Phys.org Despite its ubiquity, liquid water features some electronic intricacies that have long puzzled scientists in chemistry, physics and technology. For example, the electron affinity, i.e., the energy stabilization undergone by a free electron when captured by water, has remained poorly characterized from an experimental point of view. In a recent study, researchers have made significant strides in deciphering the puzzle.Read More
Jerusalem Post Being a "fast talker" has a negative connotation — trying to persuade or influence others using deceptive, tricky, fluent talk. But in the elderly, talking fast is a good thing, showing that one is probably not on the path to cognitive decline and dementia.Read More
SciTechDaily In our data-driven era, solving complex problems efficiently is crucial. However, traditional computers often struggle with this task when dealing with a large number of interacting variables, leading to inefficiencies such as the von Neumann bottleneck. A new type of collective state computing has emerged to address this issue by mapping these optimization problems onto something called the Ising problem in magnetism.Read More
Science News Computer scientists made progress on a decades-old math puzzle that asks where order exists. The mystery of whether arithmetic progressions will show up is just one of many mathematical questions related to order versus disorder in sets of objects. Understanding order — and when and where patterns must emerge — is a recurring theme in many branches of math and computer science.Read More
PsyPost Despite all the attention in recent years on reducing cognitive bias, most evidence suggests that there's little we can do to improve our professional and personal decision making. But a recent experiment suggests that it may be possible for training to improve decision making in the field.Read More
IFLScience A lot of Western music theory relies on the idea of "consonance" — creating combinations of notes that sound pleasant together. Pythagoras, the "father of numbers," identified the link between the ratio of frequencies of musical notes and consonance. But while a lot of the music we know has been built on these principles, new research suggests that such ideas about musical harmony may not be as universal as once thought.Read More
AZoQuantum Researchers have made strides in understanding the universe's fundamental forces by developing a method to measure gravity on a microscopic scale. This advancement brings us closer to unraveling how gravity operates in the quantum world.Read More
National Geographic (subscription required) Though time seems constant, we've actually been adjusting it for decades — in the form of a leap second that's inserted every few years. This technological solution is designed to make atomic clocks agree with the planet's rotation and has long kept international timekeeping ticking. So why have scientists decided to abandon the leap second — and what's at stake?Read More
Phys.org The average researcher thinks they are better than their colleagues at following good research practice. They also think that their own research field is better than other research fields at following good research practice. These are the findings of a new study published in Scientific Reports. The results point to a risk of becoming blind to one's own shortcomings, according to the researchers.Read More
ScienceNews Explores Nearly a decade ago, Neil Zeller spied a mysterious purple glow in the night sky. The purplish-white streak looked almost like the vapor trail of an airplane — yet not quite. Other aurora chasers had seen similar purple streaks. They would later learn they were documenting a natural light show that was yet unknown to science.Read More
