A team led by Columbia Engineering researchers and collaborators report that they have invented new nanoscale sensors of force. They are luminescent nanocrystals that can change intensity and/or color when you push or pull on them. These "all-optical" nanosensors are probed with light only and therefore allow for fully remote read-outs -- no wires or connections are needed.

For reusable rockets, the precision landing on Earth is very challenging. In atmospheric reentry flight, the rockets are subjected to disturbing conditions, mainly including engine thrust fluctuation, aerodynamic uncertainty, and winds, which severely decrease landing accuracy and fuel efficiency. Although the reusable rockets have achieved successful landing and recovery in recent years, the disturbance rejection issue of endoatmospheric powered descent guidance has not been systematically addressed in the field of advanced guidance and control, highlighting an important aspect of ongoing research.

[Boston, MA—23 December, 2024]  Thousands of professionals and students will gather to share the latest science and address key issues in weather, water, and climate at the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in January. The world’s largest annual meeting focused on atmospheric and related sciences, AMS 2025 will be held 12–16 January, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, and will highlight the latest scientific and professional advances in areas from extreme weather to environmental health, from cloud physics to space weather and more.

A new study from Tel Aviv University overturns prevailing scientific beliefs that King Solomon’s mines not only harmed the health of workers in the ancient copper industry but also pose risks to the health of modern residents living near the site.