Latest news with #USTC
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China grid wears powerful ‘diamond ring' to prevent massive blackout
China 's power grid now wields a futuristic safeguard against catastrophic collapses – a quantum-powered , all-seeing 'diamond ring' capable of detecting grid instability in real time with unprecedented precision. The urgency was underscored in April, when sweeping outages paralysed Spain, Portugal and France after grid oscillations severed Spain from Europe's interconnected network. Similar chaos also struck China's Xinjiang region last year, when solar and wind fluctuations destabilised local grids. Such incidents highlight a critical challenge – as renewables dominate energy transitions, their weather-dependent unpredictability strains traditional monitoring systems. Designed by a team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in collaboration with the State Grid Corporation, China's 'diamond ring' – a toroidal or ring-shaped device embedding nitrogen-vacancy quantum sensors – acts as a high-precision sentinel for power lines.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New Infrared Contacts Let You See in the Dark
Humans have a new way of seeing infrared light, without the need for clunky night-vision goggles. Researchers have made the first contact lenses to convey infrared vision — and the devices work even when people have their eyes closed. The team behind the invention, led by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei, gave the lenses their power by infusing them with nanoparticles that convert near-infrared light in the 800–1,600-nanometre range into shorter-wavelength, visible light that humans can see, in the 400–700-nanometre range. The researchers estimate that the lenses cost around US$200 per pair to make. The technology, which was detailed in Cell on 22 May, 'is incredibly cool, just like something out of a science-fiction movie', says Xiaomin Li, a chemist at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. It opens up 'new possibilities for understanding the world around us', he adds. [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] Near-infrared light sits just outside the range of wavelengths that humans can normally detect. Some animals can sense infrared light, although probably not well enough to form images. Night-vision goggles enable humans to see infrared radiation, but they are bulky and require a power source to work. The new lenses avoid these limitations while also offering richer, multi-coloured infrared images that night-vision goggles, which operate on a monochrome green scale, typically do not. However, the lenses do have their own shortcomings. Because the embedded nanoparticles scatter light, the images the lenses create are blurry. The team partially corrected this by putting the technology into glasses with additional lenses that redirect the light. Moreover, unlike night-vision goggles, which amplify light to detect low-level infrared signals, the lenses allow users to see only intense infrared signals, such as those emitted by light-emitting diodes (LEDs). For these reasons, some critics don't think the lenses will prove useful. 'I cannot think of any application that would not be fundamentally simpler with infrared goggles,' says Glen Jeffery, a neuroscientist at University College London who specializes in eye health. 'Evolution has avoided this for a good reason.' Nevertheless, the authors think that their lenses can be further optimized and foresee several possible uses for the invention. For instance, wearers would be able to read anti-counterfeit marks that emit infrared wavelengths but are otherwise invisible to the human eye, says co-author Yuqian Ma, a neuroscientist at the USTC. Li, who was not involved in the work, offers another possibility: the lenses might be worn by doctors conducting near-infrared fluorescence surgery, to directly detect and remove cancerous lesions 'without relying on bulky traditional equipment'. To create the contact lenses, the scientists built on previous research in which they gave mice infrared vision by injecting nanoparticles into the animals' retinas. This time, they took a less invasive approach and added nanoparticles made of rare-earth metals including ytterbium and erbium to a soup of polymer building blocks to form the soft lenses, and then tested them for safety. The main challenge, Ma says, was to pack enough nanoparticles into the lenses to convert sufficient infrared light into detectable visible light, while not otherwise altering the lenses' optical properties, including their transparency. Tests in mice showed that animals wearing the lenses tended to choose a dark box that was considered 'safe' over one lit up by infrared light, whereas mice without the lenses showed no preference for either box. Humans wearing the lenses could see flickering infrared light from an LED well enough to both pick up Morse code signals and sense which direction the signals were coming from. The lenses' performance even improved when participants closed their eyes, because near-infrared light easily penetrates the eyelids, whereas visible light, which could have interfered with image formation, does so to a lesser degree. 'Witnessing people wearing contact lenses and successfully seeing infrared flashes was undoubtedly an exhilarating moment,' Ma says. The team now plans to find ways to cram more nanoparticles into the lenses and hopes to develop particles that can convert light with higher efficiency, to improve the technology's sensitivity. 'We have overcome the physiological limitations of human vision, as if opening a brand-new window onto the world,' Ma says. This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on May 22, 2025.
Scientific American
23-05-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
New Contacts Let You See Infrared Light—Even with Your Eyes Closed
Humans have a new way of seeing infrared light, without the need for clunky night-vision goggles. Researchers have made the first contact lenses to convey infrared vision — and the devices work even when people have their eyes closed. The team behind the invention, led by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei, gave the lenses their power by infusing them with nanoparticles that convert near-infrared light in the 800–1,600-nanometre range into shorter-wavelength, visible light that humans can see, in the 400–700-nanometre range. The researchers estimate that the lenses cost around US$200 per pair to make. The technology, which was detailed in Cell on 22 May, 'is incredibly cool, just like something out of a science-fiction movie', says Xiaomin Li, a chemist at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. It opens up 'new possibilities for understanding the world around us', he adds. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Pros and cons Near-infrared light sits just outside the range of wavelengths that humans can normally detect. Some animals can sense infrared light, although probably not well enough to form images. Night-vision goggles enable humans to see infrared radiation, but they are bulky and require a power source to work. The new lenses avoid these limitations while also offering richer, multi-coloured infrared images that night-vision goggles, which operate on a monochrome green scale, typically do not. However, the lenses do have their own shortcomings. Because the embedded nanoparticles scatter light, the images the lenses create are blurry. The team partially corrected this by putting the technology into glasses with additional lenses that redirect the light. Moreover, unlike night-vision goggles, which amplify light to detect low-level infrared signals, the lenses allow users to see only intense infrared signals, such as those emitted by light-emitting diodes (LEDs). For these reasons, some critics don't think the lenses will prove useful. 'I cannot think of any application that would not be fundamentally simpler with infrared goggles,' says Glen Jeffery, a neuroscientist at University College London who specializes in eye health. 'Evolution has avoided this for a good reason.' Nevertheless, the authors think that their lenses can be further optimized and foresee several possible uses for the invention. For instance, wearers would be able to read anti-counterfeit marks that emit infrared wavelengths but are otherwise invisible to the human eye, says co-author Yuqian Ma, a neuroscientist at the USTC. Li, who was not involved in the work, offers another possibility: the lenses might be worn by doctors conducting near-infrared fluorescence surgery, to directly detect and remove cancerous lesions 'without relying on bulky traditional equipment'. 'An exhilarating moment' To create the contact lenses, the scientists built on previous research in which they gave mice infrared vision by injecting nanoparticles into the animals' retinas. This time, they took a less invasive approach and added nanoparticles made of rare-earth metals including ytterbium and erbium to a soup of polymer building blocks to form the soft lenses, and then tested them for safety. The main challenge, Ma says, was to pack enough nanoparticles into the lenses to convert sufficient infrared light into detectable visible light, while not otherwise altering the lenses' optical properties, including their transparency. Tests in mice showed that animals wearing the lenses tended to choose a dark box that was considered 'safe' over one lit up by infrared light, whereas mice without the lenses showed no preference for either box. Humans wearing the lenses could see flickering infrared light from an LED well enough to both pick up Morse code signals and sense which direction the signals were coming from. The lenses' performance even improved when participants closed their eyes, because near-infrared light easily penetrates the eyelids, whereas visible light, which could have interfered with image formation, does so to a lesser degree. 'Witnessing people wearing contact lenses and successfully seeing infrared flashes was undoubtedly an exhilarating moment,' Ma says. The team now plans to find ways to cram more nanoparticles into the lenses and hopes to develop particles that can convert light with higher efficiency, to improve the technology's sensitivity. 'We have overcome the physiological limitations of human vision, as if opening a brand-new window onto the world,' Ma says.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Say This Zombie Volcano Is Still Alive
Although dormant volcanoes are usually quiet, 'zombie volcanoes' like Bolivia's Uturuncu display a surviving amount of activity for a volcano that hasn't erupted in 250,000 years. A new study uses seismic topography, combined with other data sets including rock composition, to create a 3D map of the magmatic and hydrothermal plumbing beneath Uturuncu. The study shows that the Altiplano-Puna Magma Body, the largest in the world, is feeding hot fluids and gasses toward the surface and trapping CO2 and steam under the summit. Although not a living, breathing thing like you and me, volcanoes experience their own 'life cycles.' Filled with veins of magma and toxic gas rather than blood and plasma, these rumbling geologic formations first experience a calamitous active phase, a more sleepy dormant phase, until eventually going extinct. Although technically not dead, dormant volcanoes usually show little activity unless they're on the inevitable road to eruption. In a way, these volcanoes exist in a liminal space between active and extinct. However, some volcanoes defy this easy categorization, and chief among them is the long-dormant Uturuncu volcano in Bolivia. Meaning 'jaguar' in the indigenous language Quechua, Uturuncu hasn't erupted for 250,000 years—give or take 5,000 years or so. However, that hasn't stopped this volcano from showcasing extensive gas and earthquake activity, inspiring some toward the label of a 'zombie volcano.' Now, a new study from scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Oxford University, and Cornell University have unraveled the mystery of Uturuncu's undead activity. The results of the study were published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 'When people look at volcanoes, they're like, 'Oh, if it's not going to erupt, we're not interested in it,'' Cornell University's Matthew Pritchard, a co-author of the study, said in a press statement. 'But actually volcanoes that look dead on the surface are not dead underneath. There are still processes going on. And the processes in Uturuncu are particularly interesting because they're telling us about the liquids and the gasses that are moving through there that might become, or maybe even today are, a reservoir of minerals that could be useful for technology.' Shaped sort of like a sombrero—with the volcano jutting upwards while the area surrounding it sinks below—Uturuncu rests on the largest magma body in the Earth's crust in what's known as the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex. Scientists know that a hydrothermal system connects this body to the surface but has no idea how the internal fluid mechanics of that system work. To get a clearer picture, the research team used seismic tomography, which uses seismic waves from 1,700 earthquake events. Because these waves interact differently with varying materials in the Earth, scientists were able to construct a 3D model of Uturuncu's interior. This model was then combined with other data, including rock composition, for an even higher-resolution snapshot of Uturuncu's magmatic and hydrothermal plumbing. What the scientists discovered is that the Altiplano-Puna Magma Body is likely sending gasses through a narrow pipe, which causes liquids and gasses to accumulate below the volcano's crater and is what likely forms Uturuncu's sombrero-like shape. Because this is caused by liquids and gasses, and not magma, an impending eruption is low, a sigh of relief for locals who live near the volcano. However, studying the internal layout of volcanoes like Uturuncu provides more valuable information than just its explosive probability. 'Fluids are flowing through molten rock and they pick up some minerals on their way, and then they take them somewhere and deposit them,' Pritchard said in a press statement, stating how volcanoes can be breeding grounds for important minerals. 'Even though we're not really worried about this particular volcano erupting in the next few years, we can sort of see in real time the processes of this happening. Clearly there is activity underground that may be even, at some point, economically useful.' Uturuncu also isn't the only 'zombie volcano' of its kind, as many similar formations around the world that haven't erupted for thousands of years though still show a surprising amount of activity. Understanding these signs of activity could help scientists sort through which volcanoes are an impending threat and which are simply blowing smoke. You Might Also Like Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss? Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A Zombie Volcano Hasn't Erupted in 250,000 Years—But Scientists Say It's Still Alive
Although dormant volcanoes are usually quiet, 'zombie volcanoes' like Bolivia's Uturuncu display a surviving amount of activity for a volcano that hasn't erupted in 250,000 years. A new study uses seismic topography, combined with other data sets including rock composition, to create a 3D map of the magmatic and hydrothermal plumbing beneath Uturuncu. The study shows that the Altiplano-Puna Magma Body, the largest in the world, is feeding hot fluids and gasses toward the surface and trapping CO2 and steam under the summit. Although not a living, breathing thing like you and me, volcanoes experience their own 'life cycles.' Filled with veins of magma and toxic gas rather than blood and plasma, these rumbling geologic formations first experience a calamitous active phase, a more sleepy dormant phase, until eventually going extinct. Although technically not dead, dormant volcanoes usually show little activity unless they're on the inevitable road to eruption. In a way, these volcanoes exist in a liminal space between active and extinct. However, some volcanoes defy this easy categorization, and chief among them is the long-dormant Uturuncu volcano in Bolivia. Meaning 'jaguar' in the indigenous language Quechua, Uturuncu hasn't erupted for 250,000 years—give or take 5,000 years or so. However, that hasn't stopped this volcano from showcasing extensive gas and earthquake activity, inspiring some toward the label of a 'zombie volcano.' Now, a new study from scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Oxford University, and Cornell University have unraveled the mystery of Uturuncu's undead activity. The results of the study were published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 'When people look at volcanoes, they're like, 'Oh, if it's not going to erupt, we're not interested in it,'' Cornell University's Matthew Pritchard, a co-author of the study, said in a press statement. 'But actually volcanoes that look dead on the surface are not dead underneath. There are still processes going on. And the processes in Uturuncu are particularly interesting because they're telling us about the liquids and the gasses that are moving through there that might become, or maybe even today are, a reservoir of minerals that could be useful for technology.' Shaped sort of like a sombrero—with the volcano jutting upwards while the area surrounding it sinks below—Uturuncu rests on the largest magma body in the Earth's crust in what's known as the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex. Scientists know that a hydrothermal system connects this body to the surface but has no idea how the internal fluid mechanics of that system work. To get a clearer picture, the research team used seismic tomography, which uses seismic waves from 1,700 earthquake events. Because these waves interact differently with varying materials in the Earth, scientists were able to construct a 3D model of Uturuncu's interior. This model was then combined with other data, including rock composition, for an even higher-resolution snapshot of Uturuncu's magmatic and hydrothermal plumbing. What the scientists discovered is that the Altiplano-Puna Magma Body is likely sending gasses through a narrow pipe, which causes liquids and gasses to accumulate below the volcano's crater and is what likely forms Uturuncu's sombrero-like shape. Because this is caused by liquids and gasses, and not magma, an impending eruption is low, a sigh of relief for locals who live near the volcano. However, studying the internal layout of volcanoes like Uturuncu provides more valuable information than just its explosive probability. 'Fluids are flowing through molten rock and they pick up some minerals on their way, and then they take them somewhere and deposit them,' Pritchard said in a press statement, stating how volcanoes can be breeding grounds for important minerals. 'Even though we're not really worried about this particular volcano erupting in the next few years, we can sort of see in real time the processes of this happening. Clearly there is activity underground that may be even, at some point, economically useful.' Uturuncu also isn't the only 'zombie volcano' of its kind, as many similar formations around the world that haven't erupted for thousands of years though still show a surprising amount of activity. Understanding these signs of activity could help scientists sort through which volcanoes are an impending threat and which are simply blowing smoke. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
