Scientific News
Articles across mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy.
Science
Food combining
Food combining is a nutritional pseudoscientific approach that advocates specific combinations (or advises against certain combinations) of foods. These proposed specific combinations are promoted as central to good health as well as improved digestion and weight loss, despite having no sufficient evidence for these claims. It proposes a list of rules that advocate for eating or not eating certain
8/24/2026
Science
Fock space
The Fock space is an algebraic construction used in quantum mechanics to construct the quantum states space of a variable or unknown number of identical particles from a single particle Hilbert space H. It is named after V. A. Fock who first introduced it in his 1932 paper "Konfigurationsraum und zweite Quantelung" ("Configuration space and second quantization"). Informally, a Fock space is the su
8/24/2026
Science
Fold (geology)
In structural geology, a fold is a stack of originally planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, that are bent or curved ("folded") during permanent deformation. Folds in rocks vary in size from microscopic crinkles to mountain-sized folds. They occur as single isolated folds or in periodic sets (known as fold trains). Synsedimentary folds are those formed during sedimentary deposition. Folds f
8/24/2026
Science
Food browning
Browning is the process of food turning brown due to the chemical reactions that take place within. The process of browning is one of the chemical reactions that take place in food chemistry and represents an interesting research topic regarding health, nutrition, and food technology. Though there are many different ways food chemically changes over time, browning in particular falls into two main
8/24/2026
Science
For all practical purposes
For all practical purposes (sometimes abbreviated FAPP) is a slogan used in physics to express a pragmatic attitude. A physical theory might be ambiguous in some ways — for example, being founded on untested assumptions or making unclear predictions about what might happen in certain situations — and yet still be successful in practice. Such a theory is said to be successful FAPP. FAPP is also eme
8/24/2026
Science
Folk biology
Folk biology (or folkbiology) is the cognitive study of how people classify and reason about the organic world. Humans everywhere classify animals and plants into obvious species-like groups. The relationship between a folk taxonomy and a scientific classification can assist in understanding how evolutionary theory deals with the apparent constancy of "common species" and the organic processes cen
8/24/2026
Science
Foot per second
The foot per second (plural feet per second) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector quantity, which includes direction). It expresses the distance in feet (ft) traveled or displaced, divided by the time in seconds (s). The corresponding unit in the International System of Units (SI) is the meter per second. Abbreviations include ft/s, fps, and the scientific notation ft s−1.
8/24/2026
Science
Focus-plus-context screen
A focus-plus-context screen is a specialized type of display device that consists of one or more high-resolution "focus" displays embedded into a larger low-resolution "context" display. Image content is displayed across all display regions, such that the scaling of the image is preserved, while its resolution varies across the display regions. The original focus-plus-context screen prototype cons
8/24/2026
Science
Forced convection
Forced convection is a mechanism, or type of transport, in which fluid motion is generated by an external source (like a pump, fan, suction device, etc.). Alongside natural convection, thermal radiation, and thermal conduction it is one of the methods of heat transfer and allows significant amounts of heat energy to be transported very efficiently.
8/24/2026
Science
Fold and thrust belt
A fold and thrust belt is a series of mountainous foothills adjacent to an orogenic belt, which forms due to contractional tectonics. Fold and thrust belts commonly form in the forelands adjacent to major orogens as deformation propagates outwards. Fold and thrust belts usually comprise both folds and thrust faults, commonly interrelated. They are commonly also known as thrust-and-fold belts, or
8/24/2026
Science
Foliicolous
Foliicolous refers to the growth habit of certain lichens, algae, fungi, liverworts, and other bryophytes that prefer to grow on the leaves of vascular plants. Foliicolous simply means 'growing upon leaves' whilst epiphyllous derives from the Greek epi- meaning on or over and phyllous means leaf so 'over leaf' and hypophyllous means 'under leaf'. The microhabitat on the leaf surface is called a ph
8/24/2026
Science
Foot per second squared
The foot per second squared (plural feet per second squared) is a unit of acceleration. It expresses change in velocity expressed in units of feet per second (ft/s) divided by time in seconds (s) (or the distance in feet (ft) traveled or displaced, divided by the time in seconds (s) squared). The corresponding unit in the International System of Units (SI) is the metre per second squared. Abbrevia
8/24/2026
Science
Force Concept Inventory
The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) is a widely validated instrument ascertaining high school and college students' conceptual understanding of fundamental conceptions of Newtonian mechanics. FCI, first introduced by Hestenes, Wells, and Swackhamer in the Physics Teacher in 1992, is a revised version of the Mechanics Diagnostic Test (MDT) introduced in 1985 by Halloun and Hestenes in the American Jo
8/24/2026
Science
Foias constant
In mathematical analysis, the Foias constant is a real number named after Ciprian Foias. It is defined in the following way: for every real number x1 > 0, there is a sequence defined by the recurrence relation x n + 1 = ( 1
8/24/2026
Science
Football Live
Football Live was the name given to the project and computer system created and utilised by PA Sport to collect Real Time Statistics from major English & Scottish Football Matches and distribute to most leading media organisations. At the time of its operation, more than 99% of all football statistics displayed across Print, Internet, Radio & TV Media outlets would have been collected via Football
8/24/2026
Science
Fontaine de Vaucluse (spring)
The Fontaine de Vaucluse (French pronunciation: [fɔ̃tɛn də voklyz]; Occitan: Fònt de Vaucluse) is a karst spring in the commune of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, France. It is the largest karst spring in metropolitan France by flow and fifth largest in the world, with an annual output of 630,000,000 to 700,000,000 cubic metres (2.2×1010 to 2.5×1010 cu ft) of water. The spring is the prime example in hydrog
8/24/2026
Science
Focal molography
Focal molography ("molography" in short) is a biophysical method for robust and sensitive detection of biomolecular interactions in a label-free manner. The new method enables biomolecular interaction analysis in complex biological samples without the use of additional fluorescent labels. Molography widens the analytic scope of biomolecular interaction analysis techniques in a broad range of appli
8/24/2026
Science
Food self-provisioning
Food self-provisioning (FSP) is the growing of one's own food, especially fruits and vegetables. Also labelled as household food production, is a traditional activity persisting in the countries of the Global North. It is studied in sustainability science and in ecofeminism on reason of its social, health and environmental outcomes.
8/24/2026
Science
Follicular drug delivery
Follicular drug delivery is a mechanism that enables the transport of therapeutic agents through the hair follicles present on the skin. This approach leverages the use of nanoparticles, which are widely employed in the broader field of drug delivery, to specifically target and penetrate these follicular pathways. By utilizing follicular delivery, drugs can be delivered in a more targeted and loca
8/24/2026
Science
Food Social Security
Food Social Security (from the French Sécurité sociale de l'alimentation) is a socio-economic initiative drawing on the French Social security system and aiming to extend it to the food system, thus advocating multiple rights linked to the right to food, farmers' rights, and environmental protection. Funded through social contributions, each person would receive a fixed sum (e.g., 150€ monthly) to
8/24/2026
Science
Fisher's geometric model
Fisher's geometric model (FGM) is an evolutionary model of the effect sizes and effect on fitness of spontaneous mutations proposed by Ronald Fisher to explain the distribution of effects of mutations that could contribute to adaptative evolution.
8/24/2026
Science
First point of Aries
The first point of Aries, also known as the cusp of Aries or the vernal point, is the location of the March equinox (the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, and the autumnal equinox in the southern), used as a reference point in celestial coordinate systems. In diagrams using such coordinate systems, it is often indicated with the symbol ♈︎. Named for the constellation of Aries, it is one o
8/24/2026
Science
Fisherian runaway
Fisherian runaway or runaway selection is a sexual selection mechanism proposed by the mathematical biologist Ronald Fisher in the early 20th century, to account for the evolution of ostentatious male ornamentation by persistent, directional female choice. An example is the colourful and elaborate peacock plumage compared to the relatively subdued peahen plumage; the costly ornaments, notably the
8/24/2026
Science
Flashover
A flashover is the near-simultaneous ignition of most of the directly exposed combustible material in an enclosed area. When certain organic materials are heated, they undergo thermal decomposition and release flammable gases. Flashover occurs when the majority of the exposed surfaces in a space are heated to their autoignition temperature and emit flammable gases (see also flash point). A small f
8/24/2026
Science
Flanders Marine Institute
The Flanders Marine Institute (Dutch: Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee, VLIZ) is a scientific institution dedicated to marine research. Established in 1999 and headquartered in Ostend, Flanders, VLIZ gathers and disseminates ocean knowledge, promotes marine sciences, supports policy-making, fosters innovative solutions, and manages marine data. The institute collaborates closely with scientific instit
8/24/2026
Science
Fisher information
In mathematical statistics, the Fisher information is a way of measuring the amount of information that an observable random variable X carries about an unknown parameter θ of a distribution that models X. Formally, it is the variance of the score, or the expected value of the observed information. The role of the Fisher information in the asymptotic theory of maximum-likelihood estimation was emp
8/24/2026
Science
First principle
In philosophy and science, a first principle is a basic proposition or assumption that cannot be deduced from any other proposition or assumption. First principles in philosophy are from first cause attitudes and taught by Aristotelians, and nuanced versions of first principles are referred to as postulates by Kantians. In mathematics and formal logic, first principles are referred to as axioms or
8/24/2026
Science
Flag (programming)
In computer programming, a flag can refer to one or more bits that are used to store a binary value or a Boolean variable for signaling special code conditions, such as file empty or full queue statuses. Flags may be found as members of a defined data structure, such as a database record, and the meaning of the value contained in a flag will generally be defined in relation to the data structure i
8/24/2026
Science
First quantization
First quantization is a procedure for converting equations of classical particle equations into quantum wave equations. The companion concept of second quantization converts classical field equations in to quantum field equations. However, this need not be the case. In particular, a fully quantum version of the theory can be created by interpreting the interacting fields and their associated poten
8/24/2026
Science
Flexible-fuel vehicle
A flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) or dual-fuel vehicle (colloquially called a flex-fuel vehicle) is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, and both fuels are stored in the same common tank. Modern flex-fuel engines are capable of burning any proportion of the resulting blend in
8/24/2026
Science
Fixed-priority pre-emptive scheduling
Fixed-priority preemptive scheduling is a scheduling system commonly used in real-time systems. With fixed priority preemptive scheduling, the scheduler ensures that at any given time, the processor executes the highest priority task of all those tasks that are currently ready to execute. The preemptive scheduler has a clock interrupt task that can provide the scheduler with options to switch afte
8/24/2026
Science
Flat neighborhood network
Flat Neighborhood Network (FNN) is a topology for distributed computing and other computer networks. Each node connects to two or more switches which, ideally, entirely cover the node collection, so that each node can connect to any other node in two "hops" (jump up to one switch and down to the other node). This contrasts to topologies with fewer cables per node which communicate with remote node
8/24/2026
Science
Fixed–mobile convergence
Fixed–mobile convergence (FMC) is an approach to telecommunications that uses a combination of fixed broadband and local access wireless technologies to create seamless services between fixed and mobile networks. Its adoption in the business sector reflects a broader trend towards more integrated and efficient communication systems.
8/24/2026
Science
Flag day (computing)
A flag day (or flag day cutover) in computing and system administration is a planned change that requires many systems to be upgraded or converted in a coordinated way because the old and new versions are not mutually compatible. Such changes are typically costly to carry out and, if problems arise, difficult to roll back. Flag days can occur when constraints on backward compatibility or forward c
8/24/2026
Science
Fixed orbit
A fixed orbit is the concept, in atomic physics, where an electron is considered to remain in a specific orbit, at a fixed distance from an atom's nucleus, for a particular energy level. The concept was promoted by quantum physicist Niels Bohr c. 1913. The idea of the fixed orbit is considered a major component of the Bohr model (or Bohr theory).
8/24/2026
Science
Flash memory emulator
A flash emulator or flash memory emulator is a tool that is used to temporarily replace flash memory or ROM chips in an embedded device for the purpose of debugging embedded software. Such tools contain Dual-ported RAM, one port of which is connected to a target system (i.e. system, that is being debugged), and second is connected to a host (i.e. PC, which runs debugger). This allows the programme
8/24/2026
Science
First-class message
In object-oriented programming, a programming language is said to have first-class messages or dynamic messages if in a method call not only the receiving object and parameter list can be varied dynamically (i.e. bound to a variable or computed as an expression) but also the specific method invoked. Typed object-oriented programming languages, such as Java and C++, often do not support first-class
8/24/2026
Science
Flail space model
The flail space model (FSM) is a model of how a car passenger moves in a vehicle that collides with a roadside feature such as a guardrail or a crash cushion. Its principal purpose is to assess the potential risk of harm to the hypothetical occupant as he or she impacts the interior of the passenger compartment and, ultimately, the efficacy of an experimental roadside feature undergoing full-scale
8/24/2026
Science
Fixed-point ocean observatory
A fixed-point ocean observatory is an ocean observing autonomous system of automatic sensors and samplers that continuously gathers data from deep sea, water column and lower atmosphere, and transmits the data to shore in real or near real-time.
8/24/2026
Science
Fiske Planetarium
Fiske Planetarium (est. 1975) is one of the largest planetariums in the United States. They offer fulldome films, live talks, laser and liquid sky music shows, as well as public gatherings for astronomical and NASA-related events. It is a constituent of the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. The planetarium utilizes an geodesic dome with an i
8/24/2026
Science
Flajolet Lecture Prize
The Philippe Flajolet Lecture Prize is awarded to for contributions to analytic combinatorics and analysis of algorithms, in the fields of theoretical computer science. This prize is named in memory of Philippe Flajolet.
8/24/2026
Science
Flavenol
Flavenol is a misspelling of either of one of two different groups of chemicals that occur naturally in some plants: Flavonols Flavanols
8/24/2026
Science
Flippin–Lodge angle
The Flippin–Lodge angle is one of two angles used by organic and biological chemists studying the relationship between a molecule's chemical structure and ways that it reacts, for reactions involving "attack" of an electron-rich reacting species, the nucleophile, on an electron-poor reacting species, the electrophile. Specifically, the angles—the Bürgi–Dunitz, α
8/24/2026
Science
Floor and ceiling functions
In mathematics, the floor function is the function that takes a real number x as input and returns the greatest integer less than or equal to x, written ⌊x⌋ or floor(x). Similarly, the ceiling function returns the least integer greater than or equal to x, written ⌈x⌉ or ceil(x). For example, for floor: ⌊2.4⌋ = 2, ⌊−2.4⌋ = −3, and for ceiling: ⌈2.4⌉ = 3, and ⌈−2.4⌉ = −2. The floor of x is also c
8/24/2026
Science
Flat-panel display
A flat-panel display (FPD) is an electronic display used to display visual content such as text or images. It is present in consumer, medical, transportation, and industrial equipment. Flat-panel displays are thin, lightweight, provide better linearity and are capable of higher resolution and contrast than typical consumer-grade TVs from earlier eras. They are usually less than 10 centimetres (3.9
8/24/2026
Science
Flora
Flora (pl.: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. The corresponding term for animals is fauna, and for fungi, it is funga. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora as in the terms gut flora or skin flora for purposes of specificity.
8/24/2026
Science
Flood basalt
A flood basalt (or plateau basalt) is the result of a giant volcanic eruption or series of eruptions that covers large stretches of land or the ocean floor with basalt lava. Many flood basalts have been attributed to the onset of a hotspot reaching the surface of the Earth via a mantle plume. Flood basalt provinces such as the Deccan Traps of India are often called traps, after the Swedish word tr
8/24/2026
Science
Flowstone
Flowstones are sheetlike deposits of calcite or other carbonate minerals, formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution caves", in limestone, where they are the most common speleothem. However, they may form in any type of cave where water enters that has picked up dissolved minerals. Flowstones are formed via the degassing of vadose p
8/24/2026
Science
Fluoromethamphetamine
Fluoromethamphetamine may refer to: 2-Fluoromethamphetamine (2-FMA) 3-Fluoromethamphetamine (3-FMA) 4-Fluoromethamphetamine (4-FMA)
8/24/2026
Science
Fleming's right-hand rule
In electromagnetism, Fleming's right-hand rule (for generators) shows the direction of induced current when a conductor attached to a circuit moves in a magnetic field. It can be used to determine the direction of current in a generator's windings. When a conductor such as a wire attached to a circuit moves through a magnetic field, an electric current is induced in the wire due to Faraday's law
8/24/2026