Headlines

Unified model may explain vibrational anomalies in solids

Phonons are sound particles or quantized vibrations of atoms in solid materials. The Debye model, a theory introduced by physicist Peter Debye in 1912, describes the contribution of phonons to the specific heat of materials and explains why the amount of heat required to raise

Bold action needed to fix NHS clinical placement crisis

A fundamental rethink of how the NHS trains its future workforce is urgently needed, according to a new paper from the Higher Education Policy Institute, "Rethinking Placement: Increasing Clinical Placement Efficacy for a Sustainable NHS Future" (HEPI Report 194).

The 1.5°C target—an obituary?

"The truth is that we have failed to avoid an overshooting above 1.5°C in the next few years," UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently admitted ahead of the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference.

Strange microscopic structures found in Long COVID blood

Scientists have discovered strange microscopic structures in the blood of people with Long COVID—clusters of tiny microclots tangled together with sticky immune webs known as neutrophil extracellular traps, or NETs. These combined structures show up far more often in Long COVID

Cheap gout drug may slash heart attack and stroke risk

Colchicine, a cheap and widely used gout drug, may help prevent heart attacks and strokes in people with cardiovascular disease. Trials involving nearly 23,000 patients show meaningful reductions in risk with low doses. Side effects were mostly mild and short-lived. Researchers

The hidden danger of lunar micrometeoroid storms

The moon has no significant atmosphere, no weather, and no wind. Yet it faces an invisible bombardment more relentless than any terrestrial storm, a constant rain of micrometeoroids, tiny fragments of rock and metal traveling at speeds up to 70 kilometers per second. As NASA's

Digitizing the layers of Rome

When Junior Professor Catherine Teitz leaves the front door, she steps right into her research field. "I live in Mainz's Kästrich quarter, in the footprint of the Roman legionary camp of Mogontiacum," she says. Even her daily route to the Institute of Ancient Studies leads

Gene editing produces plants that are indigestible to pests

Insects that feed on starch can find veritable feasts in corn, pea, and bean crops or warehouses. It is no coincidence that the ancestors of these commercial plants developed α-amylase inhibitor proteins, which make the starch in their seeds indigestible to pests, keeping them