Temperature

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, for their work uncovering the receptors that allow us to perceive temperature and pressure.

For now, quantum computers are mostly limited to labs and big experimental setups. But Japanese researchers have now made a step towards more accessible quantum computing devices, finding a way to “twist” light at room temperature.

German physicists have recorded the coldest temperature ever – 38 trillionths of a degree above absolute zero. The experiment involved dropping quantum gas and switching a magnetic field on and off to bring its atoms to an almost complete standstill.

Electronics and batteries are vulnerable to very high or low temperatures, but a new thermal switch could help deal with both. Made from graphene foam, it can dynamically trap heat when it’s cold out or allow heat to escape when it gets too warm.

The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed the highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica. On February 6, 2020 at Argentina's Esperanza Base, located on the Antarctic Peninsula, a maximum temperature of 18.3 °C (69.9 °F) was reached.

Scientists may be able to detect the presence of dark matter by searching for anomalous heat signatures from distant alien worlds. Dark matter is an enigmatic, invisible substance that is thought to make up around 80 percent of the universe’s mass.

Using advanced infrared imaging technology aboard an Earth-orbiting satellite, scientists have measured the coldest temperature of a storm cloud on record, owing to an overshooting top that penetrated the stratosphere.

New research has found one in five people have a genetic mutation that confers greater resilience to cold temperatures. The study shows people with a deficiency generating a skeletal muscle protein shiver less and hold higher core temperatures in the cold.

New data submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is stable for two weeks in freezers around -15 °C (5 °F), allowing for significantly more flexibility in shipping and storage methods.

A new study has found that braving the cold may be a good way to help burn off some of that Christmas pudding. The research suggests that the ambient temperature while exercising could have an effect of fat metabolism.

Astronomers at Ohio State University have taken the mean temperature of cosmic gas at different distances and ages, and found that it’s roughly 10 times hotter today than it was 10 billion years ago, thanks to the evolution of galaxies and clusters.

Do tattoos impair the skin’s ability to sweat? Despite the ubiquitousness of tattoos this question has received little research attention. A first-of-its-kind study suggests inked skin may damage sweat glands and reduce the body’s ability to cool itself.