Breaking
Advertisement

Science

Science

Brighter evenings, darker school mornings: Permanent daylight saving time could put children’s safety at risk

In July 2026, the U.S. House passed legislation to make daylight saving time (DST) permanent. But a new analysis of the consequences of the Sunshine Protection Act, reported in the journal Current Biology on Oct. 29, finds that this legislation would have serious safety consequences for millions of schoolchildren across the U.S. They would have to leave for school before sunrise, when fatal crashes involving pedestrians are more likely, for much of the school year.

Science

What makes forest protection work?

A new study from the Institute for Food and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn shows that the success of nature conservation measures depends partly on the credible enforcement of environmental laws.

Science

Theoretical method uses light to locate anyons, potential quantum computing building blocks

Theoretical physicists at Emory University have discovered a way to use light to detect the "spectral fingerprints" of anyons—exotic quasiparticles that emerge from the collective behavior of many electrons. Their findings are published in Physical Review Letters. The work offers a new tool for the study of anyons, which hold potential as fundamental building blocks for quantum computing.

Advertisement
Science

New mathematical method improves calculations for systems limited by their smallest input

A harmonic increment provides a new way to improve smooth approximations of the minimum function. In a recent paper, published in the Journal of Inequalities and Applications, Prof. Thomas A. Weber shows how a harmonic-increment transformation brings any smooth estimate that lies strictly below the minimum closer to it, while keeping the improved estimate below the minimum, so it remains a conservative estimate of a worst realization, or weakest link.

Advertisement
Science

Indoor plants could improve air quality and cooling

In a study published in Eco-Environment and Health, a team of 35 international experts led by Surrey's Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) reviewed several studies from across the world on the performance of indoor greenery.

Science

Saharan dust carries desert bacteria across the Atlantic to Amazon rainforest

Viewed under a microscope, the air above the Amazon rainforest teems with activity. It is full of pollen, fungal spores, tiny plant particles and bacteria. Normally, the composition of this bioaerosol community is quite stable. A team that included researchers from the University of Graz, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz and Brazilian partner institutions has now shown that microorganisms are transported across the Atlantic along with desert dust from the Sahara.

Science

A single brain signal may explain schizophrenia’s most puzzling symptoms

Scientists have identified a weakened brain signal that may connect several seemingly unrelated symptoms of schizophrenia, including sensory processing difficulties, disorganized speech, and greater symptom severity. The surprising discovery could help explain the disorder's underlying mechanisms and potentially lead to earlier detection and new treatments.

Advertisement