Science

Aldo Leopold’s writing reconsidered the place of humans in the natural world and challenged people to be less a conqueror of the land and more a citizen of it

Storm Dave, which swept across northern Europe over the Easter weekend, is an example of what new research from the University of Gothenburg has revealed. Spring storms forming over the North Atlantic have become more common than they were 80 years ago, and this is due to climate change.

Scientists have uncovered unexpected quantum complexity inside cobalt, a metal long thought to be fully understood. Advanced measurements revealed a dense network of topological electronic states that remain robust at room temperature. These states enable extremely fast electron behavior and can be switched or controlled using magnetism. The discovery could open new paths toward next-generation computing and spin-based devices.

Metal cluster molecules are discrete compounds containing multiple metal atoms held together by metal–metal and metal–ligand bonding. They serve as excellent candidates for catalysts, biosensors, and even for drug development. Developing atomic-level molecular editing methods for such metal clusters remains an important challenge and represents a promising strategy for expanding their structural and functional diversity. Such approaches can enable structure-specific properties, high near-infrared (NIR) photoluminescence quantum yields, and unique reactivities and electronic structures.

Hermeus's Quarterhorse aircraft is still pushing the supersonic flight envelope, but the US Department of Defense is already so keen on the concept that it's awarded the company US$159 million to explore the military applications of the technology.Continue ReadingCategory: Military, EngineeringTags: SR-71, Hermeus, Supersonic, US Army, US Navy

Bigger name brands like Earthroamer and Winnebago might get more hype, but Supertramp has been quietly launching some of the market's sleekest, most compelling expedition campers since the Flagship LT debuted in 2021. At this point, other companies might start trying to diversify with a new style of RV, e.g. an adventure camper van, but Supertramp instead brings adventure van-level comfort and pricing to the back of a snarling Ford Super Duty truck. Its all-new Paragon might just be the absolute Goldilocks of adventure rigs, bringing together state-of-the-art construction and a market-undercutting pricing structure.Continue ReadingCategory: RVs and Motorhomes, Adventure Vehicles, OutdoorsTags: RV, Motorhomes, Motorhome, expedition vehicles, Off-road, Off-grid, Camping, Outdoors and Camping, Truck, Ford

Hannah Ray J Childs propelled her kayak into a rapid on Iowa's Maquoketa River on a recent afternoon and dipped her paddle in the water to swing the front of her boat into the air.

Researchers have developed a method for making simultaneous soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements of solid-liquid interfaces and bulk liquids. By controlling the thickness of the liquid layer, they obtained the O K-edge XAS spectrum of bulk H2O from a liquid H2O layer on a thin Au film using the transmission method, and they used the electron-yield method to obtain the XAS spectrum of the H2O/Au interface by measuring the drain currents from the Au surface following soft X-ray absorption. This method for obtaining simultaneous XAS measurements of solid-liquid interfaces and bulk liquids can be utilized to investigate the mechanisms of a variety of catalytic, electrochemical, and biological reactions involving solid-liquid interfaces.

A pilot study has developed a new sensory evaluation method that links the chemical structures of polyphenols with their distinct taste properties. Using trained human panelists, researchers showed that different polyphenols produce unique sensory effects, including bitterness, acidity, and astringency. The findings may help improve functional food design and food processing technologies while advancing understanding of how taste-related sensory pathways contribute to digestion, metabolism, and health-related responses.

A concerning trend is emerging.ScienceAlert stories are written, fact-checked, and edited by humans, never generated by AI. Don't miss a story, subscribe here.

National governments and multilateral institutions face difficult challenges reconciling environmental goals, such as biodiversity conservation and addressing climate change, with economic development goals. In a first-of-its-kind analysis done for 146 countries around the world, an interdisciplinary research team led by researchers at the University of Minnesota has found large potential gains in biodiversity, climate and economic development from improved land use and land management. The findings are published in Science.

A foundation model trained on Earth observation data from Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 has been made widely available to researchers, it was announced at a computer industry conference this week in Denver, U.S.

Leatherman has become synonymous with the style of plier multitool it first brought to market in 1983. But not every single Leatherman plier tool has taken on the ubiquitous X-like form with plier teeth emerging simultaneously from split swiveling handles. The Crunch was a different breed of plier-based multitool with a set of angled pliers that emerged via a unique triple-folding action. It attracted its share of lovers and detractors over the years before retiring just a few years ago. Now it's back for one last run, and it's earned itself a military-grade promotion. Meet the Captain's Crunch.Continue ReadingCategory: Knives and Multitools, Gear, OutdoorsTags: Leatherman, Multitools, Outdoors and Camping, Tools, DIY

Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) have, for the first time, been able to record a debris flow over a distance of two kilometers at the Illgraben (VS). The study reveals where and how waves form within the flow and what happens when they pass over check dams.

An international research team, including Dr. Nancy Mercado Salas from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), has described a new family of copepods (Copepoda). The discovery was made at a depth of more than 2,500 meters in the Irminger Basin, southeast of Greenland, and provides new insights into the evolution of a group of animals that has hitherto been poorly understood. The findings are published in the journal PeerJ.