Asian pollution, heat waves worsen US smog

An influx of pollution from Asia in the western United States and more frequent heat waves in the eastern U.S. are responsible for the persistence of smog in these regions over the past quarter century despite laws curtailing the emission of smog-forming chemicals from automobile tailpipes and factories.

Terahertz chips a new way of seeing through matter

Electromagnetic pulses lasting one millionth of a millionth of a second may hold the key to advances in medical imaging, communications and drug development. But the pulses, called terahertz waves, have long required elaborate and expensive equipment to use. Now, researchers at Princeton University have drastically shrunk much of that equipment.

New Rutgers-Princeton center uses computational models to understand psychiatric conditions

A new center is bringing together researchers from Princeton and Rutgers universities to apply computational modeling to the understanding of psychiatric diseases. The Rutgers-Princeton Center for Computational Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, which will open its doors this month, aims to improve the diagnosis of mental disorders, better predict their progression and eventually aid in developing treatments.

Invisible coating preserves iconic stone structures threatened by decay

The stone monuments of Italy’s Certosa di Bologna cemetery have stood for more than two centuries as symbols of peace and eternity. But even stone does not last forever. So Enrico Sassoni, a visiting postdoctoral research associate in Princeton’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is working to protect the marble monuments and even make them stronger.

Stereotypes about ‘brilliance’ may set in for girls as early as age 6

By the age of 6, girls become less likely than boys to associate brilliance with their own gender. This could have an immediate impact on their interest level in activities and may have long-term effects, such as whether women feel confident pursuing careers in certain academic fields that “cherish brilliance,” according to a new study conducted by researchers at Princeton University, New York University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.