Matter and energy from Science Daily Feed

Estimating the pose of hand-held objects is a critical and challenging problem in robotics and computer vision. While leveraging multi-modal RGB and depth data is a promising solution, existing approaches still face challenges due to hand-induced occlusions and multimodal data fusion. In a new study, researchers developed a novel deep learning framework that addresses these issues by introducing a novel vote-based fusion module and a hand-aware pose estimation module.

Some public transit shelter designs can actually do more harm than good when it comes to shielding from summer temperatures, according to a new study.

Researchers have developed a data-driven AI framework that gives scientists a head start by suggesting ideal candidate materials.

Picture yourself at a busy pedestrian crossing. When the light is red, everyone waits -- until one person starts to cross. Soon, others follow, and eventually everyone follows the crowd and crosses. Physicists have discovered that a very similar process happens at the microscopic level, when two touching surfaces start to slide.

Researchers demonstrated extremely strong nonlinear light-matter coupling in a quantum circuit. Stronger coupling enables faster quantum readout and operations, ultimately improving the accuracy of quantum operations.

Researchers have discovered a way to use mirrors to dramatically reduce the quantum noise that disturbs tiny particles -- a breakthrough that might seem magical but is rooted in quantum physics.

In what could represent a milestone in ecological restoration, researchers have implemented a method capable of restoring peatlands at tens of thousands of oil and gas exploration sites in Western Canada. The project involves lowering the surface of these decommissioned sites, known as well pads, and transplanting native moss onto them to effectively recreate peatlands. This is the first time researchers have applied the method to scale on an entire well pad. The study found that the technique results in sufficient water for the growth of peatland moss across large portions of the study site.

Lightweight lithium metal is a heavy-hitting critical mineral, serving as the key ingredient in the rechargeable batteries that power phones, laptops, electric vehicles and more. As ubiquitous as lithium is in modern technology, extracting the metal is complex and expensive. A new method enables high-efficiency lithium extraction -- in minutes, not hours -- using low temperatures and simple water-based leaching.

Scientists have produced one of the most neutron-rich isotopes, hydrogen-6, in an electron scattering experiment. The experiment presents a new method for investigating light, neutron-rich nuclei and challenges our current understanding of multi-nucleon interactions.

A more efficient and environmentally friendly approach to extracting rare earth elements that power everything from electric vehicle batteries to smartphones could increase domestic supply and decrease reliance on costly imports.

An international team of scientists has moved beyond just 'scratching the surface,' to understand how microplastics move through and impact the global ocean. For the first time, scientists have mapped microplastic distribution from the surface to the deep sea at a global scale -- revealing not only where plastics accumulate, but how they infiltrate critical ocean systems. Researchers synthesized depth-profile data from 1,885 stations collected between 2014 and 2024 to map microplastic distribution patterns by size and polymer type, while also evaluating potential transport mechanisms.

About 25% of 7350 patients hospitalized for scooter-related injuries between 2016 and 2021 were using substances such as alcohol, opioids, marijuana and cocaine when injured. The findings underscore the urgent need to strengthen safety regulations, enforce helmet use, and reduce substance use among scooter riders.

As global demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage surges, so does the need for affordable and sustainable battery technologies. A new study has introduced an innovative solution that could impact electrochemical energy storage technologies.

Scientists usually use a hypergraph model to predict dynamic behaviors. But the opposite problem is interesting, too. What if researchers can observe the dynamics but don't have access to a reliable model? Scientists now have an answer. They describe a novel algorithm that can infer the structure of a hypergraph using only the observed dynamics.

Researchers have shown they can inexpensively nanomanufacture silk microneedles to precisely fortify crops, monitor plant health, and detect soil toxins.

A new study turns long-held conventional wisdom about a certain type of polymer on its head, greatly expanding understanding of how some of biochemistry's fundamental forces work. The study opens the door for new biomedical research running the gamut from analyzing and identifying proteins and carbohydrates to drug delivery.

Researchers have developed silk iron microparticles (SIMPs) -- magnetic, biodegradable carriers designed to deliver therapies directly to disease sites like aneurysms or tumors. The particles are created by chemically bonding iron oxide nanoparticles to regenerated silk fibroin using glutathione, enhancing their magnetic responsiveness while maintaining biocompatibility. These nanoscale carriers, roughly one-hundred-thousandth the width of a human hair, can potentially be guided externally to precise locations in the body. The platform enables localized delivery of therapeutic agents such as extracellular vesicles, regenerative factors, or drugs, offering a minimally invasive approach to treating conditions like abdominal aortic aneurysms and expanding the potential for targeted therapies in regenerative medicine.

For the first time, researchers can study the microstructures inside metals, ceramics and rocks with X-rays in a standard laboratory without needing to travel to a particle accelerator, according to engineers.

Traditional methods of looking into quantum systems often require immense resources. Researchers have now developed a new technique that allows scientists to extract essential information more efficiently and accurately.

Researchers have developed a foolproof recipe for cacio e pepe, based on their findings studying the physics of mixing cheese in water and determining the mechanism that causes the cheese sauce to go from creamy to clumpy. The team found that a 2%-3% starch-to-cheese ratio produced the smoothest, most uniform sauce; they recommend using powdered starch, rather than relying on an unknown amount of starch in pasta water.