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Generation of harmful slow electrons in water is a race between intermolecular energy decay and proton transfer

When high-energy radiation interacts with water in living organisms, it generates particles and slow-moving electrons that can subsequently damage critical molecules like DNA. Now, Professor Petr Slavíček and his bachelor’s student Jakub Dubský from UCT Prague (University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague) have described in detail one of the key mechanisms for the creation of these slow electrons in water, a process known as Intermolecular Coulombic Decay (ICD). Their powerful mathematical model successfully explains all the data from complex laser experiments conducted at ETH Zurich (Hans-Jakob Woerner team).

The work, which deepens the fundamental understanding of radiation chemistry, has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

A detailed knowledge of the processes in , combined with advances in research technologies using high-energy radiation, is transforming the field of radiation chemistry. In the future, these insights could lead to significant changes in various fields, including medicine, particularly in developing more sensitive and controllable applications for devices based on ionizing radiation.

Gaia provides a deep look into the galactic open cluster NGC 2506

Using ESA’s Gaia satellite and NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers from the Ege University in Turkey and elsewhere have observed a galactic open cluster known as NGC 2506. Results of the observational campaign, published October 7 on the arXiv pre-print server, put more constraints on the properties of this cluster.

In general, groups of stars formed from the same giant molecular cloud and loosely gravitationally bound to each other are known as open clusters (OCs). Inspecting galactic OCs in detail could be crucial for improving our understanding of the formation and evolution of our Milky Way galaxy.

NGC 2,506 is a mildly-elongated OC estimated to be located some 12,700 light years away, near the galactic anti-center. It is a well-populated, metal-poor, intermediate-age cluster with a radius of about 18.5 light years.

The “Really Big One” Might Trigger California’s Next Catastrophe, Scientists Warn

Geologic clues reveal a hidden link between two major faults. A Cascadia quake might set the San Andreas in motion soon after. When the tectonic subduction zone beneath the Pacific Northwest shifts, it does so violently. A magnitude 9+ earthquake in this region would unleash powerful ground shaki

Study Warns of “Ultimate Extinction” as Dolphin Lifespans Plummet

A new study reveals that common dolphins in the North Atlantic are living significantly shorter lives, with female longevity dropping by seven years since 1997. Common dolphins are among the most numerous marine mammals on Earth, yet a new study in Conservation Letters reveals that these animals

Not So Dead After All: Astronomers Reveal the Secret Behind Inflated White Dwarfs

White dwarfs are the dense, compact remains left behind when stars exhaust their nuclear fuel, a process that will one day occur to our own Sun. These stellar remnants are known as degenerate stars because their internal physics defy normal expectations: as they gain mass, they actually become smaller in size.

Many white dwarfs exist in pairs, forming what are known as binary systems, where two stars orbit each other. Most of these systems are ancient by galactic standards and have cooled over time to surface temperatures near 4,000 Kelvin.

Yet, astronomers have recently identified a remarkable group of short-period binary systems in which the stars complete an orbit in less than an hour. Surprisingly, these white dwarfs appear to be about twice as large as models predict, with much higher surface temperatures ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 Kelvin.

New Theory Suggests We’ve Been Looking for Dark Matter All Wrong

A new study suggests that Dark Matter — long thought to be completely invisible — might subtly tint light as it passes through regions filled with the elusive substance. Dark Matter, which makes up most of the Universe, might not be entirely invisible after all. According to new research from the

Scientists Discover a Giant, Unexplained Wave Rippling Through the Milky Way

The Milky Way ripples like a vast cosmic wave. Gaia’s precise measurements reveal a colossal motion sweeping through the galaxy’s disc, an echo of something mysterious in our galaxy’s ancient past. The Milky Way is anything but static. It rotates and it wobbles, and new observations from the Euro

Air Force approaches industry for cognitive radio intelligent waveform generation and network control

The program seeks new kinds of cognitive radio techniques that enable wireless communications that autonomously find open radio frequencies and choose the most efficient RF waveform to avoid interference, achieve necessary range, and send data quickly.

Intelligent RF transceivers

Cognitive radio describes an RF transceiver that intelligently can detect which communication channels are in use, which ones are not, and instantly move into vacant channels. The same principles could apply to radar, electronic warfare (EW) and other RF and microwave applications.

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