Cosmic signal from the very early universe will help astronomers detect the first stars
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 5-Jul-2025 16:10 ET (5-Jul-2025 20:10 GMT/UTC)
An international group of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge have shown that we will be able to learn about the masses of the earliest stars by studying a specific radio signal – created by hydrogen atoms filling the gaps between star-forming regions – originating just a hundred million years after the Big Bang.
A Chinese research team has successfully utilized geostationary satellite communication (632 ms latency) to remotely control robotic surgical systems in Beijing from Lhasa, performing precision liver resection surgeries on two liver cancer patients. Intraoperative robotic arm tracking error remained below 0.5 mm, with both patients discharged within 24 hours postoperatively and no severe complications reported. This study marks the first validation of safety in remote surgery under high-latency satellite conditions, offering a groundbreaking solution for underserved regions, disaster zones, and space medicine.
Time, not space plus time, might be the single fundamental property in which all physical phenomena occur, according to a new theory by a University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist.
The theory also argues that time comes in three dimensions rather than just the single one we experience as continual forward progression. Space emerges as a secondary manifestation.
Serendipitous discovery of djerfisherite in Ryugu grain challenges current paradigm of the nature of primitive asteroids.
Astronomers have discovered a huge filament of hot gas bridging four galaxy clusters. At 10 times as massive as our galaxy, the thread could contain some of the universe’s ‘missing’ matter, addressing a decades-long mystery.
Excitons--bound pairs of electrons and holes created by light--are key to the optoelectronic behavior of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). However, because excitons are confined to extremely small regions and exist for only fleeting moments, it has been extremely challenging to directly observe their behavior using conventional measurement techniques.
In this study, we overcame that challenge by using an ultrafast infrared near-field optical microscope that focuses femtosecond infrared laser pulses down to the nanoscale. This advanced approach allowed us to visualize where excitons are generated and decay inside CNTs in real space and real time.
Our observations revealed that nanoscale variations in the local environment--such as subtle lattice distortions within individual CNTs or interactions with neighboring CNTs--can significantly affect exciton generation and relaxation dynamics.
These insights into local exciton dynamics pave the way for precise control of light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, offering new opportunities for the development of advanced optoelectronic devices and quantum technologies based on carbon nanotube platforms.