Researchers found for the first time evidence that even microquasars containing a low-mass star are efficient particle accelerators, which leads to a significant impact on the interpretation of the abundance of gamma rays in the universe.

Our home planet is bombarded with particles from outer space all the time. And while we are mostly familiar with the rocky meteorites originating from within our solar system that create fascinating shooting stars in the night sky, it’s the smallest particles that help scientists to understand the nature of the universe. Subatomic particles such as electrons or protons arriving from interstellar space and beyond are one of the fastest particles known in the universe and known as cosmic rays.

The origins and the acceleration mechanisms of the mo...

A new one-minute video game is able to accurately and efficiently identify children with autism from those who have ADHD or are neurotypical.

Developed by researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Nottingham Trent University, the tool, called the Computerized Assessment of Motor Imitation (CAMI), uses motion-tracking technology to detect differences in motor imitation skills. The research is published in The British Journal of Psychiatry.

In the study, 183 children, ages 7–13, were asked to copy the dance-like movements of a video avatar for one minute, while their imitation performance was measured using ...

Quantum researchers from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, have demonstrated the potential for quantum computing to significantly improve how we solve complex problems involving large datasets, highlighting the potential of using quantum in areas such as real-time traffic management, agricultural monitoring, healthcare, and energy optimization.

By leveraging the unique properties of quantum computing, like superposition and entanglement, researchers compressed and analyzed a large dataset with speed, accuracy, and efficiency that traditional computers cannot match.

The work is published in the journa...

Thirty years after the discovery of the first exoplanet, astronomers have detected more than 7,000 of them in our galaxy. But there are still billions more to be discovered. At the same time, exoplanetologists have begun to take an interest in their characteristics, with the aim of finding life elsewhere in the universe. This is the background to the discovery of super-Earth HD 20794 d by an international team including the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the NCCR PlanetS.

The new planet lies in an eccentric orbit, so that it oscillates in and out of its star’s habitable zone. This discovery is the fruit of 20 years of observations using the best telescopes in the world. The results are published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

‘”Are we alone i...