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The odd, wavy pattern that results from viewing certain phone or computer screens through polarized glasses has led researchers to take a step toward thinner, lighter-weight lenses. Called moiré, the pattern is made by laying one material with opaque and translucent parts at an angle over another material of similar contrast. A team of researchers from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, TUAT, in Japan have demonstrated that moiré metalenses — tiny, patterned lenses composed of artificial “meta” atoms — can tune focal length along a wider range than previously seen....

At the end of the Triassic around 201 million years ago, three out of four species on Earth disappeared. Up until now, scientists believed the cause of the catastrophe to be the onset of large-scale volcanism resulting in abrupt climate change. Now, new research suggests there might be several factors in play. An international research team led by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) show that increased concentrations of the toxic element mercury in the environment contributed to the mass extinction....

Researchers believe they may have discovered a possible cause of a mystery condition that can leave sufferers suddenly unable to walk, talk, or see. It’s hoped the study — led by the University of York and Hull York Medical School and supported by Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust — will pave the way for new treatments for Conversion disorder which affects around 800,000 people in the UK alone....

The scientists published their findings in the journal ACS Nano. The GeS nanoflower has petals that are only 20 to 30 nanometers thick, providing a large surface in a small amount of space. This could significantly improve the capacity of lithium-ion batteries, since this thinner structure could hold more lithium ions. They could also lead to increased capacity for supercapacitors, which are used in energy storage. In order to create this flower-like structure, the researchers heated up GeS powder in a furnace until it began to vaporize....

Earth’s climate is determined by a delicate balance between how much of the Sun’s radiative energy is absorbed in the atmosphere and at the surface and how much thermal infrared radiation Earth emits to space. A positive energy imbalance means the Earth system is gaining energy, causing the planet to heat up. The doubling of the energy imbalance is the topic of a recent study, the results of which were published June 15, 2021, in Geophysical Research Letters....

For the OFT-2 mission, the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, dock to the International Space Station, and return to land in the western United States about a week later as part of an end-to-end test to prove the system is ready to fly crew. “Boeing is making solid progress on the path to flying a second uncrewed test mission and preparing for the company’s Crew Flight Test in 2021,” said Kathy Lueders, associate administrator of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate....

Repeated high-resolution observations made by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) indicate the gullies on Mars’ surface are primarily formed by the seasonal freezing of carbon dioxide, not liquid water. The first reports of formative gullies on Mars in 2000 generated excitement and headlines because they suggested the presence of liquid water on the Red Planet, the eroding action of which forms gullies here on Earth. Mars has water vapor and plenty of frozen water, but the presence of liquid water on the neighboring planet, a necessity for all known life, has not been confirmed....

NASA will host a news conference at 11 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. PDT) on Tuesday, April 3, to announce the agency’s plans for its next experimental aircraft, or X-plane, called the Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator (LBFD). In February 2016, NASA signed a contract for the preliminary design of its LBFD concept. The agency now is ready to move forward with development and building of the aircraft, which will test new technology for quiet supersonic flight and possibly enable changes that will allow for supersonic flights over land....

The core stage is shown being transported into the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building on a self-propelled module transporter on April 29, 2021. Teams from the center’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs will perform checkouts ahead of integrating the massive rocket stage with the twin solid rocket boosters, Orion spacecraft, and additional flight hardware ahead of the Artemis I launch. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of SLS and Orion and will pave the way for landing the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface....

After driving more than a football field’s length since landing, NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity is spending several days preparing for full use of the tools on its arm. Curiosity extended its robotic arm Wednesday in the first of six to 10 consecutive days of planned activities to test the 7-foot (2.1-meter) arm and the tools it manipulates. “We will be putting the arm through a range of motions and placing it at important ‘teach points’ that were established during Earth testing, such as the positions for putting sample material into the inlet ports for analytical instruments,” said Daniel Limonadi of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, lead systems engineer for Curiosity’s surface sampling and science system....

Ultimately, this new technology could make spacecraft navigation to distant locations like Mars more autonomous. But what is an atomic clock? How are they used in space navigation, and what makes the Deep Space Atomic Clock different? Read on to get all the answers. Why do we use clocks to navigate in space? To determine a spacecraft’s distance from Earth, navigators send a signal to the spacecraft, which then returns it to Earth....

In the coming days, NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover is set to begin constructing the first sample depot on another world. This will mark a crucial milestone in the NASA-ESA (European Space Agency) Mars Sample Return campaign, which seeks to bring Mars samples to Earth for in-depth analysis. The depot-building process begins when the rover drops one of its titanium sample tubes carrying a chalk-size core of rock from its belly 2....

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory has captured a spectacular video of a filament eruption from Sol, which occurred on August 31st. The segment is in red, and while the video lasts only a few seconds, the actual time period is about three hours. The rest of the video is shown in extreme ultraviolet light to showcase the explosive event. These kinds of solar filaments are caused when the magnetic field in the solar atmosphere holds solar plasma between the chromosphere into the corona....

About two million years ago, humans experienced a genetic change that differentiated us from most primates. This change protected us from some diseases, but caused current consumer products, such as red meat, to pose a high risk to health. At that time in evolution, a gene called CMAH – which allows the synthesis of a sugar called Neu5Gc – was deactivated. This carbohydrate is found in red meat, some fish, and dairy products....

In an effort to remove human error and fatigue from security surveillance, researchers at MIT have created a new approach using mathematics. The system can perform an analysis more accurately and in a fraction of the time it would take a human camera operator by reaching a compromise between accuracy and speed. Police and security teams guarding airports, docks, and border crossings from terrorist attack or illegal entry need to know immediately when someone enters a prohibited area, and who they are....

A paper detailing the work was published today (February 26, 2020) in the journal Science Advances. It could help astrobiologists understand the alkalinity, pH and nitrogen content of ancient waters on Mars, and by extension, the carbon dioxide composition of the planet’s ancient atmosphere. Mars of today is too cold to have liquid water on its surface, a requirement for hosting life as we know it. “The question that drives our interests isn’t whether there’s life on present-day Mars,” said Tim Lyons, University of California, Riverside (UCR) distinguished professor of biogeochemistry....

A study of how 98 million Americans move around each day suggests that most infections occur at “superspreader” sites, and details how mobility patterns help drive higher infection rates among minority and low-income populations. A team of researchers has created a computer model that accurately predicted the spread of COVID-19 in 10 major cities this spring by analyzing three factors that drive infection risk: where people go in the course of a day, how long they linger and how many other people are visiting the same place at the same time....

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a tablet-sized device that can reliably detect multiple COVID-19 antibodies and biomarkers simultaneously. Initial results show the test can distinguish between antibodies produced in response to SARS-CoV-2 and four other coronaviruses with 100% accuracy. The researchers are now working to see if the easy-to-use, energy-independent, point-of-care device can be used to predict the severity of a COVID-19 infection or a person’s immunity against variants of the virus....

Professor Genoveva Esteban of Bournemouth University and James Weiss, an independent researcher working in his own lab in Warsaw, Poland, with his two cats, made the discovery of these elusive species and published their findings in the scientific journal Protist. Their approach to research and the discovery of these new and rare species will aid in the public’s and scientists’ understanding of life at the microscopic level. In addition, they believe it will demonstrate the significance of microscopic life to everyone in the world and inspire thousands of young people to be interested in science....

Unlike solar panels and solar cells, which rely on photovoltaic technology for the direct generation of electricity, the hybrid device captures heat from the sun and stores it as thermal energy. It addresses some of the issues that have stalled the wider-scale adoption of solar power, suggesting an avenue for using solar energy around-the-clock, despite limited sunlight hours, cloudy days, and other constraints. The work, described in a paper published today (November 20, 2019) in Joule, combines molecular energy storage and latent heat storage to produce an integrated harvesting and storage device for potential 24/7 operation....