Science Daily

1. Light-controlled Higgs modes found in superconductors; potential sensor, computing uses

   Researchers have discovered a short-lived form of the famous Higgs boson -- subject of a groundbreaking search at the Large Hadron Collider -- within an iron-based superconductor. This Higgs mode can be accessed and controlled by laser light flashing on the superconductor at trillions of pulses per second.

2. Fastener with microscopic mushroom design holds promise

   A fastener with a microscopic design that looks like tiny mushrooms could mean advances for everyday consumers and scientific fields. Currently available fasteners are called hook and loop fasteners and require harder, stiff material. In Biointerphases, researchers describe a design that can use softer materials and still be strong. The team believes a 3D mushroom design can be made with softer, more flexible materials and provide sufficient interlocking force on the fabric and hold strong.

3. Land deals meant to improve food security may have hurt

   Large-scale land acquisitions by foreign investors, intended to improve global food security, had little to no benefit, increasing crop production in some areas while simultaneously threatening local food security in others, according to researchers who studied their effects.

4. Exploring the solar wind with a new view of small sun structures

   Scientists have combined NASA data and cutting-edge image processing to gain new insight into the solar structures that create the Sun's flow of high-speed solar wind. This first look at relatively small features, dubbed 'plumelets,' could help scientists understand how and why disturbances form in the solar wind.

5. Astronomers dissect the anatomy of planetary nebulae using Hubble Space Telescope images

   Images of two iconic planetary nebulae taken by the Hubble Space Telescope are revealing new information about how they develop their dramatic features.