Onion-like chemical halos may surround phytoplankton that power half of global photosynthesis

· 4 min read
Phytoplankton apply the onion skin principle
Each phytoplankton cell in the ocean is surrounded by chemical layers of varying sizes that bacteria can detect to track down the phytoplankton. Credit: Image edited using AI: Riccardo Foffi / ETH Zurich

The interactions between microscopic algal cells and bacteria in the oceans play a pivotal role in the global carbon cycle. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now taken an important step toward deciphering the chemical language that brokers these interactions.

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How the SKA will use fast radio bursts to decode the universe

· 4 min read
How the SKA will use fast radio bursts to decode the universe
Image of some of the SKA-low antennas. Credit: SKAO

There are parts of the universe that are extremely hard to see, even for our most advanced telescopes. Gas and dust don't emit light and are visible only by the light they block from stars and galaxies. Magnetic fields are even harder to detect because ordinary light typically passes right through them. However, according to a new paper available on the arXiv preprint server by Manisha Caleb of the University of Sydney and their co-authors, a potentially game-changing new tool being commissioned could use a particularly violent astronomical phenomenon to provide new insight into these hard-to-see places.

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‘I’m Allergic to Antagonists Who Are Bad for the Sake of Being Bad’ – How The Blood of Dawnwalker’s Vampires Go Beyond Just Being Bosses

· 7 min read

Everything that happens in The Blood of Dawnwalker is rooted in the vampiric takeover of Vale Sangora. During the peak of the Black Death plague, the evil Brencis murdered the valley’s human lord, Skender, and claimed the region for himself. To say he now rules with an iron fist would be putting it too bluntly – this bloodsucker is far more cunning than your regular warlord. Born to nobles during the Roman Empire’s glory years, he’s as cruel as he is dignified, and employs a carefully selected court to aid him in controlling the valley’s population. The people are his flock in both senses of the word; a religious congregation and a blood farm.

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Google Images gets a Pinterest-like redesign focused on discovery

· 3 min read

Google Images, the tech giant’s image search engine, is taking on Pinterest with its latest redesign that turns the site into a browsable, dynamic gallery of images from across the web. Google is also adding a way for users to create AI images right in Search, as it celebrates 25 years since the debut of Google Images.

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Variety’s Actors on Actors Lands Two Daytime Emmy Nominations

· 4 min read

Variety‘s “Actors on Actors” has received two Daytime Emmy nominations this year, both in the outstanding arts and popular culture program category.

That includes a nod for series’ spring 2025 run, which was geared toward the TV awards season and ran on PBS SoCal as “Variety Studio: Actors on Actors.” The show then moved to CNN’s streaming platform for its film-centric fall 2025 edition, “Variety & CNN Actors on Actors,” which received the other nomination.

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DRAM demand predicted to outstrip supply by 28.7 exabytes in 2030, which is almost as much as the actual DRAM in the world right now

· 3 min read
A close-up photo of a pair of Micron and SK Hynix DDR5 DIMMs, showing the memory modules on black/green PCBs
(Image credit: Future)

Earlier today I reported that Chinese memory makers, such as CXMT, are ramping up their production big time, and are set to run hot on the heels of Micron in output even by the end of this year. But hold up, don't get too excited, because the same research that produced those figures also predicts "the 2030 DRAM squeeze" matching the SK hynix CEO's warnings from earlier in the week.

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