Will we observe dark matter as a particle or a wave? | New Scientist

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Physics

We have arguably already discovered dark matter, says columnist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. To observe it, we will need to figure out whether we expect it to act like a particle or a wave.

Scientists discover a hidden factor that can make or break chemical reactions

Scientists have identified a hidden factor that can determine whether a chemical reaction succeeds or fails. By controlling tiny changes in acidity near electrodes, researchers dramatically improved the production of valuable chemical ingredients, raising the proportion of the desired product from approximately 16% to 97%.

Scientists find a surprising clue to why the universe’s expansion doesn’t add up

It’s well established that the universe is expanding, but there’s serious disagreement among scientists over how fast it’s happening.

Two of our best ways of measuring the cosmic expansion rate, the Hubble constant, give answers that are stubbornly at odds. This presents a major problem in modern cosmology known as the Hubble tension.

A forgotten 30-year forest experiment just delivered a huge surprise

What’s the best way to manage a forest? Australians have argued about this for decades. The debate is often framed as binary: do we protect forests entirely, or harvest trees to support local economies and communities?

New “plant armor” more than triples strawberry yields

A newly developed textile covering helped strawberry plants produce more than three times as much fruit in tunnel field trials, while showing no harmful effects on plant health. Researchers say the technology may also offer a way to reduce water use and reliance on pesticides in strawberry production.

1.7-billion-year-old fossils reveal a crucial clue to the rise of complex life

Stored in an open-air warehouse in tropical Darwin, Australia, are dozens of trays containing cylindrical cores of rock. They are from drill holes bored hundreds of metres below the surface by mineral exploration companies decades ago.

These medieval graves looked like family burials. DNA told a different story

When archaeologists uncover adults and children buried together in medieval graves, a natural assumption is that they belonged to the same family. New research from Stockholm University, published in Science Advances, suggests that was often not the case.

Quantum computing’s “dark horse” just proved it can go universal

A practical quantum computer must eventually be able to handle any type of quantum algorithm, much like a conventional laptop can run many different kinds of software. Researchers have now demonstrated a new way to reach that level of flexibility using unusual quantum objects known as non-Abelian anyons.

Earth is tearing apart beneath the Pacific Northwest

Scientists have captured an unusually detailed view of a major tectonic system beneath the Pacific Northwest beginning to come apart.

The discovery, reported in Science Advances, shows a subduction zone actively breaking into pieces. Subduction zones form where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another and pushed deep into Earth. They are responsible for some of the planet's largest earthquakes, powerful volcanic eruptions, and long term changes to continents and ocean basins.

The Arctic sea ice melt season grew longer for decades, but something strange happened around 2010

For most of the satellite record, the Arctic sea ice melt season kept getting longer. Around 2010, however, that long-running trend unexpectedly flattened.

For decades, Arctic sea ice generally began melting earlier in the spring and did not freeze again until later in the fall. Together, those changes extended the annual melt season and contributed to major losses of sea ice across the Arctic.