Solving the gallium anomaly: New calculation may explain neutrino shortfall without invoking new particles - Phys.org

Researchers at the University of Basel have investigated how fine particles in exhaust emissions from aircraft and marine engines change in the atmosphere. Their findings show that aircraft emissions in particular become more toxic over time. Fine particulate matter consists of tiny particles with diameters in the nanometer range. They are produced, for example, by fuel combustion, remain suspended in the air and can penetrate deep into the respiratory tract. There, they can trigger what is known as oxidative stress – a process that promotes inflammation and, in the long term, can lead to serious health problems such as respiratory or cardiovascular diseases. Scientists refer to this harmful property of the particles as their oxidative potential.

Belgian physicist worked to build Antarctic observatory that tracks neutrinos from deep space. Belgian physicist Francis Halzen has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for creating a giant detector in Antarctica that captures neutrinos, the so-called “ghost particles” from space that scientists believe offer clues to how the universe evolved. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the prestigious award in Stockholm on Tuesday, crediting Halzen with a central role in building the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Is there life on another planet? Scientists find the strongest evidence yetlist 2 of 3Have scientists discovered a dark matter particle?list 3 of 3Nobel medicine prize honours US and German scientists for optogenetics workend of listThe neutrino interactions collected by the observatory provide information about how high-energy neutrinos are created and may even reveal previously unknown phenomena, the Academy said. “It was a great surprise, and I obviously didn’t expect it,” Halzen said, speaking to the committee by phone from Italy, in a call broadcast at the news conference to announce the winner.

A thick haze of aerosols—mostly from anthropogenic sources like vehicles and industry—hangs over eastern China in this image captured by NASA's satellite-mounted Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in October 2024. Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC Aerosols are small particles suspended in our atmosphere. They come in many flavors: Wildfire smoke, pollen, desert dust, sea salt lofted by powerful storms, volcanic sulfates and emissions from engines and industrial processes are all examples.