Science

Air holes turn silicon wafers into flat ultraviolet focusing mirrors for compact optics

Traditional lenses and mirrors focus light using curved surfaces. Metasurfaces can achieve similar functions with a flat layer of nanoscale structures that locally control the phase of light. Extending these flat optics into the ultraviolet could support compact systems for high-resolution imaging, spectroscopy, and sensing, but it introduces a fundamental materials problem: many of the materials used to make metasurfaces strongly absorb UV light.

via Phys.org 18 hours ago

Science

How a metabolite protects the enzyme that consumes it

Metabolites are consumed by enzymes to produce other vital molecules as well as to control metabolite levels. But how do cells avoid consuming too much? Researchers from the MPI of Biochemistry, with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the de Duve Institute in Brussels, have deciphered such molecular regulation in tryptophan metabolism. The essential amino acid tryptophan binds to a second site on the enzyme TDO2, distinct from where it is consumed. This sequesters a region needed by two effectors, the kinase CK2 and the ubiquitin ligase CUL1–β-TrCP, which act sequentially to signal TDO2 degradation. The findings are now published in Molecular Cell.

via Phys.org 19 hours ago

Science

Scientists accidentally solve a chemistry mystery that lasted 60 years

After more than 60 years of unsuccessful attempts, scientists have finally isolated stable examples of elusive boron-oxygen molecules once considered too unstable to capture. The surprising breakthrough, achieved using relatively simple chemical reactions, could pave the way for an entirely new class of exotic compounds.

via ScienceDaily 19 hours ago

Science

New method measures microplastics in the air using an uncrewed aerial system

Microplastics have been found in our bodies and the food we eat—and even in remote environments around the world, including seawater and ice in the Arctic. Despite their prevalence, little is known about how they move through the atmosphere. New CIRES-led research, which demonstrates a new method for sampling microplastics in the atmosphere using an uncrewed aerial system (UAS), aims to change that. The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.

via Phys.org 19 hours ago

Science

Future warming events will outdo the extreme heat waves of the recent past, new study finds

The extreme heat waves we have seen over the last few years may only serve as a preview of what is to come as a result of climate change. A new study led by researcher Philipp Aglas-Leitner from Freie Universität Berlin, published in Nature Communications, finds that future heat waves could last longer, impact larger areas, and be much more severe.

via Phys.org 19 hours ago

Science

Light-powered method resurrects ‘dead-end’ compounds for drug discovery

Throughout the drug development process, which can take a decade or more, tens of thousands of chemical compounds are produced that never go on to become medicines. A Florida State University researcher is part of a team that has discovered a new way to give some of these "dead ends" a second chance at becoming the foundation for tomorrow's blockbuster drugs.

via Phys.org 20 hours ago

Science

Quantum gas microscope reveals individual atoms in first tunable three-component Hubbard system

For the first time, an international team of researchers from Germany, Thailand, India, China and the United States has created a three-component Hubbard system with tunable interactions in the laboratory. In doing so, the team used a quantum gas microscope to make the individual atoms visible. The study, published in Science, provides an important foundation for future quantum simulations of nuclear physics and materials science.

via Phys.org 20 hours ago

Science

European forests need to solve two crises—but not necessarily in one place

Forest areas can act both as carbon sinks and as vital habitats for thousands of species—but not necessarily at the same time. This has important implications for how Europe should manage its forests, says a University of Copenhagen researcher.

via Phys.org 20 hours ago

Science

MTG-I2 satellite delivers remarkable first images, capturing a weather view of Europe every 2.5 minutes

Europe's meteorological satellite agency, EUMETSAT, has released the first image from the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) on board Meteosat Third Generation Imager 2 (MTG-I2), just over two months after the satellite's launch on Aug. 27, 2026. The satellite will provide forecasters with high-resolution observations of Europe every 2.5 minutes. This unprecedented frequency will help forecasters monitor fast-developing weather hazards more closely and support earlier, more precise warnings.

via Phys.org 21 hours ago

Science

High-precision timeline helps clarify an ancient magma surge in the North Cascades

Where oceanic crust subducts beneath continental crust, belts of volcanoes known as continental arcs can form. Located around the world, these arcs may undergo episodic magma flare-ups—dramatic surges in the flow of magma into the continental crust at rates up to 20 times higher than normal. However, what triggers these extreme surges, which last tens of millions of years, can be unclear.

via Phys.org 21 hours ago