Breakthrough

Starship, the world's most powerful rocket, flew further and faster than ever before during its third test launch Thursday, although it was eventually lost as it re-entered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, SpaceX said. Lift-off from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas came at 8:25 am local time (1325 GMT) and was carried live on a webcast watched by millions on social media platform X. The sleek mega rocket is vital to NASA's plans for landing astronauts on the Moon later this decade – and SpaceX CEO Elon…

Researchers at Tokyo Tech identify the quantum critical point in superconductors, solving a three-decade-old mystery and enhancing the understanding of superconductivity fluctuations. Credit: SciTechDaily.comThermoelectric effect reveals full picture of fluctuations in superconductivity.Weak fluctuations in superconductivity, a precursor phenomenon to superconductivity, have been successfully detected by a research group at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech). This breakthrough was achieved by measuring the…

A collaborative study by Chinese and Japanese scientists has uncovered evidence of ancient lower mantle flow fields beneath the Philippine Sea Plate, offering new insights into the Earth’s deep interior dynamics and the widespread presence of seismic anisotropy in the lower mantle.Scientists from China and Japan have identified unique features of the flow field in the lower mantle. Through their study of seismic anisotropy in the upper section of the lower mantle beneath the Philippine Sea Plate, they discovered that the…

We’re a step closer to seeing a live woolly mammoth walking the Earth for the first time in 4,000 years. Colossal Biosciences, a company dedicated to the controversial-but-unquestionably-cool goal of resurrecting extinct species, has now announced a major breakthrough in creating elephant stem cells.Apparently learning all the wrong lessons from Jurassic Park, Colossal Biosciences was formed in 2021 with the express goal of using genetic engineering to revive extinct animals. The woolly mammoth was the first target, but…

Hybrid integration of a designer nanodiamond with photonic circuits via ring resonators. CreditSteven Burrows/Sun GroupJILA breakthrough in integrating artificial atoms with photonic circuits advances quantum computing efficiency and scalability.In quantum information science, many particles can act as “bits,” from individual atoms to photons. At JILA, researchers utilize these bits as “qubits,” storing and processing quantum 1s or 0s through a unique system.While many JILA Fellows focus on qubits found in nature, such as…

A new proof-of-concept DNA-infused computer chip could be the AI breakthrough that we’ve been waiting for. The chip was made using a DNA substrate that can perform calculations and manage big data processing, all in the same component.Scientists have long discussed the possibility of using DNA-based devices to help push processing to new levels. And in the past, we’ve even seen DNA-based devices being used to encode data on a very small scale. However, this new chip takes things a step further, and uses DNA to…

A novel therapy designed to clear toxic clumps of a protein thought to be responsible for Parkinson's disease has shown promise in early clinical trials.Produced by the US biotechnology company Vaxxinity, the immunotherapy candidate codenamed UB-312 is the first treatment shown to be capable of reducing concentrations of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) in cerebrospinal fluid, marking a significant step forward in slowing – or even halting – the disorder's progress.Though the results of the trial are yet to be published and peer…

LSU researchers have made a significant discovery related to the fundamental properties and behavior of plasmonic waves, which can lead ot the development of more sensitive and robust quantum technologies. Credit: LSUQuantum researchers uncover important implications for quantum technology.In a recent publication in Nature Physics, the LSU Quantum Photonics Group offers fresh insights into the fundamental traits of surface plasmons, challenging the existing understanding. Based on experimental and theoretical…

This artist’s rendition shows a new integration platform developed by MIT researchers. By engineering surface forces, they can directly integrate 2D materials into devices in a single contact-and-release step. Credit: Courtesy of Sampson Wilcox/Research Laboratory of ElectronicsMIT’s breakthrough in integrating 2D materials into devices paves the way for next-generation devices with unique optical and electronic properties.Two-dimensional materials, which are only a few atoms thick, can exhibit some incredible properties,…

If you were ever curious about what the extinct woolly mammoths looked like, you may soon have your wish fulfilled, as biotech company Colossal Biosciences has announced a major breakthrough in their goal to resurrect the furry 6-ton, 16-foot creatures.On Wednesday (March 6), the Dallas-based company revealed it had created a kind of stem cell for the closest living relative of the woolly mammoth: the Asian elephant.According to Colossal, scientists have, for the first time, created induced pluripotent stem cells for…