Science & Technology
Consumers more likely to use virtual apparel try-on software if interactive
New research shows consumers’ concerns about privacy when trying on clothing virtually can be reduced by making the technology versatile and easy to use.
Scientists edge toward scalable quantum simulations on a photonic chip
A system using photonics-based synthetic dimensions could be used to help explain complex natural phenomena.
Researchers teach an AI to write better chart captions
A new tool helps scientists develop machine-learning models that generate richer, more detailed captions for charts, and vary the level of complexity of a caption based on the needs of users. This could help improve accessibility for people with visual…
Energy insecurity is an underappreciated social and environmental determinant of health
In light of climate change and the impending transition to clean energy, many long-standing programs to address energy insecurity need to be refreshed. A new paper provides growing documentation of the connections between energy insecurity and poor hea…
Significant decline of snow cover in the Northern hemisphere over the last half century
A new study that uses rigorous mathematical models and statistical methods and finds declining snow cover in many parts of the northern hemisphere over the last half century.
Virus-like transposons wage war on the species barrier
Scientists have known for decades that genes can be transferred from one species to another, both in animals and plants. However, the mechanism of how such an unlikely event occurs remained unknown. Now, researchers identify a vector of horizontal gene…
Expanding large-scale agriculture is escalating flooding in the largest South American breadbasket
Driven by soaring international demand, extensive areas of grasslands, and forests across South American plains have rapidly been converted to the production of annual crops, such as soybean and maize. This agricultural expansion has been taking place …
Expanding large-scale agriculture is escalating flooding in the largest South American breadbasket
Driven by soaring international demand, extensive areas of grasslands, and forests across South American plains have rapidly been converted to the production of annual crops, such as soybean and maize. This agricultural expansion has been taking place …
First ‘ghost particle’ image of Milky Way
Scientists have revealed a uniquely different image of our galaxy by determining the galactic origin of thousands of neutrinos — invisible ‘ghost particles’ which exist in great quantities but normally pass straight through Earth undetected. The neutr…