An interdisciplinary team of scientists has uncovered new evidence showing that the health impacts of the Industrial Revolution varied more widely across England than previously believed. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, challenge the longstanding narrative that industrial cities were uniformly polluted while rural communities remained comparatively untouched during the rise of polluting industries. 

Harvard atmospheric scientists directly sampled 5-day old wildfire smoke in the upper troposphere and found large particles that are not reflected in current climate models.

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, announces the recipient of the 2026 SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship in Problem-Driven Biomedical Optics and Analytics.

Researchers at Brown University have developed a wearable sensor that uses polarized light to improve the accuracy of photoplethysmography (PPG) signals across different skin tones. Conventional pulse oximeters often underperform on darker skin due to light absorption and scattering by melanin. The new device combines two wavelengths with cross-polarized detection to reduce superficial scattering and enhance deeper vascular signals. In tests with volunteers of light, medium, and brown skin tones, cross-polarization significantly increased perfusion index—a measure of signal strength—compared to co-polarized detection. This approach could help make wearable health technologies more equitable and reliable.

 

After years of searching, scientists at the Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment (MicroBooNE) have ruled out the possibility of the existence of a sterile neutrino, a hypothetical particle that had long been speculated as a solution to open questions in particle physics. Publishing their results in the journal Nature, the collaboration’s result narrows the field of possibilities that could explain one of today’s biggest puzzles in neutrino physics.

SAN ANTONIO — December 10, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Trinity University will study Thermus thermophilus, a thermal bacterium with highly stable proteins, to advance scientific understanding of stability mechanisms that could pave the way for advanced treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS and cancer. The project is supported by SwRI and Trinity through a new grant program designed to encourage collaborative research.