Researchers from Beijing Normal University and Shenyang Aerospace University in China have developed a flexible tactile sensor that can accurately read braille in real-time. The sensor uses an optical fibre ring resonator to detect the pressure exerted by raised dots on a braille surface, allowing it to quickly decode braille patterns and translate them into…
research on The Soothsayer / page 7
Scientists warn that the devastating wildfires in southern California are a harbinger of a new era of urban firestorms, fueled by climate change and population growth. These blazes are fundamentally different from wildland fires, as they involve buildings becoming fuel, driving the spread of flames in densely populated areas. Researchers are racing to understand the…
The biotech sector has shown remarkable resilience in 2024, with several companies recording spectacular stock performance. Regulatory approvals, breakthrough therapies, and clinical trial successes have driven investor enthusiasm, with companies like Bright Minds Biosciences, Monopar Therapeutics, and Summit Therapeutics standing out as top performers. As the industry looks to 2025 and beyond, analysts are predicting…
Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered mysterious ribbons of grayish white woven through the northern lights, which are not auroras themselves but may arise through a similar process to the one underlying the mauve light streak known as STEVE. The team found 30 white-laced auroras over Rabbit Lake and Lucky Lake in Saskatchewan…
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the origins of fast radio bursts (FRBs). By analyzing the FRB 20221022A, they have found evidence that at least one of these cosmic phenomena originated from a region very close to the object that emitted it, challenging existing models of…
Donald Trump’s second term as US President is shaping up to be different from his first, with the appointment of three key science-advisory positions. Michael Kratsios, a tech expert, has been nominated to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and serve as the President’s science adviser. David Sacks, a tech…
Scientists have finally solved the mystery of a giant pterosaur fossil found in Germany, which was initially thought to be a distinct species. After conducting a detailed analysis, researchers concluded that the fossil is actually a larger version of the Rhamphorhynchus species, which lived during the Jurassic Period. The study reveals how pterosaurs may have…
Physicists in the US, Europe, and Korea have successfully produced a long-lasting light-driven magnetic state in an antiferromagnetic material, a breakthrough that could lead to the development of faster and more compact memory and processing devices. The researchers used intense pulses of terahertz-frequency light to control the transition of the material into a metastable magnetic…
Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery in understanding the progression of Huntington’s disease, a fatal genetic condition that affects movement, balance, and cognition. The study found that a faulty DNA-repair mechanism in neurons leads to the accumulation of repeat errors, which eventually causes the neurons to die. This knowledge has led scientists to identify DNA-repair…
Astronomers have discovered a mysterious cosmic flash, dubbed the Platypus, which may link two types of cosmic flares and offer a new way to understand the origins of supermassive black holes. The event, observed in a dwarf galaxy 6.5 billion light-years from Earth, has characteristics of both tidal disruption events and luminous fast-blue optical transients….