Long before researchers discovered the electron and its role in generating electrical current, they knew about electricity and were exploring its potential. One thing they learned early on was that metals were great conductors of both electricity and heat.

And in 1853, two scientists showed that those two admirable properties of metals were somehow related: At any given temperature, the ratio of electronic conductivity to thermal conductivity was roughly the same in any metal they tested.

This so-called Wiedemann-Franz law has held ever since — except in quantum materials, where electrons stop behaving as individual particles and glom together into a sort of electron soup.

Experimental measurements have indicated that the 170-year-old law breaks down in these quantum material...

The asteroid that causes the Geminid shooting star swarm has also puzzled researchers with its comet-like tail. The infrared spectrum of rare meteorites helped to determine the composition of the asteroid.

Asteroid Phaethon, which is five kilometers in diameter, has been puzzling researchers for a long time. A comet-like tail is visible for a few days when the asteroid passes closest to the Sun during its orbit.

However, the tails of comets are usually formed by vaporizing ice and carbon dioxide, which cannot explain ...

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered how Lactobacillus, a bacterium found in fermented foods and yogurt, helps the body manage stress and may help prevent depression and anxiety.

The findings open the door to new therapies to treat anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.

UVA researcher Alban Gaultier and collaborators say the discovery is notable because it pinpoints the role of Lactobacillus, separating it out from all the other microorganisms that natura...

A common truism among statisticians is that “the data don’t lie.” However, recent findings by Italian researchers may make those who study data think twice before making such assumptions.

Giuseppe Giannaccare, an eye surgeon at the University of Cagliari in Italy, reports that ChatGPT has conjured reams of persuasive phony data to support one surgical eye procedure over another.

“GPT-4 created a fake dataset of hundreds of patients in a matter of minutes,” Giannaccare said. “This was a surprising—yet frightening—experience.”

There have been countless stories of ChatGPT’s great achievements and potential since the model was unveiled to the world a year ago...