Research & science

Research & science What is space-time? A mystery at the heart of reality What if our biggest idea about reality is built on a hidden misunderstanding? A new philosophical look at space-time challenges the popular view that the past, present, and future all exist together in a timeless "block universe." The argument suggests that physicists may be blurring the difference between things that exist and things that merely occur, creating deep confusion about what space-… ScienceDaily — Materials Science · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science First lines of code spark interest in engineering “Draw a square, a triangle and a house.” Within minutes, 25 secondary school pupils from Norrtälje have written their first working lines of code and watched them come to life on screen. At KTH, they are trying programming for the first time. For some, it could be the beginning of a new interest in technology. KTH Royal Institute of Technology News · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science Heat breaks the rules at the nanoscale and scientists used it to their advantage Scientists used nanoscale gold metamaterials to supercharge heat transfer across tiny gaps, achieving up to four times more energy flow than similar conventional systems. The breakthrough could lead to better chip cooling, more efficient energy technologies, and a new era of precision heat engineering. ScienceDaily — Materials Science · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science Hay fever, antihistamines and the evidence on dementia risk Recent headlines have raised concerns about allergy tablets. The evidence is more nuanced than it first appears. Loughborough University — The Conversation institution feed · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science South Australia’s koala boom could end in mass starvation South Australia’s koala population has grown so large that it may be heading toward a self-made disaster, with forests struggling to support the animals. Researchers say targeted fertility control could prevent widespread starvation and habitat collapse before it’s too late. ScienceDaily — Sustainability · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science BBC and AHRC select New Generation Thinkers 2026 Five of the UK’s most promising early-career academics have been selected as this year’s New Generation Thinkers to help shape Radio 4 programming. AHRC UKRI News · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science Do AI systems learn the same view of the world? 08.06.26 - Two years ago, researchers at MIT proposed a provocative idea: as AI models become more powerful, they begin to see the world in the same way. But not everyone was convinced and now EPFL scientists have shown that the picture is more nuanced. Today’s artificial intelligence systems learn by being trained on massive datasets. Language models are trained on text, vision models on image… EPFL News (Mediacom) · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science Vadose zone infiltration wells for stormwater management and managed aquifer recharge: A global review and pre-/post-installation decision framework Volume 56, Issue 16, null 2026, Page 886-907 . Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology (Taylor & Francis) · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science Issue Information - 2026 - Bipolar Disorders - Wiley Online Library Journal of Industrial Ecology (Wiley) · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science Morphological and phenological matching shape functional heteranthery - Oku - Plant Biology - Wiley Online Library Journal of Industrial Ecology (Wiley) · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science Engineered Activated Carbon from Cork Waste for the Removal of a Refractory By-Product Formed During Ozonation-Based Water Treatment This work aimed to valorise cork powder waste by converting it into activated carbons (ACCKs) for use as adsorbents and catalysts in the removal of oxalic acid, a refractory by-product formed during ozonation-based water treatment. The ACCKs were prepared via direct physical activation with CO 2 , and their characteristics were tailored by changing pyrolysis temperature (500–800 °C), CO₂ p… Materials Circular Economy (Springer) · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science Feasibility Assessment of Integrating a Medical Oxygen Recovery System into an Existing Hydrogen Electrolysis Station: Case Study of An Algerian combined‑cycle power plant This paper presents a modelling and simulation study for recovering high‑purity medical oxygen as a by‑product of hydrogen production at the SONELGAZ Ras‑Djinet combined‑cycle power plant. The study develops a thermodynamic process model in Aspen HYSYS, validated against the plant data and operating assumptions from the Ras‑Djinet H2 station. Key unit operations gasometer buffering, KOH scrubbi… Materials Circular Economy (Springer) · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science The Role of Life Cycle Costing in Supporting Circular Economy Strategies: Evidence from Manufacturing Firms Life Cycle Costing (LCC) has attracted growing attention as a decision-support tool for circular economy (CE) transitions in manufacturing, but how researchers and firms actually apply it varies considerably, and integration with CE frameworks has remained uneven. This article reports a systematic review and thematic synthesis of 57 peer-reviewed publications from 2020 to 2026, examining how LC… Materials Circular Economy (Springer) · 8 Jun 2026 Research & science Quand le remède au burn out consistait à passer l’hiver en France Longues journées de travail, accélération des communications, fatigue mentale : les angoisses associées au burn out existaient déjà au XIXᵉ siècle. Les réponses apportées à l’époque pourraient encore nourrir nos réflexions sur le bien-être aujourd’hui. University of Oxford — The Conversation institution feed · 7 Jun 2026 Research & science Scientists found a surprisingly simple way to create powerful quantum states A team at the University of Chicago has discovered a surprisingly simple way to create powerful quantum states that are normally difficult to produce. By making small adjustments to the energy levels of atoms inside an optical cavity, researchers can generate a wide variety of highly entangled states without adding complicated hardware. ScienceDaily — Materials Science · 6 Jun 2026 Research & science Scientists sound the alarm as dangerous amoebas spread globally Scientists warn that free-living amoebae may be an underappreciated public health threat, capable of causing deadly infections and shielding other dangerous microbes from water treatment. Climate change and aging infrastructure could help these resilient organisms spread more widely in the years ahead. ScienceDaily — Recycling and Waste · 6 Jun 2026 Research & science A tiny atomic shift gives scientists powerful control over metals A team at the University of Minnesota discovered that changing a metal film's thickness by just a few nanometers can dramatically alter how it behaves electronically. The finding reveals a surprising new way to control metals and could help power future advances in electronics, catalysis, and quantum technology. ScienceDaily — Materials Science · 6 Jun 2026 Research & science Green growth claims are overstated – our study shows three reasons why Real efforts have been made, and recent lines on the chart do go in the right direction. But what if they are wobbles, not turns. University of Sheffield — The Conversation institution feed · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science Victorians called burnout ‘overwork’ – and they cured it by holidaying in France Victorians were acutely aware of the health problems which could come from devotion to the ‘gospel of work’. University of Oxford — The Conversation institution feed · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science How migration became a key to World Cup success There is some evidence to suggest that national teams with more migrant players perform better on the pitch. University of Oxford — The Conversation institution feed · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science UK Home Office to use AI age estimation on asylum seekers – how accurate is the technology? Leading algorithms now achieve a mean absolute error of less than three years across all ages. Loughborough University — The Conversation institution feed · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science Child drownings spike during heatwaves – and it’s a serious climate justice issue As the UK gets hotter, children will seek water to cool down. The real question is why so many have so few places to go. Loughborough University — The Conversation institution feed · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science Scientists discover a hidden quantum world inside cobalt Scientists have uncovered unexpected quantum complexity inside cobalt, a metal long thought to be fully understood. Advanced measurements revealed a dense network of topological electronic states that remain robust at room temperature. These states enable extremely fast electron behavior and can be switched or controlled using magnetism. The discovery could open new paths toward next-generation… ScienceDaily — Materials Science · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science Early diet may shape how the teenage brain develops, Swansea review finds A major new review led by Swansea University has highlighted growing evidence that diet in the early years of life may shape how well the brain develops, with effects that can still be seen in adolescence. Swansea University News · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science We’ve been testing therapy like it’s a pill – and some patients are paying the price Why the NHS keeps offering you the same therapy. And why the science behind that decision is shakier than you think. University of Manchester — The Conversation institution feed · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science Rising seas could drown mangroves and release vast stores of carbon Mangroves are famous for trapping vast amounts of carbon, helping slow climate change. However, a new study suggests rising sea levels could eventually reduce that benefit across entire forests. As flooding becomes too extreme, mangroves may die off and their carbon-rich soils could erode, potentially turning these coastal ecosystems from carbon sinks into carbon sources. ScienceDaily — Environmental Science · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science The good news about Bonnie Blue’s pregnancy stunt that no one was expecting - UCL | University College London UCL News · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science Giant fire tornadoes could clean up oil spills faster with less pollution Researchers have shown that controlled fire whirls can clean up oil spills faster and more cleanly than traditional burning methods. The spinning flames consumed up to 95% of the oil, cut soot emissions by 40%, and could help prevent spills from reaching sensitive marine habitats. ScienceDaily — Pollution · 5 Jun 2026 Research & science Home-sorted recycling produces higher-quality plastic bales with fewer contaminants, finds study The quality of recycled plastic tends to be higher when the waste is pre-sorted by households compared with plastics recovered from mixed waste at a recycling facility in the Netherlands, research in Nature suggests. While mixed waste (not pre-sorted) collections may increase overall recycling volumes, this comes at the cost of reduced quality of the recycled product. The findings highlight the… Phys.org — 'plastic recycling' search feed · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause? The Scottish parliament has its biggest ever pro-independence majority. University of Glasgow — The Conversation institution feed · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science How cells fight infection from the inside Scientists have described for the first time how cells can digest bacteria and viruses from within. MRC UKRI News · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science The pigeon fanciers of the Bronze Age Why pigeons deserve more respect. University of Nottingham — The Conversation institution feed · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science Why the electric SUV boom is a problem for climate, health and equity If SUVs were a country, they would be one of the world’s five biggest CO₂ emitters. University of Southampton — The Conversation institution feed · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science Ukraine war: air campaign intensifies as Russia and Ukraine trade massive drone and missile attacks Russia has launched its biggest drone and missile strikes of the war to date. But Ukraine has hit back effectively. University of Birmingham — The Conversation institution feed · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science Reaction to Henry Nowak murder shows why the government needs to channel a real ‘common sense’ Trying to outflank Reform UK won’t work – and could just make tensions worse. University of Bath — The Conversation institution feed · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science Meet Purrble – the plushie robot helping to ease anxiety and depression in LGBTQ+ young people An interactive robotic plushie called Purrble could improve anxiety and depressive symptoms in LGBTQ+ young people. Swansea University News · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science We watched the first Enhanced Games live in Las Vegas – this is what we learned After the headlines and the hype, only one world record was broken in Las Vegas, though many athletes set personal bests. Loughborough University — The Conversation institution feed · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science Computer, Start Your Engine - Caltech Magazine Caltech News · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science A critical review of luminescent strategies for bioaerosol analysis: Bridging energy-driven mechanisms to analytical performance for environmental surveillance Volume 56, Issue 16, null 2026, Page 908-929 . Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology (Taylor & Francis) · 4 Jun 2026 Research & science An ultrafast laser on a chip 04.06.26 - EPFL researchers have built a photonic chip that rivals much larger laboratory lasers, delivers extremely short, high-energy optical pulses, and could reshape technologies like medical diagnostics and optical atomic clocks. Ultrafast lasers emit pulses lasting only a few hundred femtoseconds, or quadrillionths of a second. These flashes of light power applications from precision micr… EPFL News (Mediacom) · 4 Jun 2026