Portable polarization-sensitive camera could be used in machine vision, autonomous vehicles, security, atmospheric chemistry and more. Researchers have developed a highly compact, portable camera that can image polarization in a single shot. The miniature camera – about the size of a thumb – could find a place in the vision systems of autonomous vehicles, onboard planes or satellites to study atmospheric chemistry, or be used to detect camouflaged objects.

When the first full-length movie made with the advanced, three-color process of Technicolor premiered in 19...

The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter preserves the processes of planetary formation, frozen in time. Vesta, the second largest asteroid in this belt, provides an outstanding opportunity for scientists to investigate the origin and formation of planets. In particular, Vesta has kept its crust, mantle and metallic core, much like Earth. Careful mapping of Vesta by NASA’s Dawn mission showed that the crust at the south pole of Vesta is unusually thick.

In a paper just published in Nature Geoscience, Dr. Yi-Jen Lai of the Macquarie University Planetary Research Centre and Macquarie GeoAnalytical and her colleagues propose a new evolutionary history of Vesta involving a giant impact...

Researchers at EPFL have developed a method that uses artificial intelligence to design next-generation heat-pump compressors. Their method can cut the pumps’ power requirement by around 25%. In Switzerland, 50 – 60% of new homes are equipped with heat pumps. These systems draw in thermal energy from the surrounding environment – such as from the ground, air, or a nearby lake or river – and turn it into heat for buildings.

While today’s heat pumps generally work well and are environmentally friendly, they still have substantial room for improvement...

Findings could help forecasters predict these potentially devastating space weather events. Citizen scientists found that solar storms become more complex as the Sun’s 11-year activity cycle reaches its maximum.

‘Protect our Planet from Solar Storms’, a research project launched by the University of Reading, the Science Museum Group and Zooniverse in May 2018, asked volunteers to evaluate pairs of images of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and decide which seemed the most visually complex.

Overall, the project ranke...