As our lives become increasingly intertwined with technology—whether supporting communication while working remotely or streaming our favorite show—so too does our reliance on the data these devices create. Data centers supporting these technology ecosystems produce a significant carbon footprint—and consume 200 terawatt hours of energy each year, greater than the annual energy consumption of Iran. To balance ecological concerns yet meet growing demand, advances in microelectronic […]

An international collaboration of theoretical physicists—including scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and the RIKEN-BNL Research Center (RBRC)—has published a new calculation relevant to the search for an explanation of the predominance of matter over antimatter in our universe. The collaboration, known as RBC-UKQCD, also includes scientists from CERN (the European particle physics laboratory), Columbia University, the University of […]

Scientists have uncovered a link between the microscopic movements of particles in a liquid and its ability to absorb heat.

In recent years, a great deal of effort has been devoted to the study of the melting curve of elements at high pressure. This information is relevant, for example, for applications such as nuclear fission reactors that involve very high temperatures or very high pressures. Or to deepen the knowledge on the interior of planets. Understanding what happens to iron—and to other transition metals, such as niobium—in the interior of the Earth is fundamental for any geophysical model and opens the […]

A new study of an ancient period that is considered the closest natural analog to the era of modern human carbon emissions has found that massive volcanism sent great waves of carbon into the oceans over thousands of years—but that nature did not come close to matching what humans are doing today. The study estimates that humans are now introducing the element three to eight times faster, or possibly even more. The consequences for life both in the water and on land are potentially […]