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    ‘Nanodot’ control could fine-tune light for sharper displays, quantum computing

    March 12, 2025, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    Illustration of light emission from a molybdenum diselenide nanodot embedded in tungsten diselenide.
    On the left is an illustration of the experimental setup from this study. Molybdenum diselenide nanodots, represented by red triangles, are embedded in tungsten diselenide and encapsulated by hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) on top and bottom. A focused electron beam, shown in green, in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) is aimed at the structure. The emitted light is collected to generate an intensity map. On the upper right is a dark-field STEM image of the molybdenum diselenide nanodot embedded inside tungsten diselenide. The contour of the nanodot is marked by dotted green lines. On the lower right is an artificially colored light emission intensity map of the same region, with the localized emission from the nanodot clearly visible. Credit: Provided by the researchers...
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    Evidence of a new phenomenon: Quantum tornadoes in momentum space

    March 12, 2025, Categories  Physics, Astronomy/Space

    Quantum tornado in momentum space: In the quantum material tantalum arsenide (TaAs), electrons form vortices in momentum space. Momentum space is a physics concept used to analyze how electrons behave in solids. A research team from the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat at Würzburg and Dresden has now provided the first experimental evidence of these quantum tornadoes. (Image: think-design | Jochen Thamm)

    A team of researchers from Würzburg has for the first time experimentally demonstrated a quantum tornado. Electrons form vortices in the momentum space of the quantum semi-metal tantalum arsenide.

    Scientists have long known that electrons can form vortices in quantum materials...

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    Can melatonin supplements really ‘reverse’ DNA damage caused by lack of sleep?

    March 10, 2025, Categories  Biology/Biotechnology, Health/Medical

    Sleep isn’t just a luxury, it’s a vital process that helps our bodies repair and rejuvenate. Researchers have started to uncover how the quality and timing of sleep can affect more than just how rested we feel—it might also affect the very blueprint of our cells: our DNA.

    A new study from Canada found that melatonin, a hormone known for its role in regulating sleep, might help reverse some of the DNA damage caused by years of poor sleep.

    Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in our brains when darkness falls. It signals to our bodies that it’s time to wind down and prepare for sleep. Beyond its sleep-inducing properties, melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant.

    Antioxidants help protect our cells from oxidative stress—a condition in which an imbalance between free radi...

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    Seismic clues from Marsquakes suggest liquid water and life potential beneath the surface

    March 10, 2025, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Marsquakes and meteorites unveil the potential for subterranean alien lifeforms on Mars
    Figure 1. NASA’s InSight lander is shown above with all of its different devices that have been used for scientific discovery. The SEIS (Seismic Experiment for the Interior Structure) seismometer is shown to the bottom left of the lander. Credit: Ikuo Katayama

    Are subterranean lifeforms viable on Mars? A new interpretation of Martian seismic data by scientists Ikuo Katayama of Hiroshima University and Yuya Akamatsu of Research Institute for Marine Geodynamics suggests the presence of water below the surface of Mars. “If liquid water exists on Mars,” Katayama says, “the presence of microbial activity” is possible.

    This analysis is based on seismic data from SEIS (Seismic Experiment for the Interior Structure), deployed from NASA’s InSight lander that landed on Mars in 2018...

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