tests

Einstein’s ‘spooky action’ survives one of the most extreme tests yet: CERN finds strong evidence that heavy Z bosons can become quantum-entangled

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Einstein’s ‘spooky action’ survives one of the most extreme tests yet: CERN finds strong evidence that heavy Z bosons can become quantum-entangled

Einstein famously found quantum mechanics so strange that he once referred to quantum entanglement as “spooky action at a distance”. More than a century later, one of the strangest predictions of quantum theory has now been tested in an environment far removed from the relatively low-energy systems where entanglement is usually studied.Physicists working with the … Read more

Meet Henry Xie: The 17-year-old Portland student whose method made smaller AI models more empathetic in at least 90% of tests

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Meet Henry Xie: The 17-year-old Portland student whose method made smaller AI models more empathetic in at least 90% of tests

A 17-year-old student from Portland, Oregon, has developed a two-step training method that helps small artificial intelligence models copy the empathetic communication style of much larger systems. The method achieved higher empathy ratings in at least 90 per cent of comparison tests. Henry Xie, a senior at Westview High School in Portland, created the computer … Read more

Scientists found a surprising use for apple waste. It removed up to 100% of toxic lead from water in lab tests

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Scientists found a surprising use for apple waste. It removed up to 100% of toxic lead from water in lab tests

Lead contamination in water is being studied through different approaches, including the use of waste materials that can help remove metal ions from water. Apple pomace, the residue left after juice production, was among the waste materials researchers examined for its ability to remove lead ions from water in laboratory experiments.Researchers compared untreated raw apple … Read more

In 2026, researchers turned water-treatment waste into a filter for microplastics; real-water tests removed 86.9% to 97.1% of the particles

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In 2026, researchers turned water-treatment waste into a filter for microplastics; real-water tests removed 86.9% to 97.1% of the particles

Representative Image (AI-generated) Microplastics are now found across aquatic environments, creating a difficult challenge for water-treatment systems that must remove tiny plastic particles without generating more waste. A new approach investigated in 2026 takes an unusual route: instead of treating water-treatment waste as something that simply needs to be discarded, researchers turned it into a … Read more

Scientists covered 200 square metres of a Swiss glacier with sheep’s wool; early tests found it protected the ice about as well as plastic sheets, but only 0.02% of Swiss glacier ice is covered

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Scientists covered 200 square metres of a Swiss glacier with sheep’s wool; early tests found it protected the ice about as well as plastic sheets, but only 0.02% of Swiss glacier ice is covered

A sheep wool-covered snow protection test site is pictured during a press conference presenting the results of the “Keep It Wool” glacier protection experiment in Les Diablerets, Switzerland A natural wool covering placed over 200 square metres of high-altitude Alpine ice has proved as effective at slowing summer melting as conventional synthetic tarpaulins, offering a … Read more

This 240-mile stretch on Dalton highway in Alaska with no petrol stations, restaurants or hotels is one of America’s remotest roadways that tests every driver to the limits

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This 240-mile stretch on Dalton highway in Alaska with no petrol stations, restaurants or hotels is one of America’s remotest roadways that tests every driver to the limits

Dalton Highway south of the Continental Divide in the summer. Image Credit: Bureau of Land Management The Dalton Highway cuts through some of the most remote country in the United States, running 414 miles from Livengood in northern Alaska to Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean. Built to support construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the road … Read more

In 1967, US satellites hunting secret nuclear tests detected a flash from deep space; the accidental signal became the first observed gamma-ray burst

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In 1967, US satellites hunting secret nuclear tests detected a flash from deep space; the accidental signal became the first observed gamma-ray burst

Artist’s concept of a close-up naked-eye view of a GRB. Credit: NASA For more than half a century, gamma-ray bursts have remained one of the most puzzling events observed in space. These bursts are sudden flashes of gamma rays, a very high-energy form of light. They can appear from almost any direction in the sky … Read more