Kyoto, Japan -- Black holes embody the ultimate abyss. They are the most powerful sources of gravity in the universe, capable of dramatically distorting space and time around them. When disturbed, they begin to "ring" in a distinctive pattern known as quasinormal modes: ripples in space-time that produce detectable gravitational waves.

In events like black hole mergers, these waves can be strong enough to detect from Earth, offering a unique opportunity to measure a black hole's mass and shape. However, precise calculation of these vibrations through theoretical methods has proven a major challenge, particularly for vibrations that are rapidly weakening.

This inspired a team of researchers at Kyoto University to try a new method of calculating the vibrations of black holes. The scientists applied a mathematical technique called the exact Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin, or exact WKB analysis to carefully trace the behavior of waves from a black hole out into distant space. While this method has long been studied in mathematics, its application to physics -- especially to black holes -- is still a newly developing area.

Researchers have developed a compact, noninvasive imaging system that combines high-resolution structural imaging with chemical analysis to improve skin cancer diagnosis. The system integrates line-field confocal optical coherence tomography and confocal Raman microspectroscopy, allowing clinicians to examine both the cellular structure and molecular composition of skin tissues. In a year-long clinical study involving over 330 nonmelanoma skin cancer samples, the system enabled targeted chemical analysis of suspicious structures. An AI model trained on the spectral data achieved high accuracy in identifying cancerous tissues, with classification scores of 0.95 for basal cell carcinoma and 0.92 when including squamous cell carcinoma. This dual-modality approach promises to enhance diagnostic precision and deepen understanding of skin cancer biology.

- Neutrinos are a key component of the Standard Model of particle physics, but their properties make them extremely difficult to detect. This generally requires the use of large detectors.

- Researchers have now succeeded in detecting anti-neutrinos from the Leibstadt nuclear power plant in Switzerland using a significantly smaller detector.

- These experiments offer new insights into the Standard Model of particle physics and, as they are very compact, could be used to monitor nuclear reactors in the future.