15 February 2021
New study indicates that reflecting solar energy back to space in an attempt to reduce global warming could cause more problems than it solves.
Increasing emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, resulting in an accelerating rise in atmospheric temperature, are creating a hugely significant challenge to people and the planet.
Scientists are looking into the plausibility of ideas that aim to limit the effects of climate change, while carbon emissions from humans burning fossil fuels continue to over-insulate the planet. Solar geoengineering proposes to reflect incoming sunlight back into space by deliberately releasing reflective particles into the upper atmosphere where they block the sun s warming rays.
How quickly can personality traits be modified? An international research team led by the University of Zurich has shown that daily use of a smartphone app can lead to desired personality changes within three months. And three months after the daily interventions, the changes are still noticeable.
February 2, 2021 A new hands-off probe uses light to explore the subtleties of electron behavior in a topological insulator
A new hands-off probe uses light to explore the subtleties of electron behavior in a topological insulator
Just as pressing a guitar string produces a higher pitch, sending laser light through a material can shift it to higher energies and higher frequencies. Now scientists have discovered how to use this phenomenon to explore quantum materials in a new and much more detailed way.
By Glennda Chui Structured Content
Topological insulators are one of the most puzzling quantum materials – a class of materials whose electrons cooperate in surprising ways to produce unexpected properties. The edges of a TI are electron superhighways where electrons flow with no loss, ignoring any impurities or other obstacles in their path, while the bulk of the material blocks electron flow.