbit around the planet Jupiter. It is also one of the best places to look for alien life. Often termed an “ocean world” by scientists, observations to date strongly suggest that beneath Europa’s icy crust, there could be a liquid saltwater … Read more
LIBBY, Mont. — Paul Resch remembers playing baseball as a kid on a field constructed from asbestos-tainted vermiculite, mere yards from railroad tracks where trains kicked up clouds of dust as they hauled the contaminated material from a mountaintop mine through the northwestern Montana town of Libby. He liked to sneak into vermiculite-filled storage bins … Read more
Physicists from five Rice University laboratories and more than a dozen collaborating institutions have discovered a way to use heat to switch crystals of iron, germanium and tellurium between two topological phases where quantum bits of information, or qubits, could potentially be stored. The researchers showed that empty atomic sites in the crystals’ lattice are … Read more
An adult male loon feeds a small fish to one chick, while the other chick rides on the back of the female parent. Credit: Linda Grenzer The Common Loon, an icon of the northern wilderness, is under threat from climate change due to reduced water clarity, according to a new study authored by Chapman University … Read more
EP-enhanced phase sensing platform. Credit: Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl5037 Optical sensors serve as the backbone of numerous scientific and technological endeavors, from detecting gravitational waves to imaging biological tissues for medical diagnostics. These sensors use light to detect changes in the properties of the environment they’re monitoring, including chemical biomarkers and physical properties like … Read more
This satellite image provided by NOAA shows clouds over North America on Thursday, April 4, 2024. Credit: NOAA via AP Some who hope to witness Monday’s total solar eclipse may see the sun obscured by clouds instead of by the moon. There’s still some time for forecasts to change, but meteorologists predict that eclipse day … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain East Coast residents were jolted Friday by a 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, with weak rumblings felt as far away as Baltimore and the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border. No life-threatening injuries or major damage have been reported. Here’s what to know about earthquakes on the East Coast. How often do … Read more
