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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: University of Oregon chemist Christopher Hendon loves his coffee -- so much so that studying all the factors that go into creating the perfect cuppa constitutes a significant area of research for him. His latest project: discovering a novel means of measuring the flavor profile of coffee simply by sending an electrical current through a sample beverage. The results appear in a new paper published in the journal Nature Communications. [...] The coffee industry typically uses a method for measuring the refractive index of coffee -- i.e., how light bends as it travels through the liquid -- to determine strength, but it doesn't capture the contribution of roast color to the overall flavor profile. So for this latest study, Hendon decided to focus on roast color and beverage strength, the two variables most likely to affect the sensory profile of the final cuppa. His solution turned out to be quite simple. Hendon repurposed an electrochemical tool called a potentiostat, typically used to test battery and fuel cell performance. Hendon used the tool to measure how electricity interacted with the liquid. He found that this provided a better measurement of the flavor profile. He even tested it on four different samples of coffee beans and successfully identified the distinctive signature of a batch that had failed the roaster's quality-control process. Granted, one's taste in coffee is fairly subjective, so Hendon's goal was not to achieve a "perfect" cup but to give baristas a simple tool to consistently reproduce flavor profiles more tailored to a given customer's taste. "It's an objective way to make a statement about what people like in a cup of coffee," said Hendon. "The reason you have an enjoyable cup of coffee is almost certainly that you have selected a coffee of a particular roast color and extracted it to a desired strength. Until now, we haven't been able to separate those variables. Now we can diagnose what gives rise to that delicious cup." Outside of his latest electrical-current experiment, Christopher Hendon's coffee research has shown that espresso can be made more consistently by modeling extraction yield -- how much coffee dissolves into the final drink -- and controlling water flow and pressure. He also found that static electricity from grinding causes fine coffee particles to clump, which disrupts brewing. The solution: adding a small squirt of water to beans before grinding (known as the Ross droplet technique) to reduce that static, cut clumping and waste, and lead to a stronger, more consistent espresso.

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Join this webinar to find out how enterprise IT teams are getting off the upgrade treadmill, and why you should do it too.

The late pop star entered into a civil partnership with Andrew in 2006, three years before his death aged 33 from a pulmonary oedema resulting from an undiagnosed heart condition.

After just eight months of dating, Zoe Kravitz and Harry Styles are engaged - but it is not the first time she has been a fiancée.

The Daily Mail has learned the new indictment relates to an Instagram post Comey made last May featuring seashells arranged to spell out '8647.'

At AI Dev 26 x SF, code slingers confront their relationship with AI

More than 3,000 software developers from around the world gathered in San Francisco on Tuesday to learn what will become of software development in the AI era.…

For the milestone event, the 18-year-old YouTuber and golf influencer wore a floor-length satin dress, which featured a cut-out detail under the bust.

Some Capitol Hill liberals attended Tuesday's speech by King Charles III despite previously pushing a 'No Kings' message in the US in opposition to President Donald Trump.

Apple's Vision Pro has been used in what's described as the world's first cataract surgery performed with the headset. MacRumors reports: [New York opthalmologist] Dr. Eric Rosenberg of SightMD completed the initial procedure in October 2025 and has since performed hundreds of additional cases using ScopeXR, a surgical platform he co-developed for Apple's mixed reality device. ScopeXR streams live feeds from 3D digital surgical microscopes directly into the Vision Pro, which lets the surgeon view the operative field in stereoscopic 3D while overlaying preoperative diagnostic data. The platform also supports real-time remote collaboration, allowing surgeons to virtually join procedures and see exactly what the operating surgeon sees. "We are now able to bring the world's best surgeon into any operating room, at any hour, from anywhere on the planet," said Dr. Rosenberg in a company press release. "From residents performing their first cases to surgeons facing unexpected complications, this technology democratizes access to expertise and that will save vision."

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A TOWIE star latest Instagram post has fans convinced she could be heading to the Love Island villa

He was a member of the group which is known for 1990 smash hit The Humpty Dance and kickstarting the career of legendary rapper Tupac Shakur.

King Charles III condemned the assassination attempt against President Trump on Tuesday afternoon in the royal's historic speech to Congress .

Seven-time world champion O'Sullivan is one of the only players still using Triangle chalk, which leaves visible streaks on the table and can cause kicks during matches.

Louise Thomas, who works for Royal Mail in Nailsea, Somerset, said the birds were only discovered on Saturday when the mother was spotted clambering back into her nest.

Eddie Jarman, a talented musician, had been checking the anchor of his family's yacht off the coast of Mo'orea near Tahiti in 2020 when he was struck by the propeller of a boat, an inquest heard.

American passports will include a portrait of President Donald Trump , it has been announced.

The enraged mother berated an unsuspecting AVIS car rental worker. She accused the man of 'risking [her] children's safety.'

A 13-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of causing injury by dangerous driving, alongside a 48-year-old man, after two pensions were hit by a car at a caravan park.

Sony is reportedly rolling out a 30-day online check-in requirement for some digital PS4 and PS5 games, meaning players could temporarily lose access if their console does not reconnect to renew the license. Tom's Hardware reports: In the info page of an affected game, you'd see a new validity period and a "remaining time" deadline. At first, this seemed like a software bug, but now PlayStation Support has confirmed its authenticity to multiple users. PlayStation owners are furious about the change. From what we've seen, this DRM is intended for digital game copies. It works by instating a mandatory online check-in where you have to connect to the internet within a rolling 30-day window or risk losing access to the game. Afterward, you can still restore access, but you'll need an internet connection to renew the game's license first. So far, it seems like only games installed after the recent March firmware update are affected. Affected customers report that setting your PS4 or PS5 as the primary console doesn't alleviate this check-in policy either. No matter what, any game you download from now on will feature this new requirement, effectively eliminating the concept of offline play for even single-player titles.

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A bizarre interaction has been caught on camera in Melbourne with a woman casually slapping plates from the hands of a young worker.