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A new NASA-funded technology for future space missions may charge an electric car in just five minutes on Earth, paving the way for increased adoption of such vehicles, the US space agency said.

Researchers at Purdue University, US developed the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) to enable two-phase fluid flow and heat transfer experiments to be conducted in the long-duration microgravity environment on the International Space Station (ISS).

The new “subcooled flow boiling” technique results in greatly improved heat transfer effectiveness compared to other approaches and could be used to control the temperatures of future systems in space.

This technology can also have applications on Earth: It could make owning an electric car more appealing, the researchers said.

Currently, charging times vary widely, from 20 minutes at a station alongside a roadway to hours using an at-home charging station.

Lengthy charging times and charger location are both cited as major concerns of people who are considering electric vehicle ownership.

Reducing the charging time for electric vehicles to five minutes — an industry goal — will require charging systems to provide current at 1,400A.

Currently, advanced chargers only deliver currents up to 520A, and most chargers available to consumers support currents of less than 150A.

However, charging systems providing 1,400A will generate significantly more heat than current systems, and will require improved methods to control temperature.

Recently, the team applied the technique learned from the NASA FBCE experiments to the electric vehicle charging process.

Using this new technology, dielectric — non-electrically conducting — liquid coolant is pumped through the charging cable, where it captures the heat generated by the current-carrying conductor.

Subcooled flow boiling allows the team to deliver 4.6 times the current of the fastest available electric vehicle chargers on the market today by removing up to 24.22kWs of heat, the researchers said.

The charging cable can provide 2,400A, which is far beyond the 1,400A required to reduce time required to charge an electric car to five minutes, they said.

“Application of this new technology resulted in unprecedented reduction of the time required to charge a vehicle and may remove one of the key barriers to worldwide adoption of electric vehicles,” the researchers added.

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People in Modern Societies Sleep More but Have Irregular Sleep Cycles

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March 4, 2025

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People in Modern Societies Sleep More but Have Irregular Sleep Cycles

A new study challenges the common belief that modern industrialised life results in chronic sleep deprivation. Despite concerns about screen exposure and daily stress impacting sleep quality, findings suggest that individuals in industrialised societies actually sleep longer compared to those in less industrialised settings. Data from multiple studies indicate that sleep duration is higher among people in modern environments, contradicting widely held assumptions. However, while sleep quantity is greater, regular circadian rhythms appear to be more disrupted in these settings.

Study Findings on Sleep Patterns

According to research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, anthropologists David Ryan Samson and Leela McKinnon from the University of Toronto Mississauga conducted a meta-analysis of 54 global sleep studies. Their research examined the sleeping habits of 866 healthy adults, revealing that people in hunter-gatherer societies sleep fewer hours on average. Some groups recorded as little as 5.5 hours per night, while the general average in non-industrialised societies was 6.4 hours. In comparison, individuals in industrialised countries averaged over seven hours of sleep nightly.

Efficiency in Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Disruptions

Data also showed that sleep efficiency was higher in industrialised environments. It was reported that 88 percent of time spent in bed was used for sleep, whereas in less-industrialised settings, this figure was lower at 74 percent. Despite this, irregular circadian rhythms were more pronounced in industrialised societies. The circadian function index, which measures regularity in sleep-wake cycles, was recorded at 0.7 in non-industrialised societies but lower at 0.63 in industrialised settings.

Researchers attribute this difference to reduced exposure to natural light cues, which help regulate sleep cycles.

These findings suggest that sleep disturbances in modern environments may not stem from lack of sleep but rather from disrupted biological rhythms.

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New Study Reveals How Pulsars Help Measure Dark Matter in the Milky Way

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4 hours ago

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March 4, 2025

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New Study Reveals How Pulsars Help Measure Dark Matter in the Milky Way

A new approach to measuring dark matter density in the Milky Way has been introduced by researchers from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). The study outlines how gravitational acceleration measurements from pulsars can provide insights into the distribution of dark matter in the galaxy. With an expanded dataset including solitary pulsars, scientists have been able to refine their findings, marking a significant advancement in astrophysical research. The ability to measure accelerations at an unprecedented scale has enabled the team to determine local dark matter density with greater accuracy. The findings suggest that in a volume equivalent to Earth, less than 1 kilogram of dark matter is present, highlighting its rarity despite its dominance in the universe’s total mass.

Use of Solitary Pulsars for Dark Matter Measurement

According to the study published on the arXiv preprint server, earlier research relied on binary millisecond pulsars to measure galactic acceleration. Dr. Sukanya Chakrabarti, Pei-Ling Chan Endowed Chair at UAH, explained to Phys.org that most pulsars exist as solitary objects rather than in pairs. By incorporating solitary pulsars into their methodology, the research team has effectively doubled the sample size available for analysis. This expansion allows for a more precise mapping of the Milky Way’s gravitational field, including its dark matter distribution.

Galactic Wobble and Its Role in Measurement

The study also delves into the effects of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) on the Milky Way. Dr. Chakrabarti told Phys.org that the LMC’s gravitational influence creates an imbalance in the Milky Way, leading to an observable wobble. This asymmetry has now been quantified for the first time through pulsar acceleration data. The impact of this gravitational interaction provides further evidence supporting the study’s findings on dark matter distribution.

Addressing Magnetic Braking in Pulsar Acceleration Analysis

A challenge in previous research was accounting for the spindown effect caused by magnetic braking in pulsars. Dr. Tom Donlon, a postdoctoral associate at UAH, explained to Phys.org that binary pulsars were initially used because their orbits remained unaffected by magnetic braking. The latest study has introduced a method to estimate magnetic braking effects with high accuracy, allowing solitary pulsars to be incorporated into acceleration measurements. This advancement broadens the scope of analysis and strengthens the reliability of the findings.

Future Prospects in Dark Matter Research

With the ability to measure accelerations as small as 10 cm/s per decade, the research team believes that mapping the dark matter distribution in the Milky Way with high precision is now within reach. Dr. Chakrabarti stated to Phys.org that while large accelerations near black holes and the galactic center have been measured in the past, this study marks the first time such small accelerations caused by dark matter have been directly observed. The findings contribute significantly to the ongoing efforts to understand the elusive nature of dark matter and its role in shaping the cosmos.

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Solar System’s Journey Through Orion Complex May Have Altered Earth’s Climate



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Solar System’s Journey Through Orion Complex May Have Altered Earth’s Climate

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21 hours ago

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March 3, 2025

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Solar System’s Journey Through Orion Complex May Have Altered Earth’s Climate

The movement of the solar system through the Orion star-forming complex around 14 million years ago may have influenced Earth’s climate, according to scientists. This dense region of space, part of the Radcliffe Wave galactic structure, could have compressed the heliosphere—the protective shield surrounding the solar system—while increasing interstellar dust reaching Earth. Researchers suggest that this influx of cosmic dust might have left traces in geological records, potentially linking galactic activity to past climate changes.

Solar System’s Passage Through the Radcliffe Wave

According to the study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, an international research team led by the University of Vienna used data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission and spectroscopic observations to determine that the solar system moved through the Radcliffe Wave in the Orion constellation between 18.2 and 11.5 million years ago. The most probable period was estimated between 14.8 and 12.4 million years ago. João Alves, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Vienna and co-author of the study, stated to Phys.org, that this research builds on prior findings regarding the Radcliffe Wave. This structure, made up of interconnected star-forming regions, includes the Orion complex, which the sun is believed to have passed through.

Potential Impact on Earth’s Climate

The study suggests that the increased presence of interstellar dust may have influenced Earth’s atmosphere. Efrem Maconi, lead author and doctoral student at the University of Vienna, said that this dust might have contained traces of radioactive elements from supernovae, which could be detected in geological records using advanced technology in the future.

The solar system’s passage aligns with the Middle Miocene Climate Transition, a period marked by a shift from a warmer, variable climate to a cooler one, leading to the development of Antarctic ice sheets. Scientists highlight that while interstellar dust could have played a role, the dominant factor in this climate change was a long-term decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

Not Comparable to Human-Induced Climate Change

Maconi noted that while interstellar dust could have contributed to past climate shifts, the amount required for significant change would need to be much greater than current data suggests. The Middle Miocene Climate Transition unfolded over hundreds of thousands of years, unlike modern climate change, which is occurring rapidly due to human activities

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