Scientists Create an Invisibility Cloak for Magnetic Fields

Researchers at the University of Leicester have developed a practical method for creating a "magnetic cloak" for objects of any shape. This device perfectly diverts external magnetic fields around an object, leaving the surrounding magnetic field untouched.

Magnetic fields are constant, invisible interference from power lines, MRI machines, and solar activity. They pose a danger to precision equipment, medical devices, energy systems, and scientific labs, capable of causing failures and data corruption.

Previously, such "cloaks" existed only in theory and worked only for simple shapes like spheres. The new technology allows for the protection of objects with complex and irregular geometry.

The operating principle is based on a combination of two materials: a superconductor that expels the magnetic field and a soft ferromagnet that realigns the distorted field lines. Together, they make the field smoothly flow around the object.

#physics #magnet #discovery

Japanese startup Sensia Technology unveils a portable fabric speaker that emits sound from its entire surface. This is the first practical application of flexible electronics, originally developed at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

The device operates on an electrostatic principle: its surface is woven from flexible conductive fibers. When a signal is applied, it vibrates to produce sound. This eliminates "dead zones" and protruding parts typical of traditional hidden speakers.

The thin and lightweight fabric can be hung on a wall or placed under a pillow. A compact driver and power unit attaches to the edge. A single device reaches up to 68 dB, while a pair can achieve 71 dB. The manufacturer has not released detailed sound quality specifications.

#TechNews #Innovation #AudioTech #FlexibleElectronics #WearableTech #Japan #Startup #Speaker #FutureTech #AIST

Scientists have ranked mammals by monogamy. The top ten look like this:

1. California mouse
2. African wild dog
3. Damaraland mole-rat
4. Emperor tamarin
5. Ethiopian jackal
6. Eurasian beaver
7. Human
8. Lar gibbon
9. Meerkat
10. Gray wolf

The core idea is that in communities and populations with high levels of monogamy, there are more siblings conceived by the same parents.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge assessed 35 mammal species. They determined how many full siblings and half-siblings humans have across different cultures, then compared that data with similar information about animal populations and created a scale of monogamy.

But our seventh place might be undeserved: the scientists emphasized that, unlike those animals that form lifelong pairs, the duration of human relationships is largely influenced by social pressure and religious norms. Thus, humans' close relatives — chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas — lead non-monogamous, group-based lifestyles.

#research #science #monogamy

Maglev train hits 700 km/h in just 2 seconds!

Researchers from China's National University of Defense Technology have conducted a stunning test. On a 400-meter track, they accelerated a 1.1-ton vehicle to 700 km/h in just two seconds and brought it to a safe stop over an equally short distance.

The test demonstrated precise control over the massive electromagnetic forces required for both acceleration and braking. The technology tackles critical challenges like ultra-high-speed electromagnetic propulsion, levitation and guidance control, and the use of high-field superconducting magnets.

Scientists say this electromagnetic launch principle has potential far beyond ground transport. It could assist in launching rockets or boosting aircraft during takeoff, drastically reducing fuel consumption. Such ground-based systems could also be used to simulate extreme high-speed conditions for testing aerospace equipment.

#Technology #Transport #Innovation #China #Maglev #Engineering

The BlueBird 6 communications satellite has been launched into orbit, already nicknamed the "astronomy killer" by astronomers.

The satellite, built by AST SpaceMobile, features a record-breaking antenna area of 223 square meters. Its visible brightness can reach that of a full Moon, creating significant interference for ground-based telescopes. This is only the first of 60 planned similar satellites.

The launch was conducted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) using an LVM3 rocket. The payload mass was 6.5 tonnes. The satellite was placed in a low Earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 kilometers.

The satellite's mission is to provide direct-to-smartphone connectivity in remote areas without cellular coverage. The project competes with the Starlink satellite system. AST SpaceMobile's stock has risen 300% since the beginning of 2025, demonstrating strong investor interest.

#Space #Satellite #Astronomy #BlueBird6 #ASTSpaceMobile #ISRO #Starlink #SpaceNews #Technology #Innovation #LowEarthOrbit #SatelliteInternet

Scientists have found a use for mosquitoes. Their proboscises have been turned into nozzles for 3D printers capable of printing lines thinner than a human hair. The "3D necro-printing" technology uses biodegradable material to create microscopic structures, such as scaffolds for cells.

So, while mosquitoes remain pests, their relatives are now working for science.

⚡️ - that's where these bloodsuckers belong

😡 - but I feel sorry for these little ones, they want to live too

#Science #3DPrinting #Biotechnology

Optical illusion: The image appears to show a single galaxy with a ring. In reality, these are two galaxies far apart. The light from the more distant one is bent by the gravity of the nearer one, forming a ring predicted by Einstein.

Image: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA

The best space photos of 2025 according to Reuters.

⚡️ - that's terrifyingly beautiful

Rats play Doom II no worse than you do

Hungarian programmer and neuroscientist Viktor Tóth taught rats to play the legendary shooter Doom II. His first steps involved creating a makeshift trackball for rodents, allowing them to move within the game. Sweetened water served as a reward for navigating corridors to the end or reaching specific locations.

In the latest version, the gaming system consists of 3D-printed parts. A curved AMOLED screen is installed, covering a 180-degree field of view, creating an immersive effect for the rats.

The main innovation is a special lever that rats can press with their paws to shoot in the game. After two weeks of training, the rats begin to distinguish virtual enemies, aim, and shoot them. They also learn to navigate carefully, avoiding obstacles and not bumping into walls, for which air currents are used as danger markers.

🤡 - Hah, always knew games were way too basic if even rats and monkeys can beat 'em

❤️ - Hmm, but these furry bros are pretty sharp, not gonna lie

The Internet Level: Light

Researchers at Tokyo Polytechnic University have achieved outdoor data transmission at speeds up to 3.48 Mbps using light. The core of this breakthrough is a new 8B13B line coding scheme, implemented on a programmable FPGA board and connected to a single-board Raspberry Pi computer.

Here’s what makes it special:

• Balanced signal – uses a return-to-zero code that maintains an equal number of 0s and 1s, preventing visible flicker and ensuring stable synchronization.

• Pulse-edge detection – the system relies on the leading edges of optical pulses, making it resistant to pulse width distortion.

• Works in daylight – maintains a stable connection at a distance of 3 meters even in bright sunlight exceeding 90,000 lux. The receiver uses multiple photodiodes and a narrowband optical filter to effectively suppress background light.

This approach is considered a promising alternative wireless technology — it doesn’t use radio frequencies and doesn’t congest the airwaves.

❤️ - Perfect for staying online if they ever decide to block the internet.

🤡 - Looks like a fun gadget for now, but will it ever go beyond a prototype into real industry use?

#TechNews #Innovation #Wireless #LiFi #TokyoTech #RaspberryPi

Fireproof Fabric Withstands 1500°C Welding Torch Flame

A Chinese scientist has developed a material that can withstand temperatures above 1500°C. In tests, a welding torch flame could not quickly burn through a sample or burn the researcher's protected hand.

Modern firefighting gear protects against second-degree burns for only about 18 seconds during a flashover. This new development could potentially extend that time to 30+ minutes.

Although the exact composition is not disclosed, experts suggest it may be based on aerogels—ultralight materials with exceptional thermal insulation. The main challenges now are to maintain breathability so firefighters don't overheat and ensure durability through repeated washing.

If these issues can be solved, the technology could revolutionize protection for extreme professions.

#Science #Technology #Safety #Innovation

On this day in 1942, legendary theoretical physicist, cosmologist, science communicator and author Stephen Hawking was born.

Doctors diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and gave him just a couple of years to live — yet, fortunately, he was able to continue his scientific work and lived to the age of 76. He even came close to fulfilling his dream of spaceflight, experiencing weightlessness despite his physical limitations.

Hawking proposed the theory of black hole radiation (Hawking radiation) and worked on the "theory of everything," striving to unite Einstein’s general relativity with quantum mechanics.

One of his books — A Brief History of Time — remained on The Sunday Times bestseller list for 237 weeks.

Extracting 98% of Gold from Old Phones in 20 Minutes

Scientists from China have developed a new method to extract gold from old devices in less than 20 minutes at room temperature.

The cost of this process is about one-third of current market prices for gold recovery. The method also achieves a gold leaching efficiency of over 98.2% and about 93.4% for palladium from old mobile phone processors and household appliance circuit boards.

Unlike traditional methods using toxic chemicals, the team developed a process based on a self-catalytic leaching mechanism. It uses an aqueous solution of potassium peroxymonosulfate and potassium chloride. Upon contact with gold or palladium, these metals themselves act as catalysts, triggering the production of highly active oxidants. These break the chemical bonds of the metal atoms, allowing them to dissolve. After leaching, the metals can be recovered to obtain pure gold.

Want to see what remains of a dead star? The Chandra X-ray Observatory has revealed the expansion of Kepler's supernova remnant. Based on images taken between 2000 and 2025, astronomers have created an animation of the process.

The Kepler supernova remnant was once a white dwarf that exploded after exceeding its critical mass. In the video, the X-ray emission from the remnant is shown in blue and superimposed on optical images from the Pan-STARRS ground-based sky survey. The expansion is uneven — the lower part of the remnant expands fastest, at a speed of about 20.9 million kilometers per hour, while the leading edge of its upper part expands more slowly, at about 6.4 million kilometers per hour. The large difference in speed is due to the varying density of the interstellar medium.

The collection and interpretation of this data over decades has provided scientists with information about the environment surrounding the star and helped them understand how remnants change over time.

Scientists disprove 70-year-old law of physics

Researchers at Cornell University have discovered that at extremely high deformation rates, reducing the grain size of metal — a classic method of strengthening — has the opposite effect: the material becomes softer. This contradicts Hall-Petch's law, according to which metal is stronger when its internal crystal structure is finer.

A laser micro-projectile impact testing setup was used for the experiments. Microparticles were accelerated to speeds exceeding 1,225 km/h and struck copper samples with different grain sizes. It turned out that larger grains provide greater hardness and better dissipate the impact energy.

At normal speeds, strength is created by the blocking of dislocations by grain boundaries. At ultra-high speeds, phonon braking of dislocations comes into play — their interaction with atomic vibrations, which leads to a different balance of properties.

The discovery will be useful for creating new protective materials.

#physics #discovery #disprove

A new quantum state has been discovered in which electrons defy the laws of physics

Scientists at the Vienna University of Technology studied a material composed of cerium, ruthenium, and tin (CeRu₄Sn₆) at temperatures below one millionth of a kelvin. Under these conditions, matter enters a state of quantum fluctuations, where electrons cease to behave as separate particles. Despite this, the researchers observed the emergence of an anomalous Hall effect — the deflection of charge carriers without any external magnetic field. This is a clear sign of a topological state.

The signal was strongest at the point of maximum quantum fluctuations and disappeared when suppressed by pressure or a magnetic field. The discovery shows that topological states, which are important for quantum technologies and electronics, can arise even when the description of the system by individual particles becomes invalid. This work paves the way for the search for new materials among many known quantum-critical compounds.

#quantum_mechanics #qm #discovery

A wormhole is no longer a tunnel between distant points in space

In a new study, scientists revisited the 1935 Einstein-Rosen bridge concept and concluded that it is no longer a tunnel in space, but a connection between opposite time vectors.

The work offers a new perspective on reconciling gravity with quantum mechanics. According to it, the bridge connects two states: one where time flows forward and a mirror image where it flows backward. This allows us to resolve the information paradox of black holes — information does not disappear without a trace but is preserved in the time-reversed component.

As a result, the Big Bang is reinterpreted. It may not have been the beginning, but rather a quantum "rebound" during the transition from a contracting universe to an expanding one, each with its own arrow of time. In this model, our universe could have originated inside a black hole from the previous cosmos. Hypothetical relics from that period, such as primordial black holes, may partially explain the nature of dark matter.