UN IAEA reports Iran to UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years

I suppose good news especially for President Trump and his war on Iran. This seems to be a developing story.

Many Western news media are afflicted with the Trump Derangement Syndrome and report that a mad man is trying to subdue Iran or similar narratives.

This is a strong reminder what this war with Iran is all about! Do want suicidal religious fanatics, who support mass killings of civilians like October 7, to develop nuclear weapons? I don't think so!

Where are the coward European powers when you need them (as a minimum mine sweeping and security escorts for commercial ships)? Issuing resolution is not enough!

Caveat I with Google's help were unable to find the original news release by IAEA.

"The board of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in 20 years, accusing the country of failing to cooperate with an investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at various undeclared sites in Iran. ..."

"... Twenty-three countries on the IAEA’s 35-member board of governors voted for the resolution at IAEA headquarters in Vienna. ...

The diplomatic move has been under consideration since June 2025, when the IAEA board found Iran officially in noncompliance with its nonproliferation obligations because of Tehran’s lack of cooperation in a long-running investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at various undeclared sites in Iran. ..."

UN atomic watchdog reports Iran to UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years | Just The News "China, Russia and Niger voted against it, while eight other countries abstained in the closed-door vote."

UN nuclear watchdog board reports Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years "The resolution was put forward by the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

Specific punitive measures by the U.N. are unlikely in this case since Iran’s allies Russia and China hold veto power on the U.N. Security Council."

Quantum computer microscope is set to significantly improve electron microscopy using few single electrons

"... A team ... has now developed a way to make use of the quantum information carried by electrons in an electron microscope: The electron beam is coupled to a quantum computer, opening up entirely new possibilities for working with the quantum information of the electrons.

This is particularly important for sensitive samples that cannot be bombarded with arbitrarily large numbers of electrons. ..."

"... “Today, we can image tiny details on the atomic scale,” ... “However, this requires a large number of electrons. And not every sample can be exposed to so many electrons without being damaged. This is often a problem, particularly when imaging biological samples such as individual proteins.” ...

If, however, more information can be extracted from each individual electron than before, a smaller number of electrons is sufficient. The team has now found a method to achieve precisely this ..."

From the abstract:

"Freely propagating electrons may serve as quantum probes that can become coherently correlated with other quantum systems, offering access to advanced metrological resources.

We propose a setup that coherently couples free electrons in an electron microscope to a trapped-ion quantum processor, enabling non-destructive, quantum-coherent detection and the accumulation of information across multiple electrons. Our analysis shows that single electrons can induce resolvable qubit excitations, establishing a platform for practical applications such as quantum-enhanced, dose-efficient electron microscopy."

Quantum computer microscope is set to significantly improve electron microscopy

The Quantum Computer Microscope (original news release) "A new invention is set to significantly improve electron microscopy: a small quantum computer is integrated directly into the microscope."

Coupling free electrons to a trapped-ion quantum computer (preprint, open access)

Warum Strom in Österreich zu teuer ist (Rund 90 Prozent des Stromverbrauchs stammen aus erneuerbaren Energiequellen)

Gilt etwas ähnliches auch fuer die Bananenrepublik D?

An dem Phänomen ist wohl wenig paradox! Wer glaubt das Ökostrom billig sei ist ein Phantast.

Hinweis es ist doch schön wenn die Haushalte viel mehr für Strom bezahlen als die Unternehmen pro kWh. Eine schöne Quersubventionierung, die in Europa seit vielen Jahrzehnten betrieben wird.

"... Trotzdem sind wir im Energiepreis-Spitzenfeld [in der EU?], wie Betriebe und Haushalte laufend spüren müssen. ..."

",.. Da kommen nun 90 Prozent unseres Stromverbrauchs aus erneuerbaren Quellen – mehr als in jedem anderen Land in der EU – und doch steigen die Preise immer weiter. Auch die Stromkostenbremse konnte den Stöpsel nur kurz auf der Flasche halten; die österreichischen Haushalte zahlten Ende 2025 laut Eurostat über 30 Cent pro Kilowattstunde und damit deutlich mehr als im EU-Schnitt. Für die Industrie sieht es nur wenig besser aus. ..."

Warum Strom in Österreich zu teuer ist

Das Ökostrom Paradox "Wenn die Sonne angeblich keine Rechnung schickt, dann sollten das die Flüsse und Bäche Österreichs doch auch nicht tun, oder? Viereinhalb ökonomische Ideen für billigeren Strom."

Lena Schilling (MdEP) zu PFAS-Risikoanalyse: „Diese Drastik hat mich echt beeindruckt!“ Wirklich!

Wer hat den diese dumme und naive junge Frau (25 Jahre alt) ins Europa Parlament direkt oder indirekt gewählt!

Wie gefährlich sind eigentlich diese sog. Ewigkeitschemikalien? Viel Demagogie und Aberglaube! Plastophobia ist eine ernste Krankheit, bitte gehen sie sofort zum Arzt!

Lena Schilling zu PFAS-Risikoanalyse: „Diese Drastik hat mich echt beeindruckt!“ — der Freitag (Abo erforderlich) "Die EU-Abgeordnete Lena Schilling erwartet im Herbst einen „sehr starken Abschlussbericht“ der EU-Chemikalienbehörde zu den Ewigkeitschemikalien in der Umwelt. Sie fordert ein konsequentes Verbot und eine klare Verantwortung der Hersteller"

Lena Schilling

Österreich ist Europameister bei der politischen Parteienförderung

Das die Bananenrepublik D diesen Titel nicht für sich beanspruchen kann ist ausserordentlich! Vorsicht Satire!

Leider hat der Artikel die öffentliche Förderungen und private Parteispenden nicht getrennt! Ein schwerer Fehler!

"Österreich leistet sich im europäischen Vergleich die mit Abstand teuerste Parteienförderung. Pro Wahlberechtigten fließen 52 Euro im Jahr über öffentliche Förderungen und Parteispenden an die Parteien. Das ist fast das Fünffache des europäischen Durchschnitts von knapp 11 Euro.

Selbst vergleichbar kleine Länder mit traditionell großzügiger Parteienfinanzierung wie Belgien, Schweden oder Norwegen liegen mit 14 bis 17 Euro deutlich darunter. Deutschland kommt auf rund 11 Euro, das Vereinigte Königreich auf lediglich 1,1 Euro pro Wahlberechtigten."

Österreich ist Europameister bei der Parteienförderung

Chart of the day

Studieren in Österreich ist spottbillig (z.B. Studiengebühren)! Auch für Ausländer! Ist studieren in Deutschland generell auch immer noch so billig an öffentlichen Universitäten?

Quelle

A Day on Earth Is Getting Longer as the Planet’s Rotation Slows. Really!

When the Wall Street Journal publishes a popular science article! When obsessions interfere with rational thinking!

I would argue this tiny number could well be within the range of a measurement error! Plus, these are not measurements, but computer modeling results. Junk science?

"The Number ~1.33 The milliseconds added to day length per century over the past two decades, according to a new study. As temperatures warm, ice in the Arctic, Greenland and Antarctica melts, and the resulting rise in sea levels slows down Earth’s rotation. A change of milliseconds seems insignificant, but it can cause problems for clocks, GPS and navigation apps, and satellites."

"Climate change is lengthening our days because rising sea levels slow Earth's rotation. Researchers from the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich now show that the current increase in day length — 1.33 milliseconds per century [???]— is unprecedented in the past 3.6 million years [???]. The team reconstructed ancient day-length fluctuations using the fossil remains of single-celled marine organisms known as benthic foraminifera. The study has just been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. ..."

From the abstract:

"Understanding the history of Earth rotation variations and its connection to mantle dynamics is one of the most important problems is global geophysics. However, our knowledge of these variations—in particular those induced by climate on geological timescales—is limited due to both modeling deficiencies and the scarcity of paleoclimate data.

In order to advance our understanding of this problem, here we first develop a new probabilistic deep learning methodology called Physics-Informed Diffusion Model (PIDM). We then use PIDM in conjunction with the recently available paleoclimate data—specifically, sea level variations since the Late Pliocene—to precisely reconstruct the history of climate-induced changes in the Earth's rotation rate (i.e., Length of Day variations: 

LOD). We reconcile LOD inferred from various climate models and paleoclimate proxies (i.e., geological records such as fossil benthic foraminifera and coral reefs). Based on our reconstructions of LOD, we unravel

(a) large-amplitude fluctuations due to Quaternary ice ages, surpassing the magnitude of the currently known processes including those of atmosphere, land hydrology, and core,

(b) a previously unrecognized secular trend due to changes in the Earth's oblateness caused by the outset of Northern Hemispheric ice sheets, and

(c) the almost unprecedented rate [???] of increase in the length of day caused by century climate change."

Wall Street Journal What's news

A Day on Earth Is Getting Longer as the Planet’s Rotation Slows - WSJ "A change of milliseconds seems insignificant, but it can cause problems for our clocks, GPS and navigation apps, and satellites"

Climate change slows Earth's spin: Day lengthening unprecedented in 3.6 million years (original news release from March 2026) "Comparing fossil archives with modern measurements – Today's increase in day length stands out clearly in climate history"

Climate-Induced Length of Day Variations Since the Late Pliocene

Four German speaking European countries tout pan-German space command amid European push to supplant US tech

Good news! Europe ought to form their own defense organisation like NATO!

"Germany’s defense minister used a rare four-nation gathering of German-speaking defense chiefs this week to push forward plans for a European military space command, calling on close partners including Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, to help shape the initiative rather than simply join it.

Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defense minister, announced at a press conference in Berlin that Germany is developing a European Space Component Command alongside a Weltraumakademie − a multilateral space training academy − and insisted that partner nations will be “embedded in the design phase” rather than presented with finished structures.

The meeting, billed as the first “DACH+L” format, expanding the traditional German-Austrian-Swiss defense dialogue to include Luxembourg, served as a platform for Pistorius to demonstrate traction on Germany’s €35 billion ($40.7 billion) military space investment pledged last fall. That program spans encrypted low-earth-orbit satellite constellations, military-grade launch capacity, and an expanded Space Command within the Bundeswehr.

Austria’s Defense Minister Claudia Tanner reaffirmed that Austria plans to put three operationally designated military satellites plus a test object into orbit next year, developed partly with Austrian startups."

Germany touts pan-German space command amid European push to supplant US tech

Austria’s Defense Minister Claudia Tanner (Source)

How rocks remove CO2 from the atmosphere

Amazing stuff! Nature captures/binds much more CO2 than previously thought! Climate models are junk!

More evidence that global warming is a hoax and climate change is a religion!

We still know far too little about the highly complex natural phenomenon called climate! Climate change has become a major subject for demagogues and profiteers!

"Rocks can bind carbon dioxide — and much faster than previously thought. For a long time, it was assumed that the transformation of CO2 into carbonate rock depends on very slow, time-consuming processes. According to that view, the binding of CO2 injected industrially into the ground would take centuries. However, practical observations and theoretical calculations suggested that there may also be a much faster route from CO2 to carbonate, mediated by water acting somewhat like a catalyst. This suspected mechanism has now been demonstrated for the first time at TU Wien, using imaging techniques on the atomic scale. ...

The “bent” carbon dioxide molecule can then attach directly to the wollastonite, forming a stable bond — without the wollastonite having to dissolve first. “Without water, this is not possible, because the right docking site is missing,” says Giada Franceschi. “But even a tiny amount of water is enough to completely change the interaction between CO2 and wollastonite.” ..."

From the abstract:

"The carbonation of silicate minerals is a key process in the Earth’s carbon cycle and offers a promising avenue for long-term CO2 sequestration. However, the atomistic mechanisms by which CO2 is activated at silicate surfaces remain poorly understood, largely due to the intrinsic complexity and insulating nature of these materials.

To close this gap, wollastonite (CaSiO3) is used as a model system. Noncontact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) with functionalized tips is combined with density functional theory (DFT) to investigate its lowest-energy (100) surface under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV).

Upon cleaving the mineral in UHV, water vapor is released from the sample and spontaneously readsorbs into a previously unreported, exceptionally stable configuration.

The resulting surface hydration layer promotes spontaneous CO2 chemisorption and the formation of surface carbonates with negligible kinetic barriers.

Our results offer atomic-scale evidence of gas–phase carbonation on a silicate mineral, revealing a water-assisted pathway for CO2 capture that bypasses aqueous mineral dissolution."

How rock removes CO2 from the atmosphere | EurekAlert! "A remarkable mineralogical mechanism has now been demonstrated at TU Wien: with the help of water, certain minerals can convert CO2 into solid carbonate very quickly."

Molecular Views of Mineral Carbonation: Reaction of CO2 with the Wollastonite (100) Surface (open access)

Credits: CO₂ verschwindet schneller im Gestein als gedacht

Graphical abstract

Energiewende: Hohe Kapazität, wenig Produktion

Empfehlenswert! Mehr schein als sein!

"In der festen Überzeugung, dann nicht mehr auf fossile Energieträger zurückgreifen zu müssen, die uns den konjunkturellen Aufschwung versauen. Doch so einfach ist die Sache nicht. Tatsächlich wurden die Kapazitäten, insbesondere die erneuerbaren, in der EU stark ausgebaut. Die paradoxe Entwicklung dabei ist nur, dass die Produktion nicht Schritt hält. Während sich die installierte Gesamtkapazität seit 2000 fast verdoppelt hat, verharrt die Erzeugung weitgehend auf der Stelle, wie unsere Grafik zeigt.

Der Grund liegt im System selbst. Erneuerbare Energien haben einen geringeren und vor allem stärker schwankenden Wirkungsgrad als fossile Kraftwerke. Die Sonne scheint nicht immer, der Wind weht nicht konstant."

Werden uns die Erneuerbaren retten? – Agenda Austria "Hätten wir doch nur die Energiewende stärker vorangetrieben! So oder so ähnlich schallt es im Zuge der abermaligen Energiekrise aus aller Munde."

Österreich AG: Wiener Sozialismus mit Sahne

Empfehlenswert!

"in kaum einem anderen Industrieland der Welt steht ein so großer Teil der Wirtschaft unter staatlicher Kontrolle wie in Österreich. Ein gutes Fünftel der Marktkapitalisierung gehört der öffentlichen Hand, wie eine Auswertung der Agenda Austria zeigt. Es ist der lange Schatten der Verstaatlichten. Was davon übrig ist, ist heute in der Österreichischen Beteiligungs AG (ÖBAG) geparkt. Ihr Portfolio ist knapp 30 Milliarden Euro wert. ...

Die ÖBAG wirft gute Dividenden ab. Trotzdem gibt es gute Gründe, das Ganze zu überdenken. „Das Portfolio der ÖBAG ist historisch gewachsen und aus heutiger Sicht purer Zufall. ..."

Österreich AG: Das teuerste Hobby der Republik

Alles muss raus! Österreich entdeckt die Privatisierung. "Die öffentliche Hand besitzt gewaltige Teile der österreichischen Wirtschaft. Zeitgemäß ist das nicht. Privatisierung ist das Gebot der Stunde. Am Ende gewinnen alle."

Österreich entdeckt die Privatisierung

Mal sehn was draus wird! Der Sozialismus in Österreich!

"... In keinem anderen EU-Land diesseits des ehemaligen Eisernen Vorhangs gehört ein so hoher Anteil der Wirtschaft der öffentlichen Hand wie in Österreich (vgl. Abbildung 1). Ein gutes Fünftel der Marktkapitalisierung ist unter staatlicher Kontrolle; das ist immerhin weniger als im chinesischen Staatskapitalismus, aber fast so viel wie im chronisch etatistisch geführten Argentinien (vor Javier Milei). Vor Österreich liegen fast nur ehemalige Ostblockländer, die in puncto Privatisierung noch Nachholbedarf haben, oder solche, an denen wir uns aus naheliegenden Gründen kein Vorbild nehmen sollten, wie Saudi-Arabien oder Kolumbien. In vergleichbaren EU-15 Ländern (orange dargestellt) stehen meist weit weniger als zehn Prozent der Marktkapitalisierung unter staatlicher Kontrolle. ..."

Alles muss raus! Österreich entdeckt die Privatisierung. – Agenda Austria "Die öffentliche Hand besitzt gewaltige Teile der österreichischen Wirtschaft. Zeitgemäß ist das nicht. Privatisierung ist das Gebot der Stunde. Am Ende gewinnen alle."

Abbildung 1: Staatsanteil

New state of matter discovered in a quantum material

Amazing stuff!

"At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized. ...

Now, a research team at TU Wien has shown that such materials can nevertheless exhibit topological properties—even though these have so far been explained using particle-like behavior. This demonstrates that topological states are more general than previously thought: two seemingly contradictory concepts turn out to be compatible. ...

However, there are also situations in which this picture appears to break down completely and the charge carriers lose their particle-like character. This seems to happen in the material composed of cerium, ruthenium and tin (CeRu₄Sn₆), which has now been investigated at TU Wien at extremely low temperatures. “Near absolute zero, it exhibits a specific type of quantum-critical behavior,” ... “The material fluctuates between two different states, as if it cannot decide which one it wants to adopt. In this fluctuating regime, the quasiparticle picture is thought to lose its meaning.” ...

Indeed, at extremely low temperatures—less than one degree above absolute zero. .. observed behavior that clearly indicates the presence of topological states: a spontaneous (anomalous) Hall effect. In the Hall effect, charge carriers are normally deflected by a magnetic field. However, this deflection can also arise from topological effects, even in the absence of any external magnetic field. What is particularly remarkable is that the charge carriers behave as if they were particles, even though the particle picture seems to fail in this material. ...

The team refers to the newly discovered state as an emergent topological semimetal  ... a new theoretical model capable of combining the phenomena of quantum criticality and topology.

“In fact, it turns out that a particle picture is not required to generate topological properties,” ... “The concept can indeed be generalized—the topological distinctions then emerge in a more abstract, mathematical way. And more than that: our experiments suggest that topological properties can even arise because particle-like states are absent.” ..."

From the abstract:

"The electronic topology of a material is generally described by its Bloch states and the associated band structure, and can be altered by electron–electron interactions.

In metallic systems, the interactions are usually treated through the concept of quasiparticles. Here we investigate what happens if no well-defined quasiparticles are present and show that a topological semimetal phase can emerge from the material’s quantum critical state.

Using the non-centrosymmetric heavy-fermion compound CeRu4Sn6, which is intrinsically quantum critical, we show that the topological phase exhibits a dome structure as a function of the magnetic field and pressure. To understand these results, we study a Weyl–Kondo semimetal model at a Kondo destruction quantum critical point.

Indeed, it exhibits features in the spectral function that can define topological crossings beyond the quasiparticle picture. Our results outline the importance of the interplay of quantum critical fluctuations and symmetry to search for other emergent topological phases."

New state of matter discovered in a quantum material

Quantum Physics: New State of Matter Discovered (original news release) "At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized."

Emergent topological semimetal from quantum criticality (open access)

Fig. 5: Kondo destruction quantum criticality nucleating a Weyl–Kondo semimetal.

Atmospheric and human body microplastic pollution may have been exaggerated by several orders of magnitude

Will the truth about so called microplastics finally come out! Cui bono from all this often repeated alarmism and hysteria about plastic?

Alert: Plastophobia is a serious disorder. Please seek immediate medical help! (Caution: satire)

What about all the benefits of plastics in our lives? What are the possible substitutes (how healthy are the substitutes)?

"Not only has human microplastic exposure likely been overstated, but new research from the University of Vienna finds that previous estimates of atmospheric microplastic pollution may have been exaggerated by “several orders of magnitude.” By comparing real-world environmental samples with widely used models, the researchers found that modeled atmospheric microplastic levels were 100 to 10,000 times higher than what measurements actually showed."

"“High-profile studies reporting the presence of microplastics throughout the human body have been thrown into doubt by scientists who say the discoveries are probably the result of contamination and false positives…

The Guardian [???] has identified seven studies that have been challenged by researchers publishing criticism in the respective journals, while a recent analysis listed 18 studies that it said had not considered that some human tissue can produce measurements easily confused with the signal given by common plastics. ..."

"The atmosphere is an important transport medium that carries microplastics to even the most remote parts of the world. These microplastics can be inhaled and pose a health risk to humans and animals. They can also settle out of the atmosphere and contaminate oceans and soils worldwide. A new study by the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics at the University of Vienna estimates microplastic emissions from land-based and oceanic sources into the atmosphere based on global measurement data and model simulations. The results: over 20 times more microplastic particles are emitted on land than from the ocean. The study was recently published in Nature. ...

In previous studies, the ocean was often cited as the main source. ..."

From the abstract:

"Microplastics (MPs) are global pollutants, yet their atmospheric distribution is poorly understood. Although atmospheric MP measurements have become more abundant, estimates of emissions into the atmosphere vary by orders of magnitude.

Here we compile a global atmospheric MPs dataset and compare it with size-aligned MP model simulations.

Our model simulations show two to four orders of magnitude overestimation of the measured global median atmospheric MP concentrations.

Measured median concentrations over the ocean are 27 times lower than over the land (0.003 and 0.08 particles m−3, respectively). Applying a simple scaling method, we estimate that oceanic emissions are lower in number than land-based emissions.

The total global land-based and oceanic emissions are 6.1 × 1017 (1.3 × 1017 to 1.1 × 1018) particles year−1 and 2.6 × 1016 (2.7 × 1015 to 5.0 × 1016) particles year−1, respectively.

Our results indicate that fewer MP particles are emitted into the atmosphere than previously thought. Land sources dominate the number but not the mass emissions, indicating that MPs emission size distributions should be investigated further."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup - by Malcolm Cochran

Doubt Cast on “Microplastics Throughout Human Body”

‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body (behind paywall) "Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’"

Microplastics in the atmosphere: higher emissions from land areas than from the ocean (original news release) "Study reveals large discrepancies between emission estimates and measurements of microplastics in the atmosphere"

Atmospheric microplastic emissions from land and ocean (open access)

Fig. 2: Scaled bottom-up emissions and comparison with top-down and bottom-up estimates.

Woolly rhino genome recovered from Ice Age wolf stomach

What a headline! A stomach churner! 😊

"Researchers from the Center for Paleogenetics have managed to analyze the genome from a 14,400-year-old woolly rhinoceros, recovered from a tissue sample found preserved inside the stomach of an ancient wolf.

The study, published in Genome Biology and Evolution, shows that woolly rhinos remained genetically healthy until the end of the last Ice Age. The species therefore probably died out due to a rapid collapse of the population, rather than a slow demographic decline. ..."

From the abstract:

"Using temporarily spaced high-coverage ancient genomes, we can assess population decline prior to extinction. However, finding suitable ancient remains for recovering this type of data is challenging.

Here, we sequenced a high-coverage genome from muscle tissue of a 14,400-year-old woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis)—a cold-adapted herbivore that went extinct ∼14,000-years ago—found inside a permafrost-preserved wolf's stomach.

We compared genome-wide diversity, inbreeding, genetic load, and population size changes in this sample with two other Late Pleistocene Siberian woolly rhinoceros. We found no evidence of population size decline, nor any genomic erosion, shortly prior to the species' demise. Given the few long homozygous segments, typically indicative of recent inbreeding, we infer a stable population size only a few centuries before extinction.

Thus, the woolly rhinoceros' extinction likely happened rapidly, during the Bølling–Allerød interstadial. This study demonstrates the ability to recover high-quality DNA from unlikely sources to elucidate species' extinction dynamics."

Woolly rhino genome recovered from Ice Age wolf stomach

Genome Shows no Recent Inbreeding in Near-Extinction Woolly Rhinoceros Sample Found in Ancient Wolf's Stomach (open access)

The Tumat-1 wolf puppy. Location: Vienna, Austria. Date: 2018

Fig. 1.Sample locations in northeast Siberia.

No bull: This Austrian cow has learned to use tools

No wonder cow milk tastes so good! 😊

"About a decade ago, a baker in a small mountainous village in southern Austria noticed his cow doing something unusual. When Veronika had an itch, she would grab a stick in her mouth and use it to scratch her body. Over the years, the brown bovid’s technique improved. She could pick up objects as large as a broom or rake and move them around with her prehensile tongue, changing their length and orientation to ensure the best possible scratch.

The behavior isn’t just a clever trick: It’s the first documented case of tool use in cattle, scientists report today in Current Biology. And, it turns out, one of Veronika’s skills has only been seen in humans and chimpanzees. ..."

From the abstract:

"Imagine the tools a cow would make. This idea, humorously illustrated in Gary Larson’s Far Side cartoon, captures a widespread assumption: cows are neither problem-solvers nor tool users.

In science, as in culture, livestock species are often cognitively underestimated 😊, reinforced by their utilitarian role and persistent mind-denial biases associated with meat consumption.

Despite over 10,000 years of domestication, research on cattle cognition remains scarce and confined to applied contexts such as productivity and welfare.

Tool use, while rarely observed, offers a stringent test of cognitive flexibility. Defined as the manipulation of an external object to achieve a goal via a mechanical interface, tooling ranges from species-typical routines to innovative, problem-specific acts.

We report here our experimental demonstration of flexible egocentric tooling in a pet cow (Bos taurus), Veronika, who uses a deck brush to self-scratch. Across randomized trials, she preferred the bristled end but switched to the stick end when targeting softer lower-body areas. This adaptive deployment of tool features reveals multi-purpose tool use not previously reported in non-primate mammals. Our findings broaden the taxonomic scope of flexible tool use and invite a reassessment of livestock cognition."

No bull: This Austrian cow has learned to use tools | Science | AAAS

Source

New state of matter discovered in a quantum material

Amazing stuff, however under extreme conditions! How esoteric is this research?

"At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized. ...

Even more modern approaches are based on this particle picture—such as the concept of topological states, whose discovery was honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2016. However, there are materials in which the particle picture completely breaks down ... In such cases, it no longer makes sense to think of electrons as small particles with a well-defined position or a unique velocity.

Now, a research team at TU Wien has shown that such materials can nevertheless exhibit topological properties—even though these have so far been explained using particle-like behavior. This demonstrates that topological states are more general than previously thought: two seemingly contradictory concepts turn out to be compatible. ...

the charge carriers [electrons] lose their particle-like character. This seems to happen in the material composed of cerium, ruthenium and tin (CeRu₄Sn₆), which has now been investigated at TU Wien at extremely low temperatures. “Near absolute zero, it exhibits a specific type of quantum-critical behavior,”  ... “The material fluctuates between two different states, as if it cannot decide which one it wants to adopt. In this fluctuating regime, the quasiparticle picture is thought to lose its meaning.” ..."

From the abstract:

"The electronic topology of a material is generally described by its Bloch states and the associated band structure, and can be altered by electron–electron interactions.

In metallic systems, the interactions are usually treated through the concept of quasiparticles. Here we investigate what happens if no well-defined quasiparticles are present and show that a topological semimetal phase can emerge from the material’s quantum critical state.

Using the non-centrosymmetric heavy-fermion compound CeRu4Sn6, which is intrinsically quantum critical, we show that the topological phase exhibits a dome structure as a function of the magnetic field and pressure.

To understand these results, we study a Weyl–Kondo semimetal model at a Kondo destruction quantum critical point. Indeed, it exhibits features in the spectral function that can define topological crossings beyond the quasiparticle picture. Our results outline the importance of the interplay of quantum critical fluctuations and symmetry to search for other emergent topological phases."

New state of matter discovered in a quantum material

Quantum Physics: New State of Matter Discovered (original news release) "At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized."

Emergent topological semimetal from quantum criticality (open access)

Fig. 5: Kondo destruction quantum criticality nucleating a Weyl–Kondo semimetal.

Industriestrom in Österreich und in der EU dreimal so teuer wie in den USA seit etwa 2023

Schlechte Nachrichten!

"... Die Regierung [Österreich] hat bereits mit dem Industriestrom-Bonus und den Rückerstattungen aus dem Standortabsicherungsgesetz das Scheckheft weit aufgemacht. Aber was ist langfristig der Plan? „Es qualifiziert sich wohl kaum als Strategie, Industriestrom auf ewig subventionieren zu wollen“ ..."

Industriestrom dreimal so teuer wie in den USA

Die oberen 10 Prozent der Einkommensbezieher zahlen die Hälfte der Lohnsteuer

So oder ähnlich ist das Verhältnis in den meisten westlichen Ländern!

Eine Form der staatlichen Enteignung, wie im Kommunismus nur subtiler und demokratisch legitimiert.

Die Lösung heisst flat tax, ein einheitlicher Steuersatz für alle Einkommen!

Die oberen 10 Prozent zahlen die Hälfte der Lohnsteuer

The End of Fossil Fuels? Another nuclear Fusion Breakthrough with Molly Gambhir

Very recommendable! Good news! When will nuclear fusion become commercialized? Perhaps as soon as 3-5 years from now! Forget about so called renewable energy, the scam of wind and solar power!

Modelling a star in a jar – in seconds (original news release) "Scientists have developed an AI tool which can simulate complex fusion plasma in seconds, helping to pave the way for the design of future fusion power plants."

"... Computer scientists and fusion experts have developed an AI model capable of creating complex five-dimensional (5D) plasma turbulence simulations within seconds and at a fraction of previous costs, paving the way for faster and more accurate design of future fusion power plants.

The team of scientists ... have developed an AI tool named GyroSwin, which can create simulations up to 1,000 times faster than traditional computational methods."

From the abstract:

"Nuclear fusion plays a pivotal role in the quest for reliable and sustainable energy production. A major roadblock to viable fusion power is understanding plasma turbulence, which significantly impairs plasma confinement, and is vital for next-generation reactor design. Plasma turbulence is governed by the nonlinear gyrokinetic equation, which evolves a 5D distribution function over time. Due to its high computational cost, reduced-order models are often employed in practice to approximate turbulent transport of energy. However, they omit nonlinear effects unique to the full 5D dynamics.

To tackle this, we introduce GyroSwin, the first scalable 5D neural surrogate that can model 5D nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations, thereby capturing the physical phenomena neglected by reduced models, while providing accurate estimates of turbulent heat transport.
GyroSwin
(i) extends hierarchical Vision Transformers to 5D,
(ii) introduces cross-attention and integration modules for latent 3D5D interactions between electrostatic potential fields and the distribution function, and
(iii) performs channelwise mode separation inspired by nonlinear physics.

We demonstrate that GyroSwin outperforms widely used reduced numerics on heat flux prediction, captures the turbulent energy cascade, and reduces the cost of fully resolved nonlinear gyrokinetics by three orders of magnitude while remaining physically verifiable.

GyroSwin shows promising scaling laws, tested up to one billion parameters, paving the way for scalable neural surrogates for gyrokinetic simulations of plasma turbulence."

GyroSwin: 5D Surrogates for Gyrokinetic Plasma Turbulence Simulations (open access)