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Blog – Page 131

A research team led by Professor Hyung-Joon Shin from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UNIST has succeeded in elucidating the quantum phenomenon occurring within a triangular cluster of three water molecules. The work is published in the journal Nano Letters.

Their findings demonstrate that the collective rotational motion of water molecules enhances proton tunneling, a quantum mechanical effect where protons (H+) bypass energy barriers instead of overcoming them. This phenomenon has implications for and the stability of biomolecules such as DNA.

The study reveals that when the rotational motion of water molecules is activated, the distances between the molecules adjust, resulting in increased cooperativity and facilitating proton tunneling. This process allows the three protons from the water molecules to collectively surmount the energy barrier.

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Metals, as most know them, are good conductors of electricity. That’s because the countless electrons in a metal like gold or silver move more or less freely from one atom to the next, their motion impeded only by occasional collisions with defects in the material.

There are, however, metallic materials at odds with our conventional understanding of what it means to be a metal. In so-called “bad metals”—a technical term, explains Columbia physicist Dmitri Basov—electrons hit unexpected resistance: each other. Instead of the electrons behaving like individual balls bouncing about, they become correlated with one another, clumping up so that their need to move more collectively impedes the flow of an electrical current.

Bad metals may make for poor electrical conductors, but it turns out that they make good quantum materials. In work published on February 13 in the journal Science, Basov’s group unexpectedly observed unusual optical properties in the bad metal molybdenum oxide dichloride (MoOCl2).

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In a groundbreaking step toward sustainable energy, Helsinki has just unveiled the world’s largest heat pump, a game-changing system capable of providing heat to 30,000 homes. This massive infrastructure not only represents a technological breakthrough, but also signals a major shift in how cities can transition to greener energy sources. By harnessing renewable power and cutting dependence on fossil fuels, Finland is setting a new standard for efficient, low-emission heating solutions.

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In an unprecedented move, precision medicine provider Human Longevity, Inc. (HLI) has effectively guaranteed its Executive Health Program members that it will prevent them from developing late stage prostate cancer. Such is the company’s belief in its preventive approach, it has announced it is committing $1 million for advanced treatment of any member diagnosed with stage four of the disease or higher while under its care.

Founded in 2013 by genomics pioneer Dr J Craig Venter, San Francisco-based Human Longevity Inc. (HLI) aims to extend human health and performance beyond the traditional focus on treating illness. By continuously analyzing health data from its clients, HLI seeks to identify potential health risks – such as prostate cancer – early, enabling targeted interventions to extend both healthspan and lifespan.

Leveraging data collected from more than 5,000 men over the past decade, HLI claims it has developed what it believes to be the most advanced algorithm for early prostate cancer detection. As preventive medicine continues to demonstrate its capacity to mitigate previously life-threatening conditions, will we see commitments of this nature emerging for more diseases?

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UC Riverside and its partners are exploring antiferromagnetic spintronics, a tech that could unlock lightning-fast, ultra-dense memory and smarter computing through quantum mechanics. The University of California, Riverside has been awarded nearly $4 million through the UC National Laboratory Fee

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JILA researchers are pioneering a nuclear clock using thorium-229, which offers unprecedented stability compared to atomic clocks.

By embedding thorium into a solid-state crystal, they have found a nuclear transition largely resistant to temperature changes, crucial for precision timekeeping. Their work could not only redefine timekeeping but also open doors to detecting new physics.

Pushing Beyond Atomic Clocks

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Researchers have created a tiny, shape-shifting robot that swims, crawls, and glides freely in the deep sea.

Developed by a team at the Beihang University in China, the robot operated at a depth of 10,600 meters in the Mariana Trench.

Using the same actuator technology, a soft gripper mounted on a submersible’s rigid arm successfully retrieved sea urchins and starfish from the South China Sea, demonstrating its capability for deep-sea exploration and specimen collection.

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