Fireflies glow. So does plankton in a breaking wave.... Both come from the same small molecule: a square of two carbon and two oxygen atoms that breaks apart and gives off light. Researchers at Stanford found that if you pull on that square instead of heating it, it breaks in the opposite order from what everyone expected. The carbon bond goes first, then the oxygen. It still emits light, just by a route nobody knew was there. That opens the door to materials that glow to warn you before they crack. We made the animation for the press release: This animation shows a pulling force, indicated by arrows, applied to a molecule of bis(adamantly)-1,2-dioxetane. The strain breaks the carbon–carbon bond (in gray) of the core structure. Then, the oxygen - oxygen bond (in red) breaks, causing a remaining piece to become unstable and emit a photon of blue light to return to a more stable state. If you have a result that needs showing, we'd be glad to help. Read more:show more

Carbon credits are a key component of national and... global attempts to mitigate the growth in concentrations of greenhouse gasses (GHGs). The basic idea behind carbon credits is to use market mechanisms to control emissions. Carbon credits can be bought and sold on carbon markets, and this trading helps to set a price on carbon. The carbon credit system was established under the Kyoto Protocol and is now a key component of many emissions trading schemes around the world. By putting a price on carbon, the system aims to encourage the transition to a low-carbon economy and help mitigate the impacts of climate change, effectively making it more expensive to pollute. #SaveSoilshow more

The cycle of life, every instant, in your mitochondria.... The major electron carrier in mitochondria is NAD+. When it collects an electron from the food you eat, NAD+ is converted into NADH. NADH then feeds the electron to the electron transport chain so the electron can flow to oxygen - the ultimate electron acceptor. How easily electrons make their way to oxygen determines energy resistance (éR) following the energy resistance principle (ERP) Mitochondrial matrix and cell cytoplasm are two different "sealed" compartments, but there is a special system that connects the NAD+/NADH pools between mito and cytoplasm: the Malate-Aspartate shuttle The Malate-Aspartate shuttle shown below is how NADH from the cytoplasm (made by glycolysis) is carried into mitochondria. The electron transport chain can then regenerate NAD+ by respiring the flowing electron. Everywhere in biology: energy transfer. Sometimes without molecular carriers. Here with a number of enzymatic intermediates, creating an integrated electrical circuit. The circuit is in service of the flowing electron looking for a place to rest. Getting back onto oxygen to become H2O (water) again, as it was initially before getting ripped off by light energy and stuck onto a carbon backbone in a green leaf. Animation by Janet Iwasa labshow more

When a nuclear reactor powers on for the first... time, the core fills with a deep blue glow that feels almost unreal as it rises through the water in a quiet surge of energy. The light is Cherenkov radiation, created when charged particles move through the water faster than light can travel in that medium, a discovery made in the 1930s that revealed a new way to see high energy reactions. Every appearance of this glow is a reminder of how powerful atomic reactions can be, showing a rare moment where raw physics becomes something visible and strangely beautiful.show more

🚨 A MAJOR BARRIER TO TURNING CO₂ INTO USEFUL... FUEL MAY HAVE JUST FALLEN. Scientists have developed a new catalyst that triples methanol production while solving a decades-old chemistry trade-off. For years, researchers trying to turn carbon dioxide into methanol (a valuable fuel and chemical feedstock) have faced an annoying trade-off: at lower temperatures the reaction is more efficient, but CO₂ is hard to activate. Raise the temperature to speed things up, and you get more unwanted carbon monoxide instead of methanol. A team at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics has now broken this deadlock. By redesigning the catalyst so that different reaction steps happen on spatially separated active sites, they achieved a space-time yield of 1.2 g of methanol per gram of catalyst per hour roughly three times higher than standard commercial Cu/Zn/Al catalysts. Why this matters: • Methanol from CO₂ is seen as a key route for carbon recycling and producing sustainable fuels and chemicals • The new design dramatically improves both activity and selectivity at the same time • It reduces the formation of carbon monoxide byproduct while keeping hydrogen dissociation efficient • This kind of catalyst improvement is essential if we want CO₂-to-fuel processes to become economically viable at scale The deeper implication: Converting CO₂ into useful products has always been limited by fundamental chemistry trade-offs. By cleverly separating reaction steps across different parts of the catalyst, this work shows we can overcome those limitations without needing extreme conditions or exotic materials. It’s a practical step toward making carbon capture and utilization more efficient turning one of our biggest waste products into something valuable instead of just burying it. We’re getting closer to catalysts that don’t force us to choose between speed and cleanliness. How important do you think breakthroughs like this will be for scaling up carbon-to-fuel technologies in the coming years? Follow for more frontier chemistry, catalysis, and carbon utilization research.show more

You Can Heal Yourself With Nature Movement - By... moving our body we give strength to our muscles, promote blood flow and lymphatic flow enhancing the delivery of nutrients and the removal of waste products. We also create a piezoelectric effect that energises the system. Breathing - The delivery of air into the body through intentional conscious breathing is one of the most powerful modalities for nervous system renewal, mental peace and the delivery of oxygen to the body and the removal of carbonic acid buildup from the system Sunshine - It’s my belief that the more sunlight we absorb without sunscreen, the healthier we will become. A tan looks good because it is healthy and every part of your body thrives when sunlight touches it delivering blood flow as well as a high frequency and energy Grounding - Existing in connection with the earth’s electrical fields resets everything about our energy, reduces inflammation and promotes the movement of proper channels such as detox - it’s a fantastic practice to be connected to nature. Green light - When sunlight moves through trees and leaves we receive Green light by which is very healing and high in near infrared light, in fact it is one of the most healing modalities to absorb in your skin particularly if you have any abrasions or wounds - even more powerful than red light . Fresh air - The first nutrient, having fresh air that is rich in oxygen is absolutely imperative to health and you should always have all of your windows open in the house if possible when not outside. Positive thinking - Whatever you think, shall become and having and cultivating a positive mindset that intentionally brings you positive energy is one of the cornerstones to great health. You can think yourself into sickness and you can think yourself into health so choose to view the world in a positive light and so it’ll be for you.show more

There is a room in Málaga that was built... to be the closest thing on earth to standing inside heaven. It is called the camarín of the Virgin of Victory, and it is hidden at the top of a tower inside the Santuario de la Victoria. To reach it, you climb and the ascent is the entire point... The building you are climbing through was completed in 1700, and it was designed as a single argument made in stone. At the bottom lies a crypt: a black chamber crowded with white plaster skeletons, a meditation on death and the brevity of life. From there a staircase rises, and as you climb it the light grows stronger and the imagery changes from bones to saints. The architects of the time understood this ascent as the soul's own journey, the dark crypt as the stage of penitence, the staircase as the stage of spiritual progress, and the room at the very top as the final stage: the union of the soul with the divine. That room at the top is the camarín, and its dome is one of the most extraordinary interiors in Spain... Every surface is covered in white and gold plasterwork. There is no empty space anywhere. The Baroque called this horror vacui, the horror of the void: the conviction that a space meant to represent heaven should not contain a single bare patch of stone. Out of that plasterwork emerge angels, flowers, birds, and mirrors. The mirrors are not decoration alone. They catch the light pouring in through the windows of the drum and throw it around the chamber, so that the gold seems to move and the whole room appears to shimmer and breathe. This wonder was built by people who believed that if you wanted to show a human being what heaven might feel like, you did not describe it to them. You built a room, and you let them climb into it... -- -- -- If you enjoyed this, I write a weekly newsletter read by over 50,000 people who love rediscovering the beauty of the past. You can join us here: If you'd like to support my work, a paid subscription is what makes it possible.show more

Paul Curry, an amateur magician in New York City,... was the first to discover that a square can be cut into a few pieces and the pieces rearranged to make a square of the same size that has a hole in it! There are many versions of the Curry paradox, but this one is the simplest.show more

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney wants data centers to... be carbon neutral 🤦🏼 "I'd suggest that we can catalyze enormous private sector demand for these (carbon) credits, by committing AI data center development to be carbon neutral. We need a price on carbon." Do you understand how braindead you have to be to suggest to increase the price of computation?! Hundreds of billions of dollars are being invested in data centers in the US, revolutionizing the energy sector and instead of asking why is Canada not building future industries, all the idiot talks about is carbon tax.show more

Paul Curry, an amateur magician in New York City,... was the first to discover that a square can be cut into a few pieces and the pieces rearranged to make a square of the same size that has a hole in it! There are many versions of the Curry paradox, but this one is the simplest.show more

🚨 SCIENTISTS JUST BUILT A WIRE THAT IS ONLY... ONE ATOM WIDE. Researchers have created linear carbon atomic chains essentially a string of carbon atoms bonded in a straight line suspended between two gold electrodes, and directly observed how electrons travel through them. These chains are one of the most extreme forms of matter: a true 1D carbon structure with extraordinary stiffness and unique electronic behavior. In this setup, electrons can travel through the chain in ways that reveal quantum effects not seen in conventional materials. Why this matters: • Linear carbon chains are predicted to be the strongest material known, stronger even than graphene or carbon nanotubes • They offer a platform to study true one-dimensional physics and quantum transport at the atomic scale • Understanding charge flow through single-atom chains could help design future molecular-scale electronics • The gold-carbon-gold junction acts like a prototype for atomic-scale wires and switches The deeper implication: We are now building and testing electronics at the ultimate limit of miniaturization literally one atom wide. These experiments don’t just push the boundaries of what’s physically possible; they give us a window into how matter behaves when reduced to a single dimension. The rules that govern bulk materials break down here, and new quantum phenomena emerge. This kind of work lays the groundwork for a future where electronic devices are engineered atom by atom rather than fabricated in bulk. We’re moving from “smaller transistors” to “wires made of single atoms.” How close do you think we are to practical molecular or atomic-scale electronics becoming reality? Follow for more frontier nanotechnology, quantum transport, and atomic-scale materials research.show more

When a nuclear reactor is switched on for the... first time, an intense, almost hypnotic blue glow appears in the water surrounding the reactor core. This light is neither fire nor heat; it is Cherenkov radiation, a physical phenomenon that occurs when charged particles, such as high-energy electrons produced during nuclear fission, travel through a transparent medium faster than light can propagate within that same medium. While nothing can exceed the speed of light in a vacuum, light travels more slowly in materials like water. When a charged particle surpasses this reduced speed, it emits a coherent shock-like electromagnetic wave, often described as an optical analogue of a sonic boom. This radiation produces the distinctive blue glow. The colour arises because Cherenkov radiation is strongest at shorter wavelengths, which are dominated by blue and ultraviolet light. The phenomenon was first observed experimentally in 1934 and later explained theoretically, work that led to the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1958. Its explanation confirmed how relativity and electromagnetism operate in material media. Today, this deep blue light is both a warning and a scientific tool. It signals the presence of intense ionising radiation, while also being exploited in particle detectors, nuclear reactors, and neutrino observatories. It provides a rare, visible manifestation of subatomic processes that are otherwise hidden from direct human perception. #GottaLovePhysics #Physicsshow more

“Regardless of the outcome of games you have to... be honed in on the standard of doing it. You have to set a standard, create a standard and then live and die by that standard. Then just attack everyday, attack and just be consistent,” Jalen Hurtsshow more

Here’s a clip from 26-years ago that Bill Nye... does not want you to see. 👇 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐲𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟖: “Carbon is everywhere! Carbon is in every living thing... carbon is even in the air! *exhales carbon dioxide* Carbon is what makes life go! Go! Go!… Carbon is the key to life! You’ve got, got, got to respect that!” 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐲𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒: “We’ve created this wonderful quality of life for so many people by burning ancient carbon, ancient swamps; coal, oil, gas. We’ve just gotta stop doing that.”show more

A single E. coli cell, placed on a dish,... will become 70 billion cells in just 12 hours. That’s exponential growth. But a new preprint shows that it's possible to engineer E. coli to grow linearly instead, where only one daughter cell continues dividing and the other stops. First, some context. In nature, there is a bacterium called Mycobacterium smegmatis (initially discovered in 1884 in ulcers scraped from syphilis patients.) M. smegmatis is weird because it divides asymmetrically. These cells grow only from one end, and all their cell wall biosynthesis machinery is located on that one end. So when the cell divides, one daughter gets this machinery and the other gets nothing. The daughter that gets the machinery can keep dividing immediately, but the other daughter has to remake all that machinery from scratch, so its growth is delayed. E. coli doesn’t grow like this. When it divides, it pinches in the middle and splits everything evenly. Enzymes, metabolites, and proteins get partitioned more or less randomly between the two daughters. For the new preprint, though, researchers engineered E. coli to behave more like M. smegmatis. Here is how they did it: First, they deleted a gene called cyaA, which encodes an enzyme (adenylate cyclase) that makes a molecule called cAMP. cAMP is SUPER IMPORTANT! It is a nutrient sensor that instructs E. coli to switch on genes that help it digest non-glucose carbon sources when glucose is scarce. Without cAMP, E. coli cells growing on alternative carbon sources will starve; they won’t know how to eat the food. Next, they added back a “split” version of the cyaA gene into the cells. In other words, they split the gene in two so that each half of the enzyme is made separately. Cells can only make cAMP, and thus eat non-glucose carbon sources, if these two halves come together. To facilitate that “coming together,” the researchers also fused the split cyaA proteins to sticky proteins that clump together, and to a fluorescent protein (to make it easy to track these molecules in the cell.) So now some interesting things start to happen if you grow E. coli on a growth medium lacking glucose. As the cell grows, its cyaA “halves” start clumping together into a giant ball. Inside the aggregate, the two enzyme halves come together and make cAMP. And when the cell gets big enough and divides, the clump of cyaA RANDOMLY goes to either daughter cell #1 or #2. The daughter that gets the aggregate (called PA+ in this paper) can keep dividing. The daughter that doesn’t (PA–) cannot. It still grows a few times — about four divisions — because it inherits some leftover cAMP from its mother. But after that, the metabolite is diluted away, and the cell stops growing. PA+ cells went through about 23 divisions on average before their aggregate decayed. And the population of cells, as a whole, grew linearly. This paper is cool because there are many applications where exponential growth is too unpredictable and, perhaps, unsafe. If you want to engineer bacteria to deliver drugs, clean up waste, or live in the gut, you don’t want them to double uncontrollably. This paper shows you can make them expand in a controlled, linear way. Alas, mutations could break this whole engineered system. A mutation that restores cyaA, for example, would give cells a new way to make cAMP. Mutations that make the aggregates split between daughters would break the asymmetry, too. But still, I really enjoy proof-of-concept engineering papers like this.show more

NIH scientists found that retinal organoids, lab-grown models of... the human retina, often don't get enough oxygen during early development. To solve this problem, they created a simple 3D-printed stirred bioreactor that keeps oxygen levels in a healthy range. The result: larger, healthier retinal organoids with improved survival and more consistent growth. This low-cost, easy-to-use tool could help researchers create better models to study blinding diseases and test potential treatments. Read more:show more

Trees 🌳 have been the original climate tech and... carbon capture machinery for 370 million years. No venture capital. No government wealth transfer to corporations. No rare-earth minerals being plundered. No 3-mile-long industrial vacuum cleaner hoovering up carbon dioxide. Just sunlight, water, photosynthesis, carbon capture, flood protection, wildlife habitat and a quiet determination to reduce temperatures. They pull carbon out of the air like it’s their day job. They shade the pavement so cities don’t bake. They drop local temperatures. They breath out oxygen for us to breathe and create a place for birds to live as a bonus. Governments have spent billions trying to invent a machine that does a fraction of what a 200-year-old oak has been casually doing since before we invented the wheel. The most powerful climate technology already exists. We just keep cutting it down. Plant more trees. Protect the ones still standing. Trees are the most natural, long lasting, multi purpose and cost effective infrastructure of them all. But sadly, government facilitated money transfers to corporations doesn’t grow on trees.show more

🚨 PHYSICISTS JUST SPLIT A SINGLE PHOTON AND IT... TURNED INTO AN IMPROBABLE SWARM OF PARTICLES. In a striking experiment, researchers have shown that a photon can be split apart in such a way that it produces a large number of particles, creating what they describe as a “mixture from zero to infinity.” Instead of the usual clean splitting into two photons (as seen in spontaneous parametric down-conversion), this process generated a complex, broad swarm of particles. The result challenges conventional intuition about how photons behave when pushed into extreme nonlinear regimes. Why this matters: • It demonstrates a rare and complex form of photon splitting that was previously very difficult to observe cleanly • Such processes could help simulate high-energy particle physics in table-top experiments • It opens new possibilities for generating exotic quantum states of light • It provides deeper insight into nonlinear quantum electrodynamics (QED) in strong fields The deeper implication: Photons are usually thought of as indivisible quanta of light. But under the right extreme conditions, a single photon can effectively “break apart” into many particles. This isn’t just a curiosity it touches on fundamental questions about the nature of light and matter, and could eventually lead to new tools for quantum technologies and for studying physics that normally requires particle accelerators. We’re seeing light behave in ways that blur the line between a single quantum and a many-particle system. How do you think being able to controllably split photons into swarms of particles could impact quantum optics or fundamental physics research? Follow for more frontier quantum physics and breakthroughs in light-matter interaction.show more