Science

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Cooperation catalyzes the evolution of cleaner cars

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

Cars generate lots of pollution, as the Volkswagen Diesel scandal lately reminded us. From the same two countries where the incident emerged---the US and Germany---come some recent advances that bring us closer to a long-awaited clean alternative: hydrogen cars. Capitalizing on the combined efforts of many scientists from several different fields, in fact, huge strides are being made in the development of nano-structured materials, particularly useful as catalysts. Catalysts are a general...

A second wind for exoplanets habitability

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

Earth is the only planet we know that has life, so it's easy to think that any other habitable planet must look like it. Indeed, the study of exoplanets (planets outside of our solar system) often concentrates on looking for Earth's "twins". But the universe is a weird and varied place: could some different world be habitable too?  According to a study from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, the answer is yes! If there's any chance that a planet has liquid water on its surface, it's...

How basic research helped expose VW's dirty secret!

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

German auto giant Volkswagen's (VW) recent fall from grace is a result of the same greed that brought down Toyota nearly six years ago - the quest for becoming the most powerful automaker in the world.  But what makes the VW scandal even more nefarious? Deliberate lies by VW, misleading the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States and its consumers to believe that discrepancies found in the air pollutant (nitrous oxide) emission levels were simply technical glitches.  Where...

Flowing water found on Mars

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

In a press conference on September 28th, NASA scientists announced that they have solid evidence of liquid water on the surface of present-day Mars. For the first time, liquid water has been found on the surface of a planet other than Earth!

The evidence comes from long, dark streaks---first seen on images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter---that stretch down some mountains and crater walls on the planet. Because they grow bigger and darker during Martian summer, then recede in winter, these...

Converting classrooms into "smart" rooms

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

Imagine a classroom setting in a university, where students have their heads bent down - not taking notes as you imagine but looking into smartphones. Doesn't that seem like an outrageous notion?

Smartphones have invaded our society and are prevalent in our everyday lives, especially among the younger generation. Therefore, it's not surprising that they are universally found in many college settings.

But that begs the immediate question - Are smartphones beneficial to the educational process or...

New approach tries to clear the air over fossil fuels

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

With an ever-increasing energy demand, the use of fossil fuels is steadily on the rise.

But so are air pollution and the concerns over its consequences on our health.

Air pollution, in fact, increases the risks of asthma and heart attacks, as well as the overall mortality rate.

However, according to a group of scientists led by engineers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, fossil-fuel-based power plants could minimize their health impact in an affordable way.

All it takes is some smart...

Pluto's icy breath, young look and big heart: what we learnt from New Horizons so far

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

On July 14th, NASA's New Horizons probe completed its nine-year-long journey flying close to Pluto.

"This mission has been a big success," says Professor Andreas Burkert, an astrophysicist of the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, not affiliated with the project, "one has to congratulate the team for their excellent job."

Because the probe was traveling at almost twenty kilometers per second, it was too fast to orbit around the dwarf planet, and it had to take pictures and perform...

The yin and yang of social interaction

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

At some point in our lives, all of us have found ourselves in a crowded bus stop or grocery store or a music concert.

But have you considered the possibility that the unknown person next to you in these crowded situations may be connected to your friend of a friend of a friend?

Much as it may sound completely random or just plain impossible, scientific studies in the past have shown that each of us could potentially connect to everybody else in the world within six links.

Many of us may be...

Can we influence the evolution of an idea...

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

Read part 1 of this series at:
http://www.themunicheye.com/news/The-yin-and-yang-of-social-interaction-3211

Can you imagine an exclusive social circle with a qualification-based filter in the interest of blossoming and evolving ideas?

If so, how would such a group function?

It would be akin to birds of a feather flocking together and as a result would preclude contact with people from different social settings.

Naturally, exchange of ideas between such distinct separated groups would become...

Eyes wide open

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

Eye contact is the most basic interaction with another person. When people look into each other's eyes, they spontaneously indicate that their attention is focused on the other person. If the look is returned then a channel for interaction is opened. Eye contact has been described as the 'window into the soul' and is a powerful social signal.

Past research has identified specific brain patterns associated with locking eyes with someone or looking at someone who isn't returning your gaze. The...

Even cheap wine can taste great

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

"It's cheap wine so it will not taste great." Does this imply that the wine is really tasteless?

Or is one so prejudiced about the wine such that even if it actually tastes great, one's brain is oblivious to that?

New research published in the Journal of Marketing Research shows that a consumer's preconceived notion about a product may create a placebo effect such that it results in producing actual biological changes in the brain.

Scientists, Hilke Plassmann and Bernd Weber promote this as a...

Rise and shine, Philae!

May 10, 2026 • 03:25 PM

After going off the grid for seven months, Rosetta's lander Philae is back.

On November 12 2014, it became the first human-made object ever to land on a comet when it touched down on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

However, the landing was rough.

Due to an anchoring system failure, Philae couldn't hold on to the surface of the comet, bounced a couple of times and ended up in a dark ditch.

Stranded there, it was getting very little light for its solar panels to recharge the batteries.

In the couple...

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