Science

Reaching out: Brad Gibson at Thoresby Primary School in Hull. (Courtesy: University of Hull) Congratulations to University of Hull physicist Brad Gibson who this week celebrated his 1000th visit to a school in the region. Gibson began doing schools outreach in 2016, focusing on those that have a significant proportion of children who grew up

Common trends: researchers at the University of Tokyo have used data taken by telescopes such as the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico (pictured here in 2019) to uncover similarities between fast radio bursts and earthquakes (Courtesy: UCF) Researchers in Japan have found striking similarities between the statistical behaviour of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) and

On a wire: the new quantum-computing protocol creates cubits from strings of trapped atoms. (Courtesy: Shutterstock/Evgenia-Fux) Quantum bits (qubits) based on cold atoms are increasingly attractive candidates for quantum computing. However, targeting single atoms in an array with lasers to manipulate them individually for processing quantum information remains a challenge. Now, Francesco Cesa and Hannes

Photoacoustic images of the ulnar (left) and median (right) nerves from a pig recorded in vivo for the first time. The nerves were illuminated with 1725 nm light and overlaid on co-registered ultrasound images. The outlines of the nerves and the surrounding agarose regions of interest (ROI) are shown as well. (Courtesy: M Graham et

A woman’s world The Mosuo community in south-western China has a matrilineal structure and many of its women hold positions of power. Such societies have often been viewed – and written about – as backwards or uncivilized, simply because they deviate from the patriarchal “normal”. (Courtesy: Shutterstock/Alexander P Bell) Award-winning journalist Angela Saini has spent

Messenger from the dark side: Dark matter may interact with normal matter via a hypothetical particle known as a dark photon. (Courtesy: Shutterstock/80’s Child) A new analysis conducted by an international team of physicists suggests that dark photons – hypothetical particles that carry forces associated with dark matter – could explain certain data from high-energy

Precision frontier: the ATLAS experiment on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. (Courtesy: CERN) In a thorough review of proton collision data from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), physicists working on the ATLAS experiment have determined the strength of the strong force to the highest level of precision to date. While the result is in

WASHINGTON — Despite satellite malfunctions that are expected to lead to major insurance claims, the space insurance field is taking a cautious approach to servicing technologies that might be able to repair such spacecraft. In a talk at the Global Satellite Servicing Forum Oct. 12, Mark Quinn, chief executive of WTW Global Inspace, a space

HELSINKI — China added to its series of Yunhai remote sensing satellites late Saturday with a launch from the Gobi Desert. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 8:54 p.m. Eastern, Oct. 14 (0054 UTC, Oct. 15). The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), confirmed launch success within

This year, 2023, marks the half-way point to the 2030 deadline for achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Recent global developments, including conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic, make SDGs such as “Zero Hunger” and “Reduced Inequalities” seem more daunting than ever. The scale of the challenge is clear; but professionals working on the frontline

SAN FRANCISCO – As the annular solar eclipse drew widespread public attention, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration leaders gathered at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta were considering their own solar observations. “Ultimately, as NASA and NOAA work with European partners to build out a system that is capable of observing the sun from different perspectives,

LOS ANGELES – In spite of its name, the Asteroid Mining Corp. is not banking on the space resources market materializing anytime soon. “We are a robotics company with asteroid-mining aspirations,” Mitch Hunter-Scullion, Asteroid Mining Corp. CEO and founder, said Oct. 11 at the Space Economy Summit here. “Space resources is a very exciting industry.

Heavy metal: Psyche will arrive at the metal-rich asteroid in 2029 following a 3.6 billion kilometre journey (courtesy: NASA) NASA has launched a mission to study an unusually metal-rich asteroid dubbed 16 Psyche. Launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:20 local time today via a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the $1.2bn mission

TAMPA, Fla. — Ligado Networks said Oct. 13 it is suing the U.S. government for derailing its wireless network plans so the company’s assigned spectrum could instead be used for Department of Defense systems. The DoD has been using the L-band frequencies without providing compensation, Ligado said in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court

TAMPA, Fla. — SES has found its next CEO from outside the space sector with the appointment of Adel Al-Saleh, head of German telco Deutsche Telekom’s IT services subsidiary who will lead the multi-orbit operator from February. Al-Saleh is replacing Guy Pinto, the operator’s former chief technology officer who stepped into the role just weeks

Going for gold: Elmehed’s golden portraits debuted in 2018. That year’s physics laureates were Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland. (© Nobel Media 2018. Illustration: Niklas Elmehed) Since, 2012 the first pictures we see of Nobel prize winners are often portraits produced by the Swedish artist Niklas Elmehed. I find the simple drawings iconic

When queried about the progress of the U.S. Space Force’s commercial space strategy, Gen. Chance Saltzman, the top commander, did not mince words. Speaking at the recent AMOS space domain awareness conference in Hawaii, Saltzman characterized the latest draft of this highly anticipated strategy as rich in style but wanting in substance. Intended to shed

WASHINGTON — Scientists said they are thrilled with an initial assessment of asteroid samples returned by a NASA spacecraft last month even though they still don’t know how much material that mission brought back to Earth. NASA unveiled samples of the asteroid Bennu returned by its Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith