Alongside carbon dioxide, methane is a key driver of global warming. To detect and monitor the climate pollutants in the atmosphere precisely, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have developed an advanced laser technology. A high-power ytterbium thin-disk laser drives an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to generate high-power, stable pulses in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral range. This allows researchers to detect and analyze a wide variety of atmospheric compounds. This novel method can play a crucial role in tracking greenhouse gas cycles and the effects of climate change and was recently published in the journal APL Photonics.

The scientific debate around the installation of a massive underwater curtain to protect Antarctic ice sheets from melting lacks its vital political perspective. A Kobe University research team argues that the serious questions around authority, sovereignty and security should be addressed proactively by the scientific community to avoid the protected seventh continent becoming the scene or object of international discord.

A quick finger prick and a few drops of blood on a card that can be sent in regular mail. This approach could soon make Alzheimer’s testing much more accessible worldwide. A European study led by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, is paving the way for this method.