Gosh, it's almost as if ALL things heat-up under the sun. ;) Given their (cough) publication history, one would hope UW would've learned by now avoid the terms

Gosh, it's almost as if ALL things heat-up under the sun. ;) Given their (cough) publication history, one would hope UW would've learned by now avoid the terms "smart" and "nano particles". In actuality, this is the university's PR department completely dropping the ball on how to describe a non-phase-change passive heater https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42114-024-00994-4 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42114-024-00994-4 . It's not going to replace good 'ole phase-change pocket warmers or, god forbid, lighter-fluid burners (check out the W/m^2/s), and there's going to be some serious manufacturing R&D to make these fibers into wearable fabrics (hint, substituting phase-change for length-change (color is micro-length adjustment) does not bode well for durable stitching), but it's neither an outright outlandish engineering proposition nor as remotely as "sci-fi" as the article claims. FWIW, the 600 W/m^2 is often used as a stand-in source for nominal solar irradiance though I can't find the specific spectra of the source. If you're changing color (length), spectra really matters. I have little doubt the authors of the paper cringed when they saw that headline, but I'm also likewise as sure they're happy to get any press.