Aughts excellence.

A massive new analysis of over 1,700 languages shows that some long-debated “universal” grammar rules are actually real. By using cutting-edge evolutionary methods, researchers found that languages tend to evolve in predictable ways rather than randomly. Key patterns—like word order and grammatical structure—keep reappearing across the globe. The results suggest shared human thinking and communication pressures shape how all languages develop.

Most laser sources produce Gaussian beams that diverge as they propagate. This natural spreading limits their effectiveness in applications that require light to remain concentrated over long distances. To overcome this challenge, structured light beams have been developed, whose amplitude, phase, and polarization can be carefully controlled.

Among these are Bessel beams, which are generated by the self-interference of laser beams as they propagate through space. However, ideal Bessel beams possess complex ring structures that complicate their practical use. Additionally, existing methods for generating advanced beam shapes, such as optical bottle beams, often involve complex and expensive setups that necessitate precise alignment.

Now, researchers at Chiba University, Japan, have developed a simple and compact method to generate a laser chain beam that remains nondiffracting during free-space propagation.

Researchers have discovered that perovskite crystals can rapidly and reversibly change shape when exposed to light, revealing a unique behavior not seen in traditional semiconductors.

Acoustic waves can be guided through a narrow “tunnel” that lacks walls and thus presents no obstruction to sound traveling across its path.

Researchers have devised a “ghost tunnel”—a nearly perfect waveguide for sound that allows other sound waves to pass across its path undisturbed [1]. The tunnel is essentially invisible to external waves. The researchers expect the 2D acoustic structure to find use in situations such as complex sonar devices, where multiple signal channels must cross without interacting.

The hard walls of metal pipes and other ordinary waveguides keep sound trapped inside, but they also present obstructions that scatter external sound waves. This scattering can be a major problem in environments such as integrated acoustic circuits or sonar applications, where sound waves are propagating in multiple directions outside of waveguides. These nonguided waves can potentially suffer from signal-clarity degradation.

Representing bird flocks and insect swarms as nodes connected in a complex structure yields new insights into animal collective behavior.

UNC1069 compromised Axios 1.14.1 and 0.30.4 via social engineering, impacting 100M weekly downloads and exposing supply chains.

SparkCat resurfaces in three app store apps, scanning crypto wallet images via OCR, increasing global risk.