Depois dos problemas registados no sistema de correção digital dos exames nacionais, o Ministério de Fernando Alexandre acaba de divulgar os números de candidaturas entregues na primeira fase do acesso ao Ensino Superior, com 60.391 alunos, mais 21,8% do que em 2025.
The post Número de candidaturas ao Ensino Superior na primeira fase é o mais elevado dos últimos 30 anos (excepto COVID-19) e ainda pode crescer appeared first on Tek Notícias.
Scientists from the Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK) in Heidelberg, Germany, have announced the first successful detection of antineutrinos from an inactive nuclear reactor.
The research team behind the historic achievement said that detecting antineutrinos, which they described as “the most elusive particle in the Universe,” could improve monitoring, maintenance, safety, and security of nuclear reactors.
In a statement announcing the detection, the researchers point out that even when nuclear fission reactors are turned off, “the story inside the reactor core still has a great deal to tell.”
For example, the long-lived fission products inside nuclear reactors continue to decay for months, or in some cases, years after a reactor is no longer in use. This ongoing radioactive decay can produce what the team termed a “faint flux” of the most elusive particle in the universe: antineutrinos.
Because antineutrinos interact only extremely weakly with matter, they pass almost unhindered through the reactor vessel and surrounding shielding. In theory, the right equipment could detect this activity, offering insights into the reactor’s radioactive inner core.
Fortunately, for MPIK study leader Anthony Onillon and co-leader Thierry Lassere from the independent research group OMINA, also located at MPIK, there is an underground detector around 400 meters from two reactor cores, which were part of the region’s Chooz reactor in northern France.
Dubbed ‘Double Chooz,’ the detector contains over 30 cubic meters of liquid “scintillator.” According to the study authors, when antineutrinos interact with this material, a detectable flash of light is emitted.
“Antineutrinos interact only extremely rarely with matter,” Lasserre explained. “However, when one interacts within the Double-Chooz detector, a characteristic double-light signal is produced that can be distinguished from background events.”
To search for the weak antineutrino signal from the decaying Chooz nuclear reactor material, the research team evaluated recorded data from a 17.2-day period when both reactors were shut down. Because antineutrinos interact so rarely with matter, the researchers searched for the characteristic paired flashes produced when one underwent inverse beta decay inside the detector.
After scanning through the data, the team said they found evidence for roughly 100 “antineutrino candidate events” originating from within the reactors. This included signals from the cores and nearby spent-fuel cooling pools.
The researchers said the measured signal “agrees remarkably well” with simulations of the remaining fuel inventory and the decay of long-lived fission products.The team said this detection marks the first direct experimental validation of the antineutrino emissions predicted by the shutdown reactor models.
“With this new work, the experiment has achieved another first: observing the faint neutrino glow that remains after a reactor goes dark,” the research team explained.
When discussing the significance of the achievement, Dr. Onillon noted that previous efforts have primarily focused on operational nuclear reactors, where the antineutrino flux is much larger. Conversely, their detection was made under challenging conditions using methods perfected by the team.
“Detecting the tiny residual signal after shutdown required exceptionally low backgrounds and careful analysis techniques developed by the Double Chooz collaboration over many years,” the researcher explained.
When discussing the experiment’s practical applications, the team noted that the work provides researchers and regulators with “the first published benchmark” of the antineutrino glow coming from shutdown reactors and spent fuel pools. In theory, such detection could provide information on a reactor during both operational and maintenance phases.
“The results demonstrate that antineutrino detectors can probe nuclear reactors even during shutdown periods, opening new perspectives for reactor monitoring, nuclear safety, and safeguards,” they conclude, adding that such detections “may become relevant for independent verification of reactor status and spent-fuel inventories.”
The study “First measurement of neutrino emissions from spent nuclear fuel by the Double Chooz experiment” was published in Physical Review Letters.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org
Apple is laying groundwork to turn its long-rumored smart glasses into a health and fitness platform, according to a recent job listing highlighted by Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter, Gurman pointed to an opening in Apple’s Vision Products Group for a “strategic product design leader.” The role is tasked with helping “define the future of health, well-being and fitness experiences across vision products.” The successful candidate would “translate ambiguous opportunities at the intersection of spatial computing, wearables, consumer health, and human behavior into clear first-party product direction.”
The posting, which lists locations in Los Angeles and San Jose, also emphasizes experience with “sensor-driven experiences,” digital health or fitness products, personalization, and multimodal interfaces. Cult of Mac noted that the Los Angeles option may reflect proximity to Apple Fitness+ studios in Santa Monica.
This builds on earlier ambitions for the Vision Pro. Gurman reported that Apple had explored an Apple Fitness+ experience on the headset that would let users follow workout classes while body-tracking cameras analyzed form. Those plans were shelved due to technical challenges and the device’s weight, which made it impractical for exercise.
Smart glasses, expected to be a lighter, more everyday alternative similar in concept to Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses, offer a better form factor for such features over time. Sensors, cameras, and accelerometers could eventually support workout tracking, form analysis (for activities like weightlifting or yoga), and other biometric insights.
Gurman and other reports indicate these advanced health capabilities are unlikely to debut with the first-generation glasses, currently anticipated around late 2027 (with a possible earlier reveal). Instead, Apple is expected to follow its pattern with the Apple Watch and AirPods: launch the core hardware platform first, then expand health and fitness features across subsequent generations.
The job listing provides one of the clearest public signals yet of Apple’s longer-term vision for its eyewear and other vision products as potential companions to the Watch and AirPods in the company’s health ecosystem. As always with Apple rumors, timelines and final features remain subject to change.
MacDailyNews Take: We feel like we’ve been waiting for Apple’s AR smart glasses for forever!
The Apple Glasses will be the key as holding up slabs of glass as “windows” is suboptimal. When we’re running in a race, for example, we don’t want to have to hold an iPhone or even glance at an Apple Watch, but with a pair of Apple Glasses constantly overlaying time, pace, splits, etc. it’ll be ideal! — MacDailyNews, September 6, 2019
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The post Apple eyes health and fitness features for rumored smart glasses, job listing suggests appeared first on MacDailyNews.
Apple’s popular MacBook Air is experiencing significant supply shortages, while the company explores turning its upcoming smart glasses and headsets into health and fitness devices, according to reporting from Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter.
MacBook Air Hit by Memory Shortage
The global shortage of memory chips, driven by surging demand from AI data centers, has now reached Apple’s highest-volume Mac. Retail sources describe inventory of the MacBook Air as more constrained than they can recall. Online orders through Apple’s site show delivery estimates stretching into late August, with some higher-RAM or customized configurations delayed into September.
The crunch previously affected lower-volume models such as the Mac mini and Mac Studio. Apple has already raised prices on Macs and iPads (including a $200 increase that took the MacBook Air’s starting price to $1,299 in the U.S.) to offset higher component costs. The company is also exploring sourcing memory from Chinese suppliers for devices sold in China and is prioritizing production and sales of the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro ahead of an expected M6 refresh later in the fall. Marketing for the back-to-school season has been adjusted, with greater emphasis on the Pro and warnings that the MacBook Air is “subject to availability.” The timing is particularly challenging, as the MacBook Air is typically a strong seller during that period.
Health and Fitness Ambitions for Glasses and Headsets
Separately, Apple is working to position its future smart glasses and headsets as health and fitness devices. The company’s Vision Products Group is hiring a strategic product design leader to “define the future of health, well-being, and fitness experiences across vision products,” seeking candidates experienced in digital health products and sensor-driven features.
Earlier plans to bring similar capabilities to the Vision Pro, including a Fitness+ experience that would use body-tracking technology to analyze movements during workouts, were dropped due to technological hurdles and the headset’s weight. Future lighter glasses could incorporate a range of sensors to track movement, form, posture, and other fitness data without compromising comfort, Gurman reports. These features are not expected in the first-generation smart glasses (anticipated around 2027) but are part of longer-term plans that could complement devices such as the Apple Watch.
These developments highlight ongoing supply-chain pressures in consumer electronics caused by AI infrastructure buildouts, alongside Apple’s continued expansion of its health and wearable ecosystem beyond the Watch and AirPods.
MacDailyNews Take: Lighter Apple smart glasses will enable a huge range of applications. We can’t wait!
The Apple Glasses will be the key as holding up slabs of glass as “windows” is suboptimal. When we’re running in a race, for example, we don’t want to have to hold an iPhone or even glance at an Apple Watch, but with a pair of Apple Glasses constantly overlaying time, pace, splits, etc. it’ll be ideal! — MacDailyNews, September 6, 2019
Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!
Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.
The post Apple faces MacBook Air shortages amid AI-driven memory crunch; eyes health features for future glasses and headsets appeared first on MacDailyNews.
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