Researchers have cracked a fundamental optical challenge: how to control both angle and wavelength of light independently—a problem that’s limited imaging and display technologies for years. By harnessing the power of radiation directionality and engineering bilayer metagratings with unique symmetry properties, they’ve decoupled these two variables for the first time. Their precise nanofabrication techniques allow …

One tiny trick just broke light’s oldest rule — and changed optics forever Read More »

The tendency for AIs to give misleading answers may be in part down to certain training techniques, which encourage models to prioritise perceived helpfulness over accuracy ​The tendency for AIs to give misleading answers may be in part down to certain training techniques, which encourage models to prioritise perceived helpfulness over accuracy The tendency for AIs …

The way we train AIs makes them more likely to spout bull Read More »

A 2.35-billion-year-old Moon rock that fell to Earth in Africa is rewriting what we know about lunar volcanism. This rare meteorite, studied by UK scientists and unveiled at a major geochemistry conference, reveals that the Moon was volcanically active far longer than previously thought. With a unique chemical makeup and an age that bridges a …

2.35-billion-year-old Moon rock found in Africa rewrites lunar history Read More »

Imagine a star powered not by nuclear fusion, but by one of the universe’s greatest mysteries—dark matter. Scientists have proposed the existence of “dark dwarfs,” strange glowing objects potentially lurking at the center of our galaxy. These stars might form when brown dwarfs absorb enough dark matter to prevent cooling, transforming into long-lasting beacons of …

These mysterious stars could glow forever using dark matter Read More »

New supercomputer simulations suggest the Milky Way could be surrounded by dozens more faint, undetected satellite galaxies—up to 100 more than we currently know. These elusive “orphan” galaxies have likely been stripped of their dark matter by the Milky Way’s gravity and hidden from view. If spotted by next-gen telescopes like the Rubin Observatory’s LSST, …

100 ghost galaxies may be orbiting the Milky Way—and we’re just now uncovering them Read More »

Researchers at the University of Illinois have pulled off a laser first: they built a new kind of eye-safe laser that works at room temperature, using a buried layer of glass-like material instead of the usual air holes. This design not only boosts laser performance but also opens the door to safer and more precise …

First-of-its-kind crystal laser could power safer sensors and smarter tech Read More »

In this latest instalment of Future Chronicles, an imagined history of future inventions, Rowan Hooper reveals how invisibility cloaks could become mainstream ​In this latest instalment of Future Chronicles, an imagined history of future inventions, Rowan Hooper reveals how invisibility cloaks could become mainstream In this latest instalment of Future Chronicles, an imagined history of future …

How invisibility cloaks could make us disappear – at least from AI Read More »

Mars may not have always been the dry and dusty world we imagine. A staggering network of ancient riverbeds, spanning over 15,000 kilometers, has been discovered in the planet’s Noachis Terra region, suggesting that flowing water, fueled by precipitation, was once widespread. Unlike previously studied valley networks, these “inverted channels” reveal a long history of …

Scientists uncover 15,000 kilometers of lost rivers on Mars Read More »

NASA is gearing up for an exciting chapter in lunar exploration by sending a trio of high-tech instruments to the Moon. Two of the devices will be attached to a new lunar rover capable of carrying astronauts or operating remotely, while the third will gather data from orbit. These tools will hunt for ice, map …

NASA’s Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle will search for lunar ice and subsurface structures Read More »

In its closest-ever dive into the Sun’s atmosphere, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has returned stunning new images and data that bring scientists closer to solving one of the Sun’s biggest mysteries: how the solar wind is born. Captured from just 3.8 million miles away, the footage shows chaotic collisions of solar eruptions, twisting magnetic fields, …

NASA probe flies into the Sun and captures the origins of solar storms Read More »