Can light behave like a whirlwind? It turns out it can—and such “optical tornadoes” have now been created in an extremely small structure by scientists from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, the Military University of Technology, and the Institut Pascal CNRS at Université Clermont Auvergne. This discovery opens a new pathway for creating miniature light sources with complex structures, potentially enabling the development of simpler and more scalable photonic devices in the future, for applications such as optical communication and quantum technologies. The research is published in the journal Science Advances.
“Our solution combines several fields of physics, from quantum mechanics, through materials engineering, to optics and solid-state physics,” explains Prof. Jacek Szczytko from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, the leader of the research group. “The inspiration came from systems known from atomic physics, where electrons can occupy different energy states. In photonics, a similar role is played by optical traps, which confine light instead of electrons.”
“You can think of it as an optical vortex,” says Dr. Marcin Muszyński from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw and Department of Physics City College of New York, the first author of the study. “The light wave twists around its axis, and its phase changes in a spiral manner. Moreover, even the polarization—the direction of oscillation of the electric field—begins to rotate.”
A supervolcano that once shook the Earth is quietly recharging—and scientists are finally seeing how it happens.
Scientists have found that the magma reservoir linked to the largest volcanic eruption of the Holocene is filling again. The discovery, led by Kobe University researchers studying Japan’s Kikai caldera, offers new insight into how massive caldera systems such as Yellowstone and Toba behave and may improve our ability to anticipate future activity.
Jupiter’s lightning has long been of interest to planetary scientists, as it marks stormy spots where researchers can look to learn more about convection in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Observing lightning from a distance can be tricky, so scientists have focused on the bolts that are easiest to study: strong flashes that strike at night. As a result, some studies have concluded that lightning bolts on Jupiter are all similar to the strongest lightning on Earth, known as “superbolts.” This conclusion was recently questioned, however, when the high-sensitivity star tracker camera on NASA’s Juno spacecraft detected faint, shallow lightning.
For a study published in AGU Advances, Michael Wong and colleagues took a closer look, focusing on a period in 2021 and 2022 when lightning in Jupiter’s North Equatorial Belt was highly localized within powerful, isolated storms the researchers labeled “stealth superstorms.” This unusual meteorology allowed researchers to pinpoint the location of lightning more accurately.
Instead of looking only at visible light, the scientists used data from the Microwave Radiometer instrument and the Waves experiment—radio wave detectors carried by Juno, which has been orbiting Jupiter for the past 10 years. Radio waves are just one form of electromagnetic radiation produced by lightning, but they’re an especially informative form because scientists can study them even when clouds or other components of the atmosphere block visual cues. The approach allowed the researchers to look beyond the strong nocturnal bolts other researchers have focused on.
Abstract. Models are converging on prediction of an El Nino beginning this year, peaking in early 2027. After overlooking the possibility of an El Nino this year, some reporting is jumping on a “Super El Nino” bandwagon. El Nino strength and frequency are important, especially the issue of whether these are modified by global warming. However, the more important knowledge that needs to be extracted from near-term global warming concerns interpretation of ongoing, extraordinary, acceleration of ocean surface warming. Impacts of this ocean warming include a factor of two greater warming over land, increased extreme precipitation, and poleward movement of subtropical conditions.
The fundamental advance in the past five years in understanding of global climate change is realization that equilibrium climate sensitivity is substantially larger than the long-standing best estimate of 3°C for doubled CO2. The underestimate was due to an implicit assumption that aerosol climate forcing changed negligibly during the period of rapid linear warming that began about 1970 and on heavy dependence of climate sensitivity assessments on observed warming of the past century. Multiple data sources now indicate that climate sensitivity is 4–5°C, which is consistent with aerosol-cloud modeling that reveals increasing aerosol cooling during the 1970–2005 period of rapid linear warming because of increased global spread of the aerosol sources. This explains why underlying climate sensitivity must be larger to account for the observed temperature rise.
Researchers from Skoltech, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico, the Research Center for Cereal and Industrial Crops in Italy, and other international organizations have developed new durum wheat lines capable of surviving freezing temperatures while maintaining the grain quality required for premium pasta production. The study, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, presents a new breeding framework that could help make durum wheat production more resilient to climate variability.
Durum wheat is the primary raw material used to produce pasta worldwide, yet it remains highly vulnerable to sudden freezing events. As climate variability increases, unpredictable cold spells pose a growing risk to wheat production. At the same time, breeders must preserve the high gluten quality that gives pasta its characteristic texture and cooking properties.
Could we sculpt dead planets into living worlds? From artificial crusts and orbital mirrors to taming tectonics and engineering biospheres, this is your definitive guide to turning alien rocks into second Earths.
Watch my exclusive video Fishbowl Starships — Water As Shielding — https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur–… Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur Get a Lifetime Membership to Nebula for only $300: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=isa… Use the link https://gift.nebula.tv/isaacarthur to give a year of Nebula to a friend for just $36. Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a… Facebook Group: / 1,583,992,725,237,264 Reddit: / isaacarthur Twitter: / isaac_a_arthur on Twitter and RT our future content. SFIA Discord Server: / discord Credits: Interstellar Travel: Can We Survive The Long Journey? Episode 725; June 15, 2025 Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur Graphics: Jarred Eagley Jeremy Jozwik Ken York YD Visual Mafic Studios Sergio Botero Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator Chris Zabriskie, “Unfoldment, Revealment”, “A New Day in a New Sector”, “Oxygen Garden”, “Wonder Cycle” Kai Engel, “Endless Story About Sun and Moon” Taras Harkavyi, “Alpha and…” Dark Future, “Staring Through” pt1 Miguel Johnson. “The Commanders”, “Far From Home” Lombus, “Hydrogen Sonata”, “Cosmic Soup” Aerium, “Deijocht” Stellardrone, “Red Giant”, “Solar Eclipse”, “Billions and Billions” Chapters 0:00 Intro 5:33 What is Terraforming? 8:27 Terraforming vs Para-Terraforming 11:54 Planets vs Megastructures 14:05 Terraforming vs Bioforming 17:14 The Inevitable Hybrid Approach 20:59 Ethics & Debate: Preservation vs. Transformation 22:42 Terraforming as a Civilization-Scale Endeavor 23:46 Terraforming Technologies & Techniques 24:42 Artificial Gravity Solutions 27:58 Atmospheric Manipulation 31:25 Bioforming & Genetic Engineering 34:06 Comet & Asteroid Bombardment 39:43 Domes & Worldhouses 43:24 Geoengineering & Climate Control 47:05 Hydrospheric Engineering 49:58 Magnetosphere Generation 53:35 Fishbowl Starships 55:02 Mass & Orbital Adjustments 1:00:17 Mega-Mirrors & Solar Shades 1:04:30 Oxygenation & Soil Processing 1:07:39 Planetary Shells & Artificial Crusts 1:10:37 Terraforming Nanotechnology 1:14:04 Tidal & Seismic Stabilization 1:18:45 From Theory to Practice: Adapting Terraforming to Specific Worlds 1:20:27 Extreme Radiation Levels 1:23:57 Frequent Asteroid & Meteor Impacts 1:27:41 High Gravity 1:30:29 Highly Eccentric Orbits 1:34:46 Hostile Native Life 1:38:25 Intense Volcanism 1:40:55 Long or Erratic Day/Night Cycles 1:51:09 Low Light Levels 1:52:57 No Air 1:54:25 No Magnetosphere 1:56:17 No Seasons 1:58:13 No Water 2:00:48 Short or Long Years & Seasons 2:02:05 Tidally Locked 2:03:32 Tidally Wracked 2:04:36 Too Cold 2:05:36 Too Hot 2:06:21 Too Much Air 2:07:05 Too Much Ocean 2:08:44 Too Much Solar Wind 2:11:13 Toxic or Corrosive Atmosphere or Surface 2:14:09 Unstable Tectonics 2:15:10 Wrong Air Composition 2:16:21 Final Thoughts. Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur. Get a Lifetime Membership to Nebula for only $300: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=isa… Use the link https://gift.nebula.tv/isaacarthur to give a year of Nebula to a friend for just $36.
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net. Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur. Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a… Facebook Group: / 1583992725237264 Reddit: / isaacarthur. Twitter: / isaac_a_arthur on Twitter and RT our future content. SFIA Discord Server: / discord. Credits: Interstellar Travel: Can We Survive The Long Journey? Episode 725; June 15, 2025 Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur. Graphics: Jarred Eagley. Jeremy Jozwik. Ken York YD Visual. Mafic Studios. Sergio Botero. Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images. Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator. Chris Zabriskie, \
From abiogenesis to AI, we rank the top Great Filter candidates and test them against the data to see which best explains the Fermi Paradox. Is the universe empty, or just dangerous? We explore ten filters—cosmic, biological, and civilizational—that could silence civilizations before they spread.
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a… Group: / 1,583,992,725,237,264 Reddit: / isaacarthur Twitter: / isaac_a_arthur on Twitter and RT our future content. SFIA Discord Server: / discord . Credits: Could We Accidentally Destroy the Universe? Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator.
Chapters 0:00 Intro 5:08 #10 The Fine-Tuned Universe & Rare Earth 12:55 #9 Abiogenesis (The Origin of Life) 16:29 #8 Complex Cells & Eukaryotes 20:14 #7 Multicellularity and Specialization 22:39 #6 Sexual Reproduction & Genetic Innovation 23:54 #5 Complex Animal Life 25:24 Curiosity 26:39 #4 Extended Childhood & Cooperative Rearing 29:17 #3 Long-Term Climate Stability 31:40 #2 Intelligence That Produces Technology 35:11 #1 The Late Filters: Surviving Technology, Ourselves, and Expanding Beyond the Home System.
Layoffs, consolidation, streaming losses, artificial intelligence and the rise of the creator economy are reshaping Hollywood, raising questions about whether the industry is just hitting a rough patch or in terminal decline.
Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com for just $1.99 your first month: https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions?in_source=YoutubeOriginals Bloomberg Originals offers bold takes for curious minds on today’s biggest topics. Hosted by experts covering stories you haven’t seen and viewpoints you haven’t heard, you’ll discover cinematic, data-led shows that investigate the intersection of business and culture. Exploring every angle of climate change, technology, finance, sports and beyond, Bloomberg Originals is business as you’ve never seen it.
Subscribe for business news, but not as you’ve known it: exclusive interviews, fascinating profiles, data-driven analysis, and the latest in tech innovation from around the world.
Visit our partner channel Bloomberg News for global news and insight in an instant.
