Trifluoroacetic acid can be found in surface water Silicon Quantum Computing Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a potentially toxic “forever chemical”, has more than tripled in the global environment in two decades due to refrigerants that are helping to close the hole in the ozone layer. The amount of TFA falling out of the atmosphere via wind…
An artist’s representation of qubits in the Quantum Twins simulator Silicon Quantum Computing An unprecedently large quantum simulator could shed light on how exotic, potentially useful quantum materials work and help us optimise them in the future. Quantum computers may eventually harness quantum phenomena to complete calculations that are intractable for the world’s best conventional…
The female pelvis may become too narrow for vaginal childbirth, meaning that caesareans could become the only option for delivering babies. At least, that’s the claim made by a research team last year. Their calculations suggest that in Australia, Mexico and Poland, the average female pelvis is now 4.2 centimetres narrower than it was in…
Kanzi the bonobo at the age of 43 Ape Initiative A bonobo that took part in a pretend tea party like those acted out by young children has shown that our closest primate relatives have the capacity for make believe. Kanzi the bonobo (Pan paniscus) was born in the US in 1980 and died at…
The issue of whether statins really cause a plethora of side effects may have finally been put to bed Benjamin John/Alamy The long list of side effects associated with statins is vastly overstated, according to the most rigorous assessment of the evidence to date. This is prompting calls for the drugs’ packaging to be updated,…
Lockdowns in 2020 led to lower emissions of nitrogen oxides from transport Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images A drop in pollution during the covid lockdowns changed the chemistry of the atmosphere, driving a surge in methane levels that has concerning implications for future global warming. Methane lasts only about a decade in the atmosphere…
A farmer spraying pesticides on a cotton field Tao Weiming/VCG via Getty Images More than 60 years after Rachel Carson warned of the dangers of pesticides in her book Silent Spring, the harm they are doing to wildlife may be greater than ever. “In more or less all countries, the trend is towards increasing applied…
Ross Gudgeon’s winning image, Fractal Forest Ross Gudgeon/CUPOTY Sometimes beauty is found with a shift in perspective. These gorgeous images are among the winners of the latest Close-up Photographer of Year contest, an international photography competition dedicated to unveiling nature’s hidden wonders. Peer through the delicate pink branches of a cauliflower soft coral in the main…
“Space travel is the setting but not the heart of the Star Trek franchise” … A scene from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Everett Collection Inc/Alamy To live in the US at this moment is to live through a series of strange juxtapositions. I prepare myself for how to respond if the construction workers at…
Meat and dairy aren’t essential for a child’s development Evgeniia Gordeeva/Getty Images Babies born into vegan or vegetarian families may be slightly underweight in early infancy, but seem to catch up to their omnivore peers by age 2. Official advice generally states that a well-planned vegan diet – rich in vegetables, beans, whole grains and…
