Small changes to aircraft flight paths to avoid the atmospheric conditions that create condensation trails – known as contrails – could reduce aviation’s global warming impact by nearly half, a new study suggests.

A study in National Science Review quantified “safe nitrogen boundaries” across 2,847 counties in China. It found that a cross-system management strategy could nearly halve total nitrogen pollution, bring atmospheric emissions within safe limits in most regions, and deliver benefits 2.5 times the investment required. Yet water pollution would remain above safe limits in more than half of the counties, highlighting the need for broader socioeconomic changes.

Bacteria reveal themselves through unique sounds: a breakthrough for rapid diagnostics

Scientists from TU Delft, SoundCell and RHMDC (the laboratory at the Reinier de Graaf hospital) have discovered that different bacterial species produce their own characteristic sounds. Building on an earlier development from the same team, they have now shown that bacteria can be identified and their antibiotic susceptibility determined simultaneously, based solely on their sound. This combined approach delivers results within hours instead of days, offering a major step forward in the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections. The study is published in ACS Sensors.