The cold, dark chaos of space is filled with mystery. Fortunately, the ways in which we can peer into the mists of the void are increasing, and now include Kyoto University’s 3.8 meter Seimei telescope.

Using this new instrument—located on a hilltop in Okayama to the west of Kyoto—astronomers from Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Science and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan have succeeded in detecting 12 stellar flare phenomena on AD Leonis, a red dwarf 16 light years away. In particular, one of these flares was 20 times larger than those emitted by our own sun.

“Solar flares are sudden explosions that emanate from the surfaces of stars, including our own sun,” explains first author Kosuke Namekata.

“On rare occasions, an extrem...

Researchers identify a protein responsible for bacteria’s beneficial behavior. Scientists have discovered that one of the good bacteria found in the human gut has a benefit that has remained unrecognized until now: the potential to reduce the risk for heart disease.

The bacteria’s activity in the intestines reduces production of a chemical that has been linked to the development of clogged arteries. After it’s manufactured in the gut, the chemical enters the bloodstream and travels to the liver, where it is converted into its most harmful form.

The Ohio State University researchers have traced the bacteria’s behavi...

A new study reports the highest efficiency ever recorded for full roll-to-roll printed perovskite solar cells (PSCs), marking a key step on the way to cheaper and more efficient ways of generating solar energy.

A team at Swansea University’s SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre, led by Professor Trystan Watson, has reported using a roll-to-roll fabrication method for four layers of slot-die coated PSCs.

The PSCs gave the stable power output of 12.2% – the highest efficiency recorded for four layers of roll-to-roll printed PSCs to date.

A newcomer to the p...

Researchers have discovered an unusual pulsar – one of deep space’s magnetized spinning neutron-star ‘lighthouses’ that emits highly focused radio waves from its magnetic poles. It is unusual because the masses of its two neutron stars are quite different — with one far larger than the other. The breakthrough provides clues about unsolved mysteries in astrophysics — including the expansion rate of the Universe (the Hubble constant).

The newly discovered pulsar (known as PSR J1913+1102) is part of a binary system — which means that it is locked in a fiercely tight orbit with another neutron star.

Neutron stars are the dead stellar remnants of a supernova...